The books about Pelle are seen as a protest against the ever more overt support seen for Nazism in Sweden during the 1930s, and as such constitute a satire on contemporaneous society.

However, good always prevails over evil, and Pelle even gets to experience true love together with Maja Gräddnos ("Maya Cream-nose").

In the first books Pelle is a house cat in the home of the children Olle and Birgitta, but as he grows he enters a relationship with cohabitant Maja in a basement peep-hole.

It featured Mark Bartholdsson as Pelle Svanslös, Iwa Sörenson as Maja Gräddnos and Magnus Lindén as elaka Måns.

In 1981 the feature animated film Peter-No-Tail was released, starring Mats Åhlfeldt as Peter and Ernst-Hugo Järegård as Elaka Måns.

In 1997, Sveriges Television produced the Nordic Christmas calendar live action TV series Peter-No-Tail with Björn Kjellman portraying Peter.