Hector the Cat eight of his nine lives due to "ignorance of road safety practices". This was followed by a short instructional film. In subsequent years other characters were introduced in calendars, instructional films, and comic books including Millie, his girlfriend (1973), Uncle Tom (1974), Hector and Millie's three kittens (1975) and his space friend Ding Dong (1982). A study in 1978 found that, although children enjoyed the characters and stories, the material had a number of inadequacies. It stressed that road safety research findings and child development theory would need to be considered for any future development. The character is currently used
Pete the Cat Pete the Cat Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes is the first in a series of American children's picture books featuring a fictional cartoon cat named Pete. The book features text and music by Eric Litwin and illustrations by James Dean, who had created the character previously. It was self-published in 2008, with a CD audio recording, and published by HarperCollins in 2010. "I Love My White Shoes" is the first of the series of books, which includes over 60 more books written by author/illustrator James Dean or by the husband-and-wife team James and Kimberly Dean, all centered