Guest stars
The many guest stars that appeared on Pete & Pete include:
Selma Blair – Penelope Ghiruto, school bus passenger from whose name Big Pete can make 27 words. ("Das Bus")
Elizabeth Bogush – Diane Senski, love interest of Big Pete who loses interest due to Big Pete's friendship with Teddy, whom she finds too annoying. ("The Trouble With Teddy")
Golden Brooks – Heather, captain of the tennis team and Big Pete's love interest. ("Crisis in the Love Zone")
Jude Ciccolella and Don Creech – Mr. Slurm, high school shop teacher with a claw for a hand. He later returns in season 3 to serve as the school's driving instructor. ("Tool and Die" and "Road Warrior")
Ellen Cleghorne – Bus driver Sally Knorp, on-again/off-again girlfriend of Stu Benedict. (Appears in "Day of the Dot" and "Yellow Fever", though she is mentioned in other episodes)
Marshall Crenshaw – "Lightning" Mel Ratner, a meter reader who joins Little Pete's band. ("A Hard Day's Pete")
Art Donovan – As himself, talking to Big Pete about playing with Johnny Unitas. ("Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas")
Martin Donovan – Crossing guard Kenneth G. Keegan who passes messages between Big Pete and Ellen in "Apocalypse Pete"; also Smith ("Smitty"), a security guard whom Little Pete and Petunia distract in "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas".
Richard Edson – School janitor and field chalker, Mr. Beverly. ("Valentine's Day Massacre")
Chris Elliott – Meterman Ray, a meter reader who foretells the future by gazing into the energy meter; he predicts Little Pete's future. ("Sick Day")
Gordon Gano – Mr. Zank, the first of many substitute math teachers. ("X=Why?")
Janeane Garofalo – Ms. Brackett, an English teacher. ("X=Why?")
Frank Gifford – As himself, a customer at Dad's driving range. ("Rangeboy")
Ellen Greene – Abilene Jones, drive-in film operator. ("Time Tunnel")
Debbie Harry – A neighbor whose lawn the Petes sweep for land mines. ("New Year's Pete")
Eliza Harris – Girl in the straitjacket. ("Last Laugh")
Juliana Hatfield – Lunchlady Emma. ("Don't Tread on Pete")
Patty Hearst – Mrs. Kretchmar, a member of the family that moves into the Wrigley house. ("35 Hours")
William Hickey – Grandpa Wrigley, Dad's dad. ("When Petes Collide")
David Johansen – Park Ranger Thorsen, who scrutinizes Dad's activities until learning he is hunting for Old Bob. ("On Golden Pete")
LL Cool J – Mr. Thornberry, Little Pete's teacher. ("Sick Day")
Luscious Jackson – The band that plays at the school dance. ("Dance Fever")
Alicia Keys – A student ("Tool and Die")
Ann Magnuson – Eunice Puell, mail carrier and object of Little Pete's affection. ("Crisis in the Love Zone")
John McLaughlin – As himself, devoting a portion of his show to support Big Pete's bid for Dad's bowling ball. ("When Petes Collide")
Miracle Legion – The four-piece version of Polaris that Little Pete sees in a garage ("A Hard Day's Pete"). Polaris, in turn, was Miracle Legion minus guitarist Mr. Ray.
Bebe Neuwirth – Mail Lady McGintee, a mail carrier whom Little Pete comes across on his sick day adventure. ("The Call", "Sick Day")
Larisa Oleynik – A nurse who rushes Little Pete through the hospital. ("Dance Fever")
Vincent Pastore – Vincent Park, a neighbor and bowling agent who is impressed with Artie's bowling skills and gets him to sign a bowling contract.
Geoff Pierson – Mr. Perfect, Dad's competition on a family trip to the Hoover Dam. ("The King of the Road")
Kate Pierson – Mysterious blind millionaire Mrs. Vanderveer, who was once married to Mr. Tastee. ("What We Did on Our Summer Vacation")
John Ottavino – Inspector 34, inspector of Kreb of the Loom underwear and Little Pete's guardian angel. ("Inspector 34")
Suzzy Roche – PEO MacMillan, meter maid and Inspector 34's love interest. ("Inspector 34")
James Rebhorn – Supervillain John McFlemp, who rallies the neighborhood to turn Artie into a respectable adult. ("Farewell My Little Viking" (parts 1 and 2))
Sarah Shannon – A grocery store employee who gives Little Pete a label from an expired can of tapioca pudding. ("Sick Day")
J. K. Simmons – Barber Dan, who refuses to talk to Big Pete. ("Saturday")
Michael Stipe – Captain Scrummy, a disliked rival ice-cream vendor to Mr. Tastee. ("What We Did On Our Summer Vacation")
Syd Straw – Math teacher Miss Fingerwood who loves the subject of mathematics; it's rumored that she got into math when she was a baby and mistook the number 2 in her baby crib mobile for her mother. Played bass in the Blowholes. ("Hard Day's Pete", "X=Why", "Valentine's Day Massacre")
Liza Weil – Margie Corsell, a girl for whom Big Pete abandons his brother ("35 Hours"). Weil also played a bully in "Yellow Fever", with her mother Lisa as a teacher in the same episode.
One widely reported guest appearance – Hunter S. Thompson in "New Year's Pete" – has been described as "apocryphal" by show creator Will McRobb, who has said the Hunter Thompson listed in the credits is instead a similarly named extra.
