Category Archives: the essential pandaness of being

We’re back, and hope that all charges against the panda kindergarten will be dropped in due course…

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warning It has come to my attention via a faithful reader, that there was a shooting  tragedy in a Seattle coffee shop in the past week or so.  She suggested that I pull this cartoon and at first I agreed, but then I had another thought (which is probably NOT a good thing, as I am sleep deprived and extremely jet lagged, having just returned from foreign lands.)

Throughout cartooning history, cartoonists have walked a very fine line between commenting through satire and just being in extremely bad taste.  It’s what we do to make sense of the world around us and sometimes the “funny” is overpowered by well, powerful sentiments. (As evidenced by death threats against cartoonists.)  This cartoon was originally drawn in protest of open gun carrying policies and through the absurdity of an over caffeinated cat with a gun, show that maybe, just maybe, carrying weapons in public is just a bad idea. So, I’m going to let this cartoon stand, with deepest apologies to anyone who has ever had to deal with the aftermath of violence.  Big pandy hug.

 

Just a quick note to let you all know that I and the panda kindergarten have returned from our “cultural enrichment excursion” to Italy and Holland.  All rumors of Interpol involvement and international crimes against property and good taste have been vastly exaggerated.  In any case, the panda kindergarten would like to apologize (yes they WOULD…NO BACK TALK) for any unintended “mishaps” that may have occurred as a result of “cultural misunderstandings.”

Until we have time to start drawing the saga of the pandas in Italy, here is a classic offering from the Panda Chronicles to keep you amused.

What could be more Italian than espresso?

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

Maurice Sendak passes away, pandas everywhere mourn…..

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I have to admit, I had thought that Maurice Sendak was gone years ago.  Maybe because his books were among my favorites as a young cubbie.  His quirky and dark sense of humor continues to be an inspiration to me with my own work.  Imagine my surprise to find that he was still alive, at least until this past Tuesday.  I have to admit, that the idea of honoring him with a wild rumpus was not my original idea.  On Tuesday night there was a meeting of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) in Seattle.  So, thanks for the idea.  I do believe I was the first to have the panda kindergarten rumpus in his honor.

Nobody can rumpus like the panda kindergarten!

 

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

From the “I am NOT making this up” department….

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I was listening to NPR last night (that’s National Panda Radio, you know) and heard a story about researchers giving orangutans  iPads in order to teach them to communicate with people.  I would respectfully (of course) point out that pandas have been using mePhones for several years in order to track each other (and occasionally order pizza) with great success.

Remember, you heard it here first!

Be the Bear

Bob T. Panda

But where in the world are the Torch bears?

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The 2012 summer  Olympic games to be held in London England are just around the corner.  has anyone seen the Torch Bears?

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?

 

Be the bear!

Huzzah!

Bob T. panda

It’s Sargent Panda’s Happy Panda Band….

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It was 40 years ago today,

Richard Nixon brought the bears to stay,

So let me introduce to you,

the one and only Bobby T….

Sargent Panda’s Happy Panda Band!

 

What would I do, if  I ran out of boo’,

Would I have to have a cuppycake?

Sorry, I didn't have a photo of Abbey Road.....

OK, I got it out of my system now….

And a quick note of complete self involvement here,  I’m about to reach 25,000 visits to The Panda Chronicles, and I couldn’t have done it without YOU, the panda satire fans around the world!  So huzzah!  (well, maybe I could have done it, but my guess is that I would have to spend all my time visiting this blog from a lot of different computers.)  Thanks for stopping by to play with the pandas!

And on to further panda business (that’s sort of like monkey business, except for it’s pandas instead of monkeys)  I’ve finished my revisions for Pandamorphosis and am ready to start sending it out again to publishers. Here’s one of the new drawings:

from Pandamorphosis//copyright 2012// A. Belov

Till next time,

Be the Bear!

 

 

While mini-Bob swans around London….

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Here at the Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, we always get very excited when we have more than 100 visitors in a day.  Does this mean that we are shallow bears and that we really need to get a life?  Probably so, probably so.  While Mini-Bob is away, I’ve been catching up on some classic bear stories.  My all time favorite of favorites from when I was a little cubbie is, of course, Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.  I still find these books amazingly profound.  No, really, I do.  Not, only that, but Ernest H Shepard’s illustrations have a lot of influence on my cartoon drawing style.  Just thought you should know.  In Case You Were Wondering.  (that was a Pooh-ism, in case you were wondering about that.) 

