More than one person has desperately implored me to make sure Mister Poppee arrives in time for Bikkie’s birthday party!
But wait! Who could that be, knocking softly at the door?
I wish…I wish…I wish…don’t tell!
Geez, I can’t believe she’s gonna make us wait until Tuesday to find out who is knocking at the door! I mean, it could be the UPS driver or mebbee the Zoo Director…or…
#BobIsABigMeanie
Be the bear Bob T Panda
Note: there will be highlights from Bikkie’s first year in the Sunday chronicles to tide you over until Tuesday’s ‘toon! Hey! Stop throwing stuff!
Yes, today we celebrate Bubba’s Birthday Season! But first we must have a small bit of celebration that there is another panda birth to herald! Jia Jia and Kai Kai have just had their first cubby! All of Singapore is rejoicing tonight! (Well, I assume all of Singapore is, I mean, why wouldn’t they?) Not least of which, Aunty Lucilla, teller of tales about pandas, was thrilled to make the announcement! Congratulations Jia Jia and Kai Kai!
And now, some ‘toons about Bubba, with maybe a tiny bit of interloping by Pinky.
PP: um, dis is not going to interrupt my presidential campaign, is it?Mr Bun has a question, daddee.
Okay, the next ones are going to be about Bubba…I’m almost certain!
Feed me, Mama!Really, Pinky….It’s not nice to tease your little brother.What the well dressed panda cub is wearing this season!You better watch out….And then there was the day he had to figure out what to wear for his debut…I didn’t THINK that Pinky knew the “share” word.
Of course no trip down memory lane would be complete without one of my all time favorite ‘toons…
See? I told you it was broken!
Okay…so maybe EVERY ‘toon had Pinky in it. what can I say? #ClapLouder
Bebe Maurice will have his paws full trying to get everyone to sit still and pose for this Pawtrait. I hope he can paint fast! The birthday season is barely a week and a half away! And Bikkie is bereft of his Beary Poppins. Will the dashing duo make it in time for the party?
Stay ‘tooned!
Everyone smile! Now hold it….keep holding…keep holding…
I’m listening to a podcast story (What a Day!) and they are relating a news story about a guy who was so rude on an airplane (physically assaulting two flight attendants) that the flight crew duct taped him to his seat.
I have questions!
Did they gag him too? If so, was it before or after he yelled something on the order of “Do you know who my parents are?” And can we do this to certain members of Congress who insist on saying stupid things, while interrupting the legislative process?
Hey! I’m just asking questions!
But meanwhile at the Panda House…
For more about why they need a fresh set of sheets on the guest room bed, see Tuesday’s ‘toon!
Stay ‘tooned next week for the next exciting episode of The Panda Chronicles!
It is also the birthday of the actual Princess Pinkie’s own little princess, Princess Pinky Junior, also known as Dou Ban, who has joined the family of Xi Dou, along with her brother Chao Tianjiao.
Since she is just turning a year old, I don’t have the deep archive that I have for Mr. Wu, but I DO have her introduction story for The Panda Chronicles!
So get some poppy corn, mebbee a bootini, and sit back to enjoy a little story we called “Pinky’s Dream!”
I wasn’t referring to my tardiness with this ‘toon, but I guess that applies too. What with all the excitement about Frank and Mikey’s family trip, I bet you thought I forgot that BeBe Maurice was coming to visit the DC pandas, and also that Mei Xiang’s sister Lun Lun foisted off the twins, Six & Sebben, on her.
Is that the doorbell I hear?
Whoever could it be? Fun art note, in my rough draft, I just had the doorbell ringing once, but then I thought, how would Mei know that it was Six & Sebben? I think the solution was obvious.
It’s been a year, hasn’t it? And that doesn’t even include the previous 4 years as we descended into madness of the former guy’s reign of terror.
Fezbook likes to sideswipe you with memories from years past, and so my post about the passing of the real life Mehitabel popped up, from January of 2017. She put in her time and then some, living almost to her 21st birthday. She managed to avoid coyotes, owls, and raccoons that call my woodland their home.
Mehitabel at 16. Still a beauty…
I will miss you forever, my beautiful kitty girl.
During that month, as we anticipated the incoming former guy, with a lot of trepidation, we also experienced a day of solidarity and joy as all over the world we marched to say, we are watching you. Even my little town of Langley had a massive turnout, despite many people (4 bus loads if I remember correctly) headed into Seattle for an even bigger march.
Women’s March, Langley edition!
In the final year of the former guy’s assault on democracy (is it the final year? Seems like he is still assaulting us;) we lost over 600,000 to a worldwide pandemic, which, among TFG’s many crimes, the crime of letting the pandemic run almost unopposed was one of his worst. So many families were torn apart as their loved ones died in hospitals, unable to be together or mourn their losses with family members.
