Category Archives: Pandas for President!

The Day After

Okay, I am actually writing this on the day OF the Presidential Election here in the US, so I really don’t know what is going to be the outcome. The news media is doing okay so far, not making predictions before the polls close on the West Coast. Washington and Oregon both have all vote by mail, but California has a lot of people voting today. I don’t know what the day after the election is going to look like, I only know that one way or the other, it will be historic and…um…over.

So, with the uncertainty inherent in the situation in mind, here is my ‘toon for the day after election…

Remember the song “The Eve of Destruction”? That’s what today feels like.

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Note from the abyss: I can’t believe what I am about to write. I have never felt this much despair over an election result. As I head off to bed, it seems that the worst has happened and Trump is the winner. This is not the first time my candidate did not win the election. I have been disappointed, yes, but I have never felt so much fear and apprehension going forward. Tomorrow will probably look a lot like today. It will take a while before the future takes hold. Maybe all the talk and bluster of arresting his opponents or any one who disagrees with him will all be stopped by people behind the scenes.

I thought that a candidate who wanted to build us up, make life better for the many instead of the few, would prevail. Turns out I was wrong.

Hasta manana, y’all. Right now, this cartoon that I did some days ago seems all too apt, and not funny at all. This man will have the keys to the nukes. Remember that.

Do the Right Thing.

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We are down to the last days. If you’ve already voted, huzzah! But for those of you who are waiting till the last minute, or don’t live in a state with early voting, you have 2 more days until we run out of time to do the right thing.

I’m done pontificating (sort of.) You’ve already heard it, and you agree or not. But I would ask one more time. Please don’t allow He Who Must Not Be Named to become president. Don’t overlook the things he has been recorded saying as mere quirks. Please vote.

Do the Right Thing.

The Power of the Poof (Not to mention, the VOTE!!!)

Be the Bear
Bob T #I’mWithHer Panda

What Do You Have To Lose?

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We’ve been hearing this phrase quite often lately: What do you have to lose? Throughout my life, I’ve experienced ups and downs, good times and bad. But as a white, middle class American who has had the privilege of a good education, I know that even in hard times, those times were not as hard as they could have been. As a female in America, I also know that I have had to work harder for the things I have than males in the same circumstances.

The world is a scary place these days. I get that. But I think it can be made less scary by trying to work together, rather than trying to drive people apart. Ask yourself, based on what you actually see and hear directly from the candidates, as opposed to what “some people are saying,” which candidate will lead the country to a better place. We are not going to agree what that better place is unilaterally. But I’m holding out hope for a kinder world. One where our leader does not discriminate, belittle, or mock those who are different or disadvantaged.

Could we just take a deep breath and embrace our inner panda?

Mittens is really back.

Nah…I didn’t think so either.

Stay tuned for our next episode, when we learn that Bubba has a cunning plan! Pinky has taught him well!

Be the Bear,

Bob T Panda

The Cat Came Back

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Oh, it was bound to happen. We know from past experience, that Pinky’s magical wand has a limited effect (well, except for the pooling of the Meihem twins and Po, which changed them into girls forever.) But this is terrible news! We were hoping Mittens would be gone for good but the cat came back and we are NOT glad to see him!

While this is being written in advance of the first real presidential debate, we can only say that we are waiting with baited breath (What DOES that mean anyway? Surely not with a piece of cheese or something on my tongue, does it?) for the credits to roll and the mud slinging to begin. But now, let’s not wait a moment longer to see what happens when …

The Cat Came Back …..

Is it just my imagination or does Mittens look even more crazed than before?

Of course, by the time you read today’s post, the first debate will (thankfully) be over. I’m hoping to round up a few friends to watch, maybe with a bottle of scotch or bourbon to help the whole thing go down a little smoother. Maybe a drinking game or two…

Stay tuned folks.

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

People are Saying He’s Back

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Oh no! I thought he was gone for good! But now…now people are saying he’s back! I think maybe Pinky should get a new, more powerful magical wand. This one is just not permanent!

Has the cat, in fact, come back?

Pay us enough money and we’ll say just about anything! Cash only please. Upfront.

