Category Archives: Fabulous Furry Fridays

An Embarrassment Of Pandas

Recently, it was brought to my attention, that the collective noun for a group of pandas is an embarrassment of pandas. I find this highly suspect, not to mention somewhat demeaning to pandas. Is this a ploy by certain political factions to imply that pandas are not fit for office? The Hmmmph! factor for this little piece of so called news is extremely high. What’s so embarrassing about being a panda, I’d like to know! well, yes, we are kind of messy eaters, and not much to brag about in the romance department, but we are awfully cute, don’t you think?

Meanwhile happy happy happy news from Belgium yesterday, where Hao Hao and Xing Hui are the proud parents of a bouncing baby cub! Fingers and paws are being crossed that the little pink bundle of joy survives its first days and weeks. Panda cubs weigh about four ounces at birth and have no fur!

So to celebrate this blessed event in Belgium, I thought I would share some ‘toons about….baby pandas! Huzzah! Let’s start with my first baby panda, the ineffable Wu Self!

“Howdy do! I’m Mr. Wu! Who are you?”

“Wu calls his dance, ‘Ode to a Weaf’ “

Moving on, we have the early days of her pink (but slightly dangerous) self, Princess Pinky!

Pinky tests her powers….

And who could forget the early days of Meihem?

The first appearance of the Meihems!

And how happy we were when Bubba arrived in DC…

These paws are made for walking….eventually.

Feed me, Mama!

Don’t forget to tune in Sunday when we continue with our coverage of the Mr. Bun Disappearance!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Hostages

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Well! It seems that the recent International Incident has been resolved, but I suspect there may be more shenanigans yet to come! After all, this is not the first time Pinky has been involved in a hostage situation! Thanks to Vicky Vladic of VsomethingSpeaks, who reminded me of this, and thus gave me an idea for this Fabulous Furry Friday post. As you know, Friday is the day that we take a look back at panda satire past. Huzzah! We are hostages to the weekend!

Let’s revisit the scene of Pinky’s last indiscretion! (Okay, it’s not the last one…I’ve lost count of how many naughty things she has done, but it is the only time we know of when hostages were involved.)

Excuse me, Mr. Watterson, but….

“how does you spell ‘hostage’?”

Oh dear, the Mei-hem twinkies have made Pinky mad. Uh oh.

He who laughs last, laughs…um…last.

We also had a recent techno-glitch, when I made a minor (I thought) change in how the blog landing page was set up. This little insignificant change somehow cancelled the email notification of posts for my subscribers. Oopsie. Being that my technical knowledge is extremely limited, and relies on naps, sugar laden snacks and pushing random buttons, it took a little bit before the problem sorted itself out. At least I think it did. I’ll let you know after my nap. If you missed last Friday’s post, here it is! It is ironic that the glitch happened on Friday the 13th, isn’t it?

Here is a ‘toon that demonstrates my vast technological knowledge:

Lamentations of Luddites lay waste to Linguini….Call 1-800-U-R-LOSER

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday the 13th

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It is Fabulous Furry Friday AND Friday the 13th but I don’t think that we have any cartoons specifically dealing with Friday the 13th, (oddly enough…) so I will have to remedy that! So here is a post on the subject from our good friend over at VSomethingSpeaks.

I guess I will just have to look for some cartoons where our cast appears to be particularly unlucky in some fashion.

Pandanastics star, PO of Atlanta Zoo, practices for the Olympics, while the Torch Bears continue their around the world journey. Where will they turn up next?

This looks kind of dangerous, doesn’t it?

Never underestimate the power of a good “fart joke”

What makes a panda run? Cuppycakes, of course!!!!

I smell FROSTING!!!!!!!!

Love the hobby horse on a spring (inspired by a REAL photo of a REAL panda on one.

National Zoo cub makes mom Mei Xiang disappear

oops.

Have a great day, and remember, that you should be nice to all cats, unlike the panda kindergarten. Just saying. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and remember, if you enjoy reading a bunch of my ‘toons all at once, why not pick up copies of ALL the Panda Chronicles Books? You’ll be glad you did!

Till Next Time…Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Secret Meetings Were Held…

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…at the campaign headquarters of one Princess Pinky Panda in Washington DC at the National Zoo. Why weren’t you alerted in advance? Well, it wouldn’t have been much of a secret meeting if I told you before it happened now, would it?

Pinky and I having a top secret meeting, to discuss the future of Bob T’s candidacy. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Friedline) (Now you know what I really look like!) (That’s me in the back, in case you were wondering)

When I started my journey into panda satire, I was a little unsure about what kind of people I would meet in cyberspace. After a while, I figured they weren’t all scary and most of them weren’t ax murderers, and so, a couple of years ago (I can’t even remember how many…maybe it was when the first Panda Chronicles books came out) I told one of my Facebook panda friends that yes, I was coming to DC and maybe it would be fun to meet a couple of people, but don’t make a big deal or anything.

Well, one fun lunch get together led to another and then to another and then I met Leslie Johnson who made the most amazing cuppycakes depicting Princess Pinky and now Bubba cookies. (Pinky cuppycakes came complete with tiara and magical wand!)

On this trip, not only did I get to visit with friends from past panda visits, but also met more people that I only know on FB and Twitter, including the people behind @houseofcubs and @pinkypanda0823 on Twitter. I have sworn not to reveal their identities, so don’t even TRY to worm it out of me!

Cuppycakes, anyone? (Photo courtesy of Karen Wille and cuppycakes courtesy of Leslie Johnson)

At the beginning of my trip, I was in Western PA where I met some other blogger friends. a great time was had by all, and was written about on Cordelia’s Mom Still, by one of the bloggers I got together with, while in PA.

Room service!

Do we know how to have fun, or what?

But I know you didn’t show up to see pictures of my trip! Bring on the panda satire, you say! In commemoration of the recent exodus from the clown car by several of the clowns, (I won’t say celebration, because there still is a very big, bad clown in the car) Let’s have a trip down memory lane from Bob’s last venture in presidential politics…..

Babette has ..um…toned her wardrobe down in honor of this important occasion.

In the words of Winnie ther Pooh, “I think it’s time for a little something.

Bob says it best! “What’s the point of being president if you can’t stop for cake?”

Cats….you just can’t trust em.

Does being endangered have NO privileges?

Keep cool, cat, and don't go blaming women for stuff. That is SO not the way to get votes...

Is this a little too close to what some candidates are actually saying? Um….yes. Yes it is.

Four years ago, I thought I had made a really absurd representation of political discourse. This year, um…not so much. what has been said by certain candidates is way beyond what is in this cartoon.

By the way…yesterday was National Cartoonists Day! Did anyone get me a present?

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday

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Today, Fabulous Furry Friday looks at one of our favorite subjects, Panda Cams!!!! Where would we be without panda cams? (Yes, I know, I know… I’d be getting a lot more work done, but you know, watching panda videos is very relaxing, or so I’ve heard somewhere)

Back in the early days, the panda cams were only in black and white, in fixed positions, and often were only available a few hours a day. Now, they are mostly in color, high definition, viewable 24 hours a day, and camera operators follow the pandas around, at least during the pandas wakeful times. (Don’t say it. They do NOT sleep all the time) So put your paws together and give a big huzzah to the panda cam operators, who are mostly unpaid volunteers who are dedicated to giving pandaholics such as myself our daily fix of pandaliscious goodness.

Some of the new high definition panda cams are sponsored by places like Animal Planet (Zoo Atlanta Panda cam) or the Ford Motor Company (National Zoo). For this, we pandaholics thank you!

In the early days of panda cams….

And then there are those dedicated folks who record hours and hours of panda cam footage, and then edit it, so we can watch 20 minutes of pandas playing instead of 14 hours of pandas sleeping. One of my favorite panda video creators, is my Facebook friend who has a YouTube channel called Doxiemom19 who I would credit with supplying me with the best bits of panda life, so that I can turn it into panda satire and illustrations and not have to be constantly watching the panda cams raw footage, and instead, bring you my take on pandas.

What pandas get up to when they are in front of a camera…

#6 is getting ready to make his move!

Huzzah!….ooops.

Speaking of being mauled by bears…

And even wild pandas are subject to invasion of privacy…

The secret lives of the wild panda!

Hope you have a fabulous furry weekend! Be the bear!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday presents…

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Today is Earth Day and we almost forgot to celebrate it. Of course, anything with pandas is rather celebratory, so um…have I convinced you of anything yet? Darn… sO let’s just forget all about what we might or might not have forgotten, as Fabulous Furry Friday celebrates Earth Day because….

We R Endangered!

Yes, that’s right, pandas are endangered and if you think we are going to let you forget it, you have another think coming! Check out this fun video I found about pandas on youtube!

After you’re done watching that, here’s the Friday line up for this fabulously furry day!

You forgot your Binky Bar!

One of my early ‘toons! (and still one of my faves!)

Vote for pandas! We’re endangered!

Does being endangered have NO privileges?

Pandas support all endangered animals!

Keep cool, cat, and don’t go blaming women for stuff. That is SO not the way to get votes…

Hope you have a happy and fulfilling Earth day…um…when you’re endangered, does time really matter? Well, yeah, actually it does.

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday

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We are still popping champagne corks and eating cuppycakes to celebrate my newly agented status, so I thought I would share more of my literature of the panda ‘toons for this weeks fabulous Furry Friday! Huzzah!

From the earliest days of panda satire, pandas have been writing books about…well, about being pandas…

Everything I know

And then, there was Bob’s memoir, “Black and White Like Me”…

More literature of the panda!

And of course we wanted to encourage a love of reading in the panda kindergarten…

I think you get my point….

And what panda doesn’t have an abiding love of Shakespeare….?

After all, the playings the thing….

And let’s not forget that in addition to panda satire, I am also a painter…

You say sumi-e, I say Tsunami

Keep being the bear!
Bob T Panda

Pandas in Science

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If pandas know anything, they know about science, so today Fabulous Furry Friday is very pleased to present Pandas in Science or, everything you wanted to know, but want to know the wrong information!

We start our encore presentation with a cartoon that was inspired by a real story about pandas, and also contributed to this past Wednesday’s cartoon!

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is that handsome panda I see before me?

And one of my all time favorites, a news story about how an animal’s abstract patterning can increase the likelihood of becoming a successful predator.

No nonsense to be found here!

And if we take the way-back machine to a couple of our early explorations of the conjunction of pandas and science, we have this in depth interpretation of our carbon foot print:

are you SURE it’s not “carbonated”?

well, what if I….

but…WeREndangered!

Hmmm…I hope these cartoons don’t get out. Pinky may have some additional ammunition in the next debate. Don’t tell, ‘kay?

Be the Bear and have a Fabulous Furry Friday!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Wu-Day!

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Having just returned from the Panda fest at the Pandiego Zoo, I just had to share a few more ‘toons about the very wonderful Wu Self for fabulous Furry Wu-Day! As a side note, when I was there at the zoo, I gave a copy of The Book of Wu to the panda keepers and narrators, and when they looked at it, they were amazed that someone had written stories about Wu. Pretty cool, huh?

So, here are more ‘toons, celebrating the ever popular Mr. Wu!

“Wu calls his dance, ‘Ode to a Weaf’ “

An explorer’s work is never done.

Don’t you love “rear shots” of baby pandas?

Whatever could be in the box the panda kindergarten is delivering to Mr. Wu?

Of course, if you want to read all the Mr. wu stories, you know the drill! Buy my book! Huzzah! Remember, it’s book 4 of The Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu; Available at Amazon!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Celebrate Wu

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I love Mr. Wu, San Diego’s junior panda in residence. Because Mr. Wu turns four years old this summer, he will most likely be moving to China sometime this fall or winter, I thought we should celebrate Wu and all things relating to the Wu self today.

I know, I know! I hate the idea of his leaving us too, but it is part of the deal we make with China in order to have pandas come and live here. And because Mr. Wu’s dad, Gao Gao, was born in the wild, Wu is of particular value as the future father of more little pandas. So we must shower him with love and affection while he is here, and try not to cry too much until then.

So let’s have a Fabulous Furry Friday salute to Mr. Wu!!!!

Mr. Wu’s first appearance on The Panda Chronicles

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of BooBeer!

While Mr. Wu was the only cub in the U.S. we had Mr. Wu Wednesday!

“You are right and Wu is wrong…I’ll never do it again, mommy.”

where happy pandas eat bamboo, oh why, oh why, can’t…Wu?

And who could forget the exciting story of The Wizard of Wu? And remember, you can read all of the Mr. Wu stories in Book 4 of the Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu! Get it here!

Have a great weekend, everyone! More pandas coming your way on Sunday!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda