As “Pete the Cat” takes the stage at Atlanta’s Center for Puppetry Arts, the character’s creator, James Dean, is thinking less about spectacle and more about the quieter rhythms that shape a creative life.
From fine art parody to children’s icon
Pete the Cat entered James Dean’s creative world in the late 1990s as a bright blue character in minimalist portraits. The cat soon appeared in Dean’s parodies of masterpieces and alongside vintage cars, guitars and vacation scenes.
The character became a children’s book phenomenon in 2008 with “Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes,” written by Eric Litwin. After self-publishing, HarperCollins picked up the series in 2010. Dean’s wife, Kimberly Dean, joined as a writer in 2013 with “Pete the Cat and the Magic Sunglasses,” expanding Pete’s world with quirky supporting characters.
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