Hey! I bet you think we forgot about our drawing fro the really cool Toby stuff! We did not! We had Mehitabel the cat choose the winner and….drum roll please….

and The Winner is….

Lisa G. of the grand state of Ohio! Not only is it the Buckeye State, but it is also the home of The Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum at Ohio State University! Huzzah! (In case you were thinking that comics and cartoons are not worthy of a whole stinking museum!) Thank you so much for joining us to welcome Toby and his book into the world!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

The Field Narrows

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You were dreading this moment. The moment when there was no longer any momentum, no longer any hope that your candidate could possibly win. The field has narrowed and we are left only with….Pinky.

Oh…and Mittens the Cat.

Poor Bob. The paw writing was on the wall….

Just don’t call Bob a loser. He feels bad enough already.

Sigh….Pinky may never let us forget this.

Meanwhile, you still have until tonight to comment on Pinky’s Interview with Toby and be eligible to win Toby’s new book and a whole bunch of really cool swag!!!!! Be sure to comment on this post by following the link-dinky!

What will Pinky get up to now that way is clear…oh…but is she still grounded?

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Politics Makes Strange Denfellows

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Where have the Meihems been? We have hardly seen hide nor hair…um..fur of them since Bob hired them to be his political consultants. Personally, I think they have been so absorbed with planning for their gala third birthday party, (TWO CAKES!!!!!!) that they have forgotten all about Bob and Pinky and, not to cast aspersions on their southern belle-ness, but…politics makes strange denfellows.

But now the cakes have been ordered, and their dresses shopped for and they have remembered that they have an important client. But have the events of the last weeks incited a shift in the political cosmos? Is Bob ready to through in the towel and join forces with Pinky, in order to defeat a terrible foe?

Whoever could it be, to see Pinky in her lair?

And just because Pinky is ahead in all the polls (well, at least the polls at the National Zoo) it doesn’t mean she can coast from now until November. There may be sneaky things up certain sleeves (do cats have sleeves?) All I can say is stay tuned!!!

By the by, this coming Saturday is the Meihem girls third birthday and the team at Zoo Atlanta is indeed making them TWO special ice fruity cakes to celebrate the occasion. I hope they remembered to invite Pinky, because, you know how Pinky hates to be ignored! This week’s Fabulous Furry Friday will therefore be dedicated to all things Meihem, so be sure to tune in and gather round your computer and have some cuppycakes with the girls!

Till then,
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

POOF!

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I know you have been waiting for this. Guess who found her magical wand and brought it with her to the debate? If you guessed Pinky, you should give yourself a gold star on your calendar today. POOF!

Poof!

And isn’t it sweet of Bob to defend Pinky? You can almost hear him say, “Nobody cares about your darned birth certificate, Pinky.” Hard to say whether Mei is going to be mad at Pinky for bringing her wand to the debate or not.

and now, for a small rant…

The other day, as I was romping around on Facebook, I came across an ad for t-shirts and coffee mugs that had a familiar (and one of my favorite) comics characters on them. But as I looked more closely at the website, it didn’t look quite right to me. For one thing, there was a slight, but significant discrepancy in way the name of the comic was spelled, and it was not from the website that I know and love.

I decided to contact the real website and say, hey…I saw this and it didn’t look right. Apologies, if this really is one of your sales portals, but I thought you should know about it and here’s the link. Today I got an email back from the website and they thanked me for contacting them and that I was correct, these were NOT authorized products. They are going after these guys and I hope they nail their asses to the wall.