Meanwhile in Pandyland, a new panda kindergarten escapade is in the works, for all you fans of panda kindergarten, and a new hand drawn, hand printed lithograph is going on the on-line auction block at Pandas International this week.  The auction ends on April 29th so check it out!  Here is the print being auctioned:

"Hi There" // Hand printed Lithograph// copyright A. Belov 2012

 

Do check it out at the Pandas International website. (link on the right hand side of this page, under “Sites Pandas Love”

Till next time, Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

While mini-Bob swans around London….

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Here at the Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, we always get very excited when we have more than 100 visitors in a day.  Does this mean that we are shallow bears and that we really need to get a life?  Probably so, probably so.  While Mini-Bob is away, I’ve been catching up on some classic bear stories.  My all time favorite of favorites from when I was a little cubbie is, of course, Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.  I still find these books amazingly profound.  No, really, I do.  Not, only that, but Ernest H Shepard’s illustrations have a lot of influence on my cartoon drawing style.  Just thought you should know.  In Case You Were Wondering.  (that was a Pooh-ism, in case you were wondering about that.) 

Meanwhile in Pandyland, a new panda kindergarten escapade is in the works, for all you fans of panda kindergarten, and a new hand drawn, hand printed lithograph is going on the on-line auction block at Pandas International this week.  The auction ends on April 29th so check it out!  Here is the print being auctioned:

"Hi There" // Hand printed Lithograph// copyright A. Belov 2012

 

Do check it out at the Pandas International website. (link on the right hand side of this page, under “Sites Pandas Love”

Till next time, Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

Has Sunshine and Sweetie’s luck run out for this year?

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There has been news of panda frolics all over the internet lately… well, at least where the pandarazzi lurk, that is.  Rumor has it that Sunshine and Sweetie have called it quits as far a parenthood this year.  What with moving into a new home, (“try finding a plumber or a decorator in a new town…I ask you!”) it seems that the two day “window  of opportunity” was a little too short to “get the job done.”  Other panda pairs are perhaps having better luck in this department.

Maybe a silly little love song would have helped things move along in Scotland.  Well, there’s always next year!

I hope people haven't had enough of silly love songs!

 

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

It’s the panda season of lo-o-o-o-ove!

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Doesn’t the thought of roly poly pandas on a date just tickle your fancy?  But what does say, a panda at the Edinburgh Zoo have to do so that he will be desirable to his lady love?  According to one of the zoo panda specialists, he needs to be put on an exercise program.  I am NOT making this up.  I heard it on the BBC.  I think it maybe went something like this:

A panda by any other name, would smell...well, they would just smell...

More from the Scottish pandas later this week!

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

I had NO idea that….

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…yoga for pandas would be so popular!  Or maybe it was the cuppycakes?

In other panda news around the world, extremely personal information about pandas (welcome to the panda season of lo-o-o-o-ove)  has been circulating on the internet, especially on facebook.  Well, to be a panda is to give up your privacy.  We are so adorable that people just can’t get enough of us.  What can I say?   I was born to be popular, but really people, a little decorum is in order.  I can’t imagine Babette will agree to photographers being present to commemorate our  well…you know.

Meanwhile, rumors abound about the wife and child of Claude (aka “Clod”) Pandet, whom he abandoned in the Paris airport when he caught sight of Babette as she was boarding the plane for Singapore, to visit her dear friend Lucilla.  Claude immediately offered to paint Babette’s portrait and they made plans to meet on her  return from Singapore.  Well, Babette had no idea that there was a Madame Pandet and a wee bebe Pandet, left like so much forgotten luggage in the baggage claim area. There is more to this story than meets the eye, I’m sure.  We are awaiting photos of Madame Pandet, so that we can confront Clod…  um… I mean Claude with the evidence.  Poor Babette is beside herself, as she had NO idea that Clod ..um..Claude was such a cad.

In other news, Babette, the panda kindergarten and myself (Bob) send out get well wishes to some of our Facebook friends who are feeling under the weather, some with some rather serious stuff.  We joke around a lot here at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, but we are quite sincere in our affection for the people who love pandas and panda humor.  Like Barbara Streisand sang, “People who love pandas are the luckiest people in the world…”  So here is a little cartoon to let you know that pandas are standing by to make you feel better!

 Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda