There might be too many bears in the panda house, that aren’t strictly speaking…um…pandas.
Some of you might be wondering who Josie is. Josie is Frank and Mikey’s sister, and she does not approve of their career choices. She is the bear who stayed home to look after Mom and their youngest brother Scooter. (See last summer’s road trip to Alaska with Frank and Mikey as they searched for their family reunion.
Josie and Scooter’s names (and existence) are owed to Amy of Panda Twitter, who came up with names for the cubs that appeared in one of the numerous videos of bears behaving badly that circulate on the internet. The exploits of Frank and Mikey owe much to these videos and Nooz stories of bears doing things they shouldn’t.
I guess we’ll find out on Thursday whether or not Josie tracked her clueless brothers down, along with her missing cub.
Meanwhile, today is the “Book Birthday” for The Panda Cub Swap, the real life story of the birth of the Meihems. I threw a little party in it’s honor!
Technically speaking, Saturday September 3rd is their birthday and believe it or don’t, they are turning 6! How is this possible? (Lun Lun: Tell me about it, bless their hearts!)
So, without further ado (or any thoughts about just where the documents that went in those empty top secret folders are…) let’s dive into the archives for the Best (ha ha) of Six and Sebben!
Twinkies 2.0 put on a show!Hey! What are you two doing up on top of the ski jump?Four pandas are better than two.I don’t think this crew of minions is going to be quite as devoted as her last ones.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!!!Well, bless her heart!
I bet this was the last time it was Aunty Mei’s idea for Six and Sebben to visit the DC panda house!
I hope you enjoyed this round up of ‘toons featuring Six and Sebben! we are lucky to still have them in Pandalanta this long. Or maybe China kept saying, “Um, the number you have reached is not in service…please send different pandas if you think you have reached this number in error.”
Be the Bear Bob T I definitely did not take those classified documents out of those folders Panda
Let’s have one more round of celebration for the DC Panda Kids!
You can’t make me….Uh oh…it’s the Pinky Revenue Service!Well, it WAS a good messaging opportunity…Is there anything more fun than watching Bike play wit Mommee or even just roll around in the den by himself?
I hope you enjoyed these ‘toons from the archives, as we celebrate the birthdays of Pinky, Bubba, and Bikkie!
‘Toon in next week for more fun with pandas, and mebbee a little bit of current events!
Be the Bear Bob T I have definitely not been in the secret tunnel under Purr-a-Lago Panda
Stories have a way of regenerating as new s**t comes to light! But for now, we are going to call this story done, with this episode.
So Let’s get to it!
It looks like Bikkie made a new friend! Call the building contractor, Tian! We might need to make an addition on to Bikkie’s room. And who does this cub belong to? I guess we’ll find out eventually.
A Little Bit About My Process:
Some stories start with an idea that is floating around on the internet. These nooz stories enter my brain, slosh around a bit, colliding with existing characters, melding with preconceived ideas, and finally plooping out onto the page.
For instance: Where did Frank and Mikey come from?
In the fall of 2018, when it became apparent the the current SCOTUS nominee was even more awful than we thought he was, the thought crossed my mind, wouldn’t it be funny if he was eaten by bears on the steps of the Supreme Court?
Naturally, Mehitabel (being the savvy journalist that she is,) invited the bears for an interview on ZooNooZ. To be completely candid, their personalities emerged with little intervention from me. Honestly, sometimes I think I am merely a conduit through which the various cats, pandas, and other animals that appear in these pages, and speak their own thoughts.
Once here, I could not get the bears to leave, despite very pointed glares coming from Mei Xiang as she dealt with her ever expanding household.
And so it is with all the other characters. Sometimes, they don’t have much to say to me, so I let them just wander around in the background, until they have pressing business with me.
Process:
For those who might be interested, here is how my ‘toons come into being:
Idea > scribbled post it note > write script, seeing if I can fit the action/dialog/cast into a 4 panel strip > rough pencil sketch in my sketchbook to figure out layout > light editing of placement, text > redraw the toon on smooth Bristol paper > ink in panel lines > ink in text> ink in all characters > erase pencil lines when dry > Scan > clean up scan in photo editing program > post on The Panda Chronicles
Whew!
Be the Bear Bob T I have no classified documents Panda
Several people had expressed their concern about Bikkie arriving home in time for his birthday. I can only say, time is a very elastic thing in ‘toon world, so it is STILL Bikkie’s birthday as we arrive in today’s ‘toon!
Also, a little POOF can account for many elaborately drawn scenes!
Send cuppycakes and magical wands!I love a good art forgery, don’t you?Feed me, Mama!“If Pinky is grounded, can I have her dessert?”Oh come on…hasn’t that ever happened to you? One minute there are two dozen cuppycakes just sitting there, and the next minute they’re gone?Don’t ignore Princess Pinky!
Remember Bubba’s first birthday when he flunked cake?
Bubba flunks “cake”
He was determined not to let that happen on his 2nd Birthday!
It does not pay to be late! You don’t want to flunk cake again, do you, Boo Boo?
2020 was the year we thought we were all going to lose our minds, or die from the plague, or be faced with four more years of you know who. But in August, something wonderful happened. And then there were Three!(or 4 counting Ping!)
A new cubby! The possibilities are endless!Pinky did something wrong? I’m shocked!Bikkie has a name!!!!
Later in the year, we will rerun the whole Beary Poppins story, but for now, here is one of my favorite panels…
Let’s go fly a kite…uh oh.
And to wrap up our Birthday Celebration Weekend…
I hope you are enjoying Bikkie’s cake at the zoo! Stay ‘tooned till “toonsday!”
