Tag Archives: Mehitabel

Free Speech or something like it…

When I listen to the things that come out of 45’s mouth (which I do as rarely as possible) I start to think that maybe this whole free speech thing is overrated. Then I smack my self on the head, and remind myself that free speech lets me express my honest displeasure with the powers that be, without the risk of getting thrown in prison for it.

But the operating principle of this “administration” seems to be, the speech of some gets to be freer than the speech of others.

I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.

Be the Bear!
Bob T Elections have consequences Panda

PS: Don’t forget! Our Kickstarter is still gong on! I’ve recently added a new reward, and rewritten the project home page to make it (hopefully) less confusing. Seriously, every time I do this, in some ways it’s like the first time! :-}

More from the Wu Self’s Adventure!

Meanwhile, back to Wu’s adventure, when he ran off with the Panda kindergarten to join the circus!

A circus of Pandas! (and a cat!)

Will Inspector Panda find a clue?

Wu follows Bee the Bear…into the air!

What does the fortune teller tell Mr. Wu?

Tune in Next Sunday for the exciting conclusion of our story!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

Join the Moooooovement!

Who doesn’t love a good bovine bon mot?

Moove over! You’re crowding me!

For those (panda) history buffs among you, you should know that this weeks marks the 47th anniversary of the Nixon Pandas arrival in Washington DC. I count myself among those who saw these labeled bears in person (bearson?) in the late ’80’s, a few years before the passing of Ling Ling.

As such, it is the custom here at the Panda Chronicles to replay the cartoon I wrote, commemorating the 40th anniversary of their arrival. Enjoy!

The first “official” pandas that came to live permanently in the USofA

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

PS: you still have time to visit the Bubba Pin Kickstarter project, Don’t Call Mee Boo Boo! Don’t be the only panda fan without Bubba, Pinky, and Ping Ping’s commemorative pins!

Fight the Humor Deficit! Make fun of people on Twidder!

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I have to admit that I have come to like Twidder more than I do Fezbook. Maybe it’s because Fezbook has come to seem kind of unwieldy. I can’t easily find all the comments from people that are actually relevant to a discussion I am having with them, because Fezbook seems to want to give me hundreds of obscure notifications for every one that is part of an ongoing discussion with friends.

Meanwhile over on Twidder, I get a healthy (um…maybe not) dose of news, connection with other panda fans, and connections with other people in the kid lit and writing communities at large. And then there are the snarky parody accounts…

We must fight the humor deficit with every pun at our disposal!!!!

What’s that you say, Bob? He has responsibilities?

And meanwhile, we are about to launch the next phase of the Panda Pin Project over at Kickstarter! If you’ve been following along, you’ll see that it’s going to launch at noon (PDT) today!!! So get ready…get set…not yet…this link is just a preview until the project launches at noon!

Be the (Bubba) Bear
Bob T Panda

The Wu-Stravaganza Continues!!!!!

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We continue to rend our garments and bang our heads onto our desks as we contemplate the departure of Mr. Wu and his Mom, Bai Yun, from sunny Pandiego to China. I am somewhat comforted by my knowledge of the panda estates (aka panda bases, panda ranches, etc) good care of pandas, especially those who return from the US. Also, Bai Yun is a total rock star in the world of captive born Chinese pandas because she was the first successful captive born panda at Wolong, and had the first successful captive pregnancy in the US. She now has grandchildren and (someone correct me if I’m wrong) great grandchildren around the globe.

So let’s continue with our celebration of all things Wu-self, from the days when he ruled supreme in US panda cubby-hood (till you know who-and I don’t mean Mittens came along the following year!)

Read on to the end for a sneak peek at the upcoming Bubba Pin design, for our NEW Kickstarter campaign which I’m hoping to launch sometime this week!

But now, let’s WUUP it up with Mr. Wu!

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

It is so hard for a small panda to prevail….

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

Will the panda kindergarten get it put together before Bai Yun gets home?

“Up in the Air, Junior Pandas…”

Nothing like a snappy graphic to um…solve a problem!

May Day! May Day!

Mr wu’s cousin, da Sooperpanna, appears courtesy of Bruce Sebring, creator of the Sooperpanna Chronicles

Bet ya didn’t see this coming…or maybe you did.

You’ve been waiting and asking, and finally, here it is! I’m getting ready to launch another Kickstarter project in my Panda Chronicles Pin Series, this time starring Bubba. I spent a bunch of time designing a pin, which I decided wouldn’t work at pin scale, and then someone suggested that I already had the perfect Bubba drawing, and lo and behold, I was able to do a little resign work to turn it into the perfect pin design.

Whaddya think?

So very Bubba, right? Finished size about 1 3/8″ wide by 1 1/8″ high

To get up to the minute notification of the project’s launch, go HERE and click the “Follow Along” button and enter your email. If you missed getting a Pinky pin, there will be a limited number of Pinky pins available and you can get them both at the same time!

UPDATE: I completed work on the Kickstarter project, submitted it for review, and was approved to launch!!!!! Get ready…get set…Launch will be Tuesday April 9th at NOON PDT Wanna see a PREVIEW? 🙂 You can’t pledge yet, but you can see what we at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire has in store for you!