The panda community lost one of our own, not to Covid, but to a bad heart, which is kind of ironic, since Jayelle had one of the biggest hearts I’ve come into contact with on these interwebs.
I made this series of ‘toons in her memory:
Who will win? Six and Sebben battle it out on the track!What WAS that stuff Six dumped in front of Sebben’s car?That’s one heck of a lot of ear wax!!!
2020 did have one bright spot…well, at least two that I can think of. The first was our own little miracle cubby born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in DC, who just made his public debut about a month ago, and is already wowing the crowds.
Is there anything more fun than watching Bike play wit Mommee or even just roll around in the den by himself?
And the real life Bao Bao (Princess Pinky to her Panda Chronicle fans)had a cubby in her new home in China. alas, as an inexperienced mom, they decided her cubby would do better with an adopted family with an experienced mom and a brother. Fortunately for us, they have their own panda cam, so we can watch her antics.
It left me with a dilemma, since I have chosen to keep Pinky a perpetual teenager, living at home with her family. Hey. It’s fiction. I can do anything I want. I mean Charlie Brown was six for like 75 years, okay?
But there is more than one way to..um… well, you know.
What could be more delightful than ANOTHER baby Pinky?
It’s been a very hard year for so many, and a hard lifetime for so many more. I’m not sure where we go from here when so many people are so insistent on denying the reality of the former guy’s loss. The events of January 6, 2021 weigh heavily on my brain. The centuries of racism and the continuing assaults on Black, Latin, and Asian people in this country hurt my very core. The GOP led states who are even now passing voter suppression bills to amplify the harms done, make me wonder if there is any hope for humanity.
Could we learn to be better people? It sure doesn’t seem like that’s the direction we’re headed in. I’m waiting for those who have the power to make laws, to practice justice, to do their jobs and use their power to help people and not just find ways to hold onto that power.
Sorry to be kind of down tonight.
Call your Congress folks, Get your vaccine, Work for social justice.
Meanwhile, back at the real SNZ, Bikkie seems to be taking the throngs of real life visitors in stride, or at least in cubby trot! So just remember, when real life gets too surreal, there is always the panda cam!
Who would have guessed my creative journey would have taken me into the realm of needle felted pandas, or even Panda Satire? Certainly not me! When I was in art school, back in the days when you could get a college education for less than the price of a house, if you were a painting student, you PAINTED! Nothing else was acceptable! You did not “waste” your talents on such frivolous pursuits as Panda Satire, for crying out loud!
For some number of years, I held to those principles. Eventually the realities of a more regular cash flow lead me down the path of printmaking (etching to start). Eventually I embraced other forms of printmaking, such as lithography, monoprint, and monotype. One of the universal truths I discovered was that all forms of making art have something to offer, and each technique you add to your tool box, circles back around and makes the other forms you practice stronger.
Working on black and white etchings made my paintings much stronger, with greater attention to composition and light an dark values.
This all has a point
The recession of 2008 hit me hard, and I needed something to cheer me up. Pandas were the answer. I don’t know what the question is. What I do know, is that one thing leads to another: panda satire lead to starting to write children’s book (another pursuit which has a long way to reach its conclusion) and it also led to making needle felted pandas.
Every bear has a story
Some of the stories are mine, but the felty panda troop inspires stories in the people who welcome them into their homes. I am honored to be entrusted with some of these stories, and rather than my usual dive into the archives today, I am going to share some of the photos sent to me by a lover of the felty bears. They have added their own touch to the settings, and as one who has always loved dollhouse miniatures, the exquisite details they have added to the scenes thrill me no end!
Enjoy these Felty Dioramas!
Frank ponders the readiness of his toasted marshymallow. Fortunately, ice cream sandwiches, lemonade, and hot dogs provide a back up, should the marshmallow be burned beyond recognition!Pinky ponders the speed limits of her new cubvertableThe Meihems attempt to catch a ride! “No room!” Pinky says! “you’ll crush my tutu” “Where to,” says Frank!Bert: well, if Pinky won’t give us a ride, we’ll have ice cream without her! Ernie: and some cuppycakes!Mikey prepares a treat at the Panda Chronicles company Picnic, while Larry looks on and gives toasting advice!Frank and Mikey have nabbed the cubvertable, but not for long!Frank and Mikey, kicking back at the company picnicMeanwhile, Pinky is off on a joyride! I wonder how fast this thing goes?After the party, some of the cubbies settle in for a slumber party!
I hope you enjoyed these felty dioramas! It’s never too late to have a panda party at your house!