Next weekend is the big trifecta, the birthdays of Bikkie (our own miracle cubbie) Bubba, and of course, Princess Pinky (#ClapLouder) Rather than try to sort out the ‘toons, this week and next (and probably the week after) I’m just gonna feature all of them.
Hopefully, it will distract us from the even worse clusterf*ck that is happening around TFG and his collection of purloined classified documents that he secreted away at Purr-a-Lago.
But first, I was looking in my computer files for some art business stuff, and I came across this thing I wrote. I’m not sure what I wrote it for, but I thought I would share it here. The file was called “100 words to my younger self”
Take chances. Listen to the voice in your head that says “YES! …What if…” Don’t listen to voices that say what you want is impossible. Don’t wait for permission.
The cost of a trip to Italy is the same whether or not you worry about the cost. Walk away from toxic people; you won’t change them, but they’ll try to change you, and not for the better.
Hang out with people who appreciate you. Pay attention to what and who makes you happy. Stay connected to those you love.
Watch panda videos.
Take chances.
Now, here are some of my favorite ‘toons about my favorite pandas!
Pinky tests her powers….oops.Oh Princess Pinky, mom has a trick or two up her paw, I think…He’s small for now, but Bubba Bei Bei is shaping up to be a whole lot of panda!Really, Pinky….It’s not nice to tease your little brother.See? I told you it was broken!
What a great excuse to run some of my most favorite ‘toons!
It’s the high season of Panda Birthdays. This week we celebrate the birthdays of the great Mr. Wu, the triplets (aka Pinky’s minions) and PPJ, Pinky’s real life daughter and supernatural apparition within The Panda Chronicles.
Let’s get this panda party started!
Remember when Mr Wu got a present from da panda kindy?
Will the panda kindergarten get it put together before Bai Yun gets home?Mr Wu finds out that the Meihems were born in PandalantaAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!Triple Trouble indeed!What are Pinky and her minions getting up to?
And then, of course, there is Princess Pinky Junior, aka PPJ. Here, to celebrate her birthday, is the entire story of her arrival in the Panda Chronicles, “Someday you’ll have a cub just like YOU” aka Pinky’s nightmare.
This isn’t a dream…it’s a nightmare!
I hope you enjoyed our encore presentation of this segment of panda birthday season! Tune in next Sunday when we start our monthlong celebration of the most famous pandas anywhere (Pinky made me write that) Bikkie, Bubba, and of course…um…what was her name? Oh yeah! Pinky!
Be the Bear Bob T Panda
BTW, I made a felty cake to celebrate Mr. Wu’s 10th birthday. It’s one of a kind and includes Mr. Wu atop his cake. The whole thing stands about 5 inches tall with Wu. It is available for $98 + shipping. Send a message via the Contact Us page.
Did you ever have any doubts about her capabilities and talents?
I didn’t think so! #ClapLouder
Rumor has it that Le Le, the first cub born in Singapore turns one shortly, and they have declared that he gets a whole birthday MONTH!!!! I suspect some other little pandas are going to want more than just one DAY!!!
So here are some more birthday ‘toons celebrating this weeks batch of birthdays!
Minion security: you can’t be too careful.It’s so hard to be cool when you still live with your mom.
Well, that’s all for now! See you on Sunday for more ‘toons from the archives!
Be the Bear! Bob T Panda
Post script:
I thought I had more time. But I am now the last Anne standing. I just learned that my dear friend Anne Davenport passed away yesterday.
Let me explain about being the last Anne. When I moved to Whidbey Island over 30 years ago, I met the friend of a friend from Seattle. She in turn, welcomed me into a small group of her friends, which, coincidentally were all named Anne, except for the aforementioned friend of a friend, whose name was Fran. We referred to ourselves as three Annes and a Fran, but we renamed Fran Frances Anne.
We met every Wednesday for breakfast and conversation, and sometimes laundry, as I did not have my own washing machine. Annie C. tried to teach me how to fold laundry, but I was pretty hopeless. One of the best gifts I ever received was after my house fire, and Annie C. took home all my clothes and washed, ironed, and folded them for me.
Not long after that, she was diagnosed with cancer and after an awful and hard year and a half, she died. I remember that we continued to meet, two Annes and a Fran, after that for a few years, but Annie C was the glue that best held us together. We still got together from time to time, but not as regularly. Life has a habit of getting in the way.
Fran had several brushes with cancer, but being Fran, she browbeat it into submission several times. Formidable does not begin to cover it. As big as her force of will was, her heart was bigger. I spent many raucous holiday dinners at her house. I always had a place of refuge when I needed it. She could be considered the godmother of The Panda Chronicles since, in her run for Island County commissioner, she made me the official campaign cartoonist.
a ‘toon I did for her campaign
A political being to the end, she died late in 2019, before the pandemic and before she could see TFG’s ass soundly whipped by Joe Biden.
Annie D had health issues almost since I’ve known her, but she rarely let them get in the way of doing what she wanted to do. She was a weaver and a knitter and a quilter with a strong aesthetic. I have several of her quilts and many scarves. The pandemic robbed us of far more than just going to movies, restaurant dining, and traveling. It robbed us of the ease of visiting, of dropping in on our friends, of face to face time.
One of the activities we shared for more than 10 years was the Anne x 2 art show, which we held in my studio. Some years we had lots of sales, but mostly it was a chance to hang out together. We quit doing it a few years back, when uncertain weather and more of a proliferation of art shows made traffic slow to a trickle. We also had an art/life strategy meeting every January. We would put our goals for our creative work life down in writing and even when I didn’t look at my list during the year, having set my intention helped me stay focused.
And now she is gone. I hadn’t been over to see her since May. I thought there was more time. and so our coven of Annes is now just me.