Panda on!
Bob T Panda

No Selfies With Tigers and No Selfies With Jaguars Either

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How many times do we have to tell people? Wild animals (especially cats!) are not props for your selfies! recently, a woman visiting an Arizona Zoo climbed over a barricade in order to get a better selfie with a jaguar. Things could have turned out a lot worse. Have you ever watched little Fluffy torture a mouse? Yeah, now, what if Fluffy weighed 300 pounds and thought you were dinner?

Uh huh….Just don’t do it!

Thanks to the unidentified reader who suggested what the jaguar might have done with said selfie seeker’s phone!

Panda on!
Bob T panda

Are Surveillance Cameras Fair to Bears?

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Countless grizzlies, pandas and other bears who have been caught unawares on cameras would growl a resounding NOOOO! Wild pandas have been caught on camera, and now…now, lovable grizzly bears Frank and Mikey may have been unjustly accused of a crime!

But then, just where did those fuzzy dice come from? The Shameless Commerce Division of Car Talk, perhaps?

Ruh Roh….

WE’re just 1 week away from the next Panda Chronicles Pin Project, so stay tuned! Sneak peek at our next design coming…um…soon!

Be the bear, everyone!
Bob T Panda

Not quite April Fool’s day!

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The ides of March have past, although the ides of April will be upon us soon.

Those so inclined have a few more weeks to visit the Wu-Self and his mom before that head to China. I wonder if Bai Yun will remember it. Mr. Wu is a California boy through and through. I hope it turns out to be a good experience for him. Because I am averse to reality, Mr. Wu (and his mom and dad) will stay right here in The Panda Chronicles as if they never left. I mean, if I can have my cat live forever here, why can’t I keep my favorite pandas?

Meanwhile, while we cry into our beers over the repatriation of our beloved pandas, I plan to spend the next few Sundays of my encore presentations celebrating all things Mr. Wu.

Be quiet Pinky! It’s Mr. Wu’s turn in the spot light!

“Howdy do! I’m Mr. Wu! Who are you?”

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

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here! (The Book of Wu! Book 4 of the Panda Chronicles)

Yo ho ho and a bottle of BooBeer!

An explorer’s work is never done.

Mister Wu and his new friends.

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

Panda on, Mr. Wu, Panda on…
Bob T Panda

Here are the instructions again for ordering a Pinky pin for those who missed the Kickstarter project! It’s been great seeing the happy tweets of people who have received their pins!

Pinky Pin Update: A number of people missed the opportunity to get a Pinky pin via my recent Kickstarter campaign. I have a limited number of pins still available, not counting the ones I am saving to make sets at the end of the year.

I am working on the next pin design and hope to launch a new Kickstarter pin project no later than the 2nd week of April. So, if you wanted a pinky pin, there are several options:

Option 1: order a pin via the Contact Us page with you name, address, and how many pins you would like. Pins are $20 including US shipping; $25 for shipping to Canada, and $30 for other international destinations. For more than 1 pin (up to 4 total) add $15 per pin. (4 pins fit nicely in the small padded envelopes with very little postage increase) Once you have let me know you want a pin (via the contact form) I will confirm that I still have pins available and give you payment instructions at that time.

Option 2: Wait until I do the next pin project (Bubba will be next) and add on a Pinky Pin as supplies last. I can’t guarantee there will be more at that time, but it would save you a bit of postage if you want both pins.

Don’t let the grizzly bears drive the SuBEARu!

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I’m trying to avoid the news for a few days, because..well….because.

Read on to the bottom if you would like to order a Pinky pin! I sent out all the pins that were ordered through Kickstarter yesterday, and they are marching around the world even as we speak. Wouldn’t that be divine? An army of Pinkys with their wands raised to fight evil!

Meanwhile, In addition to commenting on The Endangered Species Act, Frank and Mikey have some questions to answer about a recent car theft and…um…some other stuff that they would rather not talk about.

Who let the bears out? Woot Woot Woot!

“We are NEVER going to get our security deposit back!!!”

Be da Bear!
Bob T Panda

I am working on the next pin design and hope to launch a new Kickstarter pin project no later than the 2nd week of April. So, if you wanted a pinky pin, there are several options:

Pinky’s official pin on Pinky’s official card! #ClapLouder!

The return of Frank and Mikey

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It’s a good thing our favorite (non-panda) bears are here today to cheer us up. News has just dropped from the Pandiego Zoo that Mr. Wu and his mom will be going to China at the end of April. Mr. Wu was the first baby panda I watched on the panda cams from birth, and if I wasn’t already in love with him, the well baby panda exam that the zoo staff generously shared with Mr. Wu’s public, stole my heart for all times. Needless to say, the next few Sundays encore presentations, will feature the one, the only Mr. Wu-self.

If you need your own full-time remembrance of Mr. Wu, consider acquiring Book 4 of the Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu.

Meanwhile, I think Frank and Mikey want to talk about being endangered…

Guess who’s coming for cuppycakes!!!!

Panda on
Bob T Panda