It is hard enough to make a living in any of the arts without someone siphoning dollars of the fruits of my creative labors. The more famous you get, the more likely you are to have copyright infringement. And at least currently, you don’t have to register copyright to own it. All you need to do is create it. There are legal and financial benefits to registering your copyright, but for your rank and file artist who is just scrapping by, the cost of registering each piece is prohibitive. Yes, you can register collections, but that does not have the same clout as registering individual pieces. Copyright must be transferred in writing. If you buy a painting from me, I still own the copyright, unless I specifically transfer it to you. So I can still make reproductions of something that I have sold and you can’t. (At least you shouldn’t)

So if you see stuff for sale from The Panda Chronicles and it didn’t come from here or here or here, the money is not going into my pocket. and you do want me to be able to keep doing these ‘toons, don’t you? Remember, I post all my ‘toons on line for the low, low price of absolutely nothing, because I know what it’s like to have a limited budget. But I appreciate book and swag purchases a lot! (Not to mention sales of original art and original cartoons.) I appreciate everyone who reads my stuff and shares it with their friends. Huzzah! Keep on…

Being the Bears!
Bob T. Panda

It’s a Beautiful Tail!

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You knew it would come to this. Following the scripts of the various debates that we have been bludgeoned with, politicians trading insults…Liars lying about previous lies, BEARS BEHAVING BADLY!!!!! Is this the panda kindergarten? A Beautiful Tail? Looks a little short to me.

“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”

Are Bob and Pinky reaching a new consensus? Could Bob be inspired to concede and get behind Pinky’s candidacy? Stay tuned! anything can happen where pandas are involved.

Daddy Panda News for Father’s Day

Meanwhile among real pandas and the people who love them, we have just learned sad news from San Diego Zoo. The rock star, stud muffin wild guy panda with one short ear and extra furry feet, father of five fabulous cubbies here at SDZ, Gao Gao, has been diagnosed with a very bad heart condition. They think he is around 26. Being wild born, they don’t know his exact age. He has been in somewhat compromised health for a few years now and they have been monitoring his heart condition carefully. We don’t know how long he has left, but I can assure you that the veterinary staff at SDZ is doing everything they can do for him.

Gao Gao has an interesting story of how he came to live at the San Diego Zoo. As a two year old, he was found injured and brought to one of the panda research centers to be treated. After he healed, he was released. But finding that being fed and waited upon was far superior to having to fight for territory and scarce resources, he returned to the center and asked to be readmitted. Eventually, he went to live in San Diego with the Beautiful Bai Yun and together they had five cubs, the last of which is Xiao Liwu, known to his friends and fans as Mr. Wu.

A panda fun fact about Gao Gao is that he has one short ear, most likely the result of a fight when he was a wild cub fending for himself. It is the reason my cartoon version of Mr. Wu always has his left ear taped down! It is a tribute to his dad!

I know many people who have not been to a zoo in over 30 years have an antiquated and unfortunate preconception about zoos. yes, there are still some of those horrible zoos with too small cages and depressed animals, but most zoos in North America, Japan, and Europe have taken huge strides in providing comfort and engagement for their animals, and San Diego Zoo is one of the best. Yes, it would be wonderful if panda’s traditional roaming areas were still intact, but the virgin forested areas where they once roamed are reduced to a tiny percentage of what they once were. But the pandas that live in these well staffed and well appointed zoos live the life of Riley (whoever he is) and generally live 10 to 15 years longer than their wild counterparts.

Happy Fathers Day to those who celebrate their relationship with their dads as something wonderful and nurturing. and for those who don’t…well…go have a cuppycake or two and think about someone who loved you.

Be the Bear
Bob T. panda

Can He Say That?

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Oh my ears and whiskers! The world continues to prove it’s madness. We weep for the recent events, which apparently are the 133rd such event this year, only distinguished by being the worst shooting in US history. Can he say that? Can he have really have said what he said after this week’s tragedy? Are we all just tragic figures, stumbling towards the exits in the dark, smoke filled room, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire??

Oh heck. Let’s just watch some panda videos.
Pandas are LOVE
Mittens…not so much.

Pinky is beginning to look positively presidential!

Meanwhile, back at the (panda) ranch, I have received several communications, one form the Toronto Twinkies, and more recently from the Meihems. All are concerned that perhaps Pinky is not a good role model for the Toronto cubbies. Fortunately, the Meihems have offered to mentor the Toronto Duo, after all, they know a lot about being twins! I think we need some kinder, pandy-ish story lines here, to compensate for the horrors of the real world.

Be the Bear, and let’s stay sane out there, okay?
Bob T Panda