When the NBC Television Network made history in 1956 by revolutionizing the industry with "living color" the ever-popular NBC icon -- the Peacock -- was born. Regarded as one of the most recognized symbols on the planet, the celebrated NBC Peacock has, over the past 40 years, undergone several transformations and incarnations.

Beginning in July 1956, just as NBC was ready to revolutionize television technology, the Peacock was also just beginning to spread its feathers. The colorful Peacock logo in slide form was flashed on home screens at both the beginning and end of colorcasts, inviting the audience to discover the new color revolution.

On September 7, 1957, the Peacock gained new life in its first animated form, introduced on NBC's "Your Hit Parade". In this version, a plain white Peacock fanned its feathers, filling with vibrant color. The original Peacock had remarkable longevity, lasting 19 years until 1975.

More naturalistic than NBC's current logo, the design featured a Peacock with 11 feathers in six colors -- maroon, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. The feathers, tipped with shapes resembling teardrops, more closely resemble real Peacock feathers.

Beginning in 1959, an animated logo joined the Peacock, appearing at the end of broadcasts. Beginning with N, each letter would grow from the other, forming a stacked typographic logo ending with C, forming the base.

On April 16, 1962, on the "Laramie" series, a second version of the Peacock was introduced in which the bird fanned its bright plumage against a kaleidoscopic color background.

In 1975, the time had come to update NBC's visual identity, and a stylized N was introduced. The design was bold, bright and contemporary.

The Peacock returned in 1980, married with the N; to create a design called "the Proud N". The Peacock was simplified in keeping with the letter's pared-down design. Although all 11 feathers were intact, the teardrop tips were gone, the feet were gone and the Peacock's body became a simple triangular shape.

In 1986, NBC decided to dissolve the arranged marriage of the N and the Peacock. The result: a new Peacock was born, even simpler and more abstract than before. Instead of 11 feathers, the bird had six, one for each division of NBC (News, Sports, Entertainment, Television Stations, Television Network, and Operations & Technical Services). The tiny spray of feathers above the Peacock's head disappeared and the Peacock turned its head to the right.

And in late 1998, KCEN-TV introduced Central Texans to our own version of the NBC mascot: CenTex Pete!

You could say that General Manager Randy Odil hatched "Pete" as an idea for KCEN-TV to show involvement at community events. Designed and built by Doris Fugate of Custom Costumes in Waco, it was a long labor: it took over 100 hours to put Pete's costume together!

He's even got icepacks inside the jacket and headgear to keep our "bird brain" cool in the hot summer! Pete's birthday is September 9, 1998. His hobbies are parades, community events and of course: watching TV!