Q: The animal origins of most Disney characters are pretty clear: Mickey is a Mouse, Goofy and Pluto are dogs, Donald is a duck, and so forth. But what exactly is/was Peg Leg Pete?
Randy, Lithia Springs, Georgia
A: John Grant in his authoritative Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated Characters, refers to him as a “rogue cat.” According to Grant, this differs from his earliest appearances in the Alice Comedies before his look was changed, where he was “most probably a tail-less rat or oversized mouse.”
Dave Smith