Tag Archives: panda kindergarten

A Public Service Announcement.

Mr. Badger just returned from a trip to the mountains of our neighbors to the north, and one of the things he saw while there lead me to think that the time was NOW for this very important public service announcement. What he saw was a grizzly bear crossing the highway just a little way in front of his car, and then what he saw was a bunch of people following it with cameras at the ready. I am not making this up.

I am only going to say this once (a year):

Do. Not. Try. To. Take. A. Selfie. With. A. Grizzly!!!!!

Hey! That reminds me of a song!

…if I were a panda, yadda dah dah da- da- da- AAARGH! I can’t stop!!!!!

And now, our Salute to Stupid Selfies!!!!

Coming to a mountain road in France, really soon:

Who says real life can’t be funny?

What was that they said about being prohibited from taking a selfie with a tiger?

Much better to take a selfie with pandas!

You know we’re just kidding about this, right?

And then Pinky thought this would be a really great fundraiser for her campaign…

I really had no idea what she was up to.

And then maybe since you can’t take a selfie with a tiger, you could take one at…for instance…the running of the bulls!

AAAAAAhhhHHHHHH!

Probably safer to just take a selfie in the Oval Office during your White House Tour…

Mei should not be getting all excited like this in her condition!

“Get those pandas off my desk!”

Have a Fabulous Furry Friday, and while you are having a Fabulous Fourth of July, you leave off with the fireworks and just load up on hot dogs and beans.

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

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I love Roz Chast’s memoir Can’t We talk About Something More Pleasant?, and while she was recounting the story of her aging parents, I think the phrase is particularly appropriate today. Today, we are not going to talk about any of the appalling news that has happened in several parts of the world, or about political candidates and the stupid, insensitive things that they may or may not have said.

We are going panda panda panda with some of the cutest panda cartoons of all times.

Like this one from the way back files…

This cartoon appeared in Henry Nicholls’ book The Way of the Panda

You can’t just DO stuff. You need instruction from an expert!

How IS this different from Pinky’s normal bossiness?

What the well dressed panda cub is wearing this season!

When I first started drawing panda satire, I went through this intensive period of what I called, “Learning From the Masters” and immersed myself in books of collected cartoons by Bill Watterson, (Calvin and Hobbes) Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury) Steven Pastis (Pearls Before Swine) and Darby Conley (Get Fuzzy) among others. recently, I received the exhibition catalog from a 2014 show of Bill Watterson’s original cartoons at Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. I’m in the middle of reading an interview with Watterson and it is full of Calvin-ish wisdom. Have I mentioned Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite cartoon series ever?

Oh dear, the Mei-hem twinkies have made Pinky mad. Uh oh.

Anyway, although I was making notes on some of the most significant points in the interview, I seem to have misplaced the paper I wrote them on. (this happens a lot around here) but if I may paraphrase some of the statements I loved best:

On the difference between editorial cartooning and comic strips: You get to make stuff up.

What characters say: When you are really in tune with your characters, it’s not so much writing dialog, but listening to the characters own voices.

Yeah, see? it IS Pinky saying all that stuff! I think I need to go on a road trip to all the cartoon museums in this country.

And because this will always be one of my favorite Wu-toons,

Dis. Will. Not. Stand!

Mittens will return on Sunday. Stay tuned.

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

It’s Going to Get Worse Before it Gets Better

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I apologize to you all in advance, in case the current run of ‘toons traumatizes you. But with art as well as in politics, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better. In my work to reintroduce Mittens the Cat (with a whole new fur-do) I am finding that I can’t make up anything more absurd or horrifying than what I hear on the radio or read online.

So in the words of someone or another, sometimes writing satire is just quoting the news. Tom Leher, maybe?

Be very afraid. Bob is…..

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

But before we bring Mittens on, there is the little matter of Mr. Bun. He seems to be…um…missing. Dis. Will. Not. Stand. Hmmm…we seem to be saying that a lot.
Be sure to tune in on Wednesday to see what’s up with Mr. Bun.

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Note: I just got word from the folks at WordPress that my site was down for 7 minutes this morning, but now it is back on track. Either it was Pinky trying to hijack my site, or Mittens the Cat got word that we were going to be revealing his evil plans and new fur-do. Be very afraid.

Hostages

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Well! It seems that the recent International Incident has been resolved, but I suspect there may be more shenanigans yet to come! After all, this is not the first time Pinky has been involved in a hostage situation! Thanks to Vicky Vladic of VsomethingSpeaks, who reminded me of this, and thus gave me an idea for this Fabulous Furry Friday post. As you know, Friday is the day that we take a look back at panda satire past. Huzzah! We are hostages to the weekend!

Let’s revisit the scene of Pinky’s last indiscretion! (Okay, it’s not the last one…I’ve lost count of how many naughty things she has done, but it is the only time we know of when hostages were involved.)

Excuse me, Mr. Watterson, but….

“how does you spell ‘hostage’?”

Oh dear, the Mei-hem twinkies have made Pinky mad. Uh oh.

He who laughs last, laughs…um…last.

We also had a recent techno-glitch, when I made a minor (I thought) change in how the blog landing page was set up. This little insignificant change somehow cancelled the email notification of posts for my subscribers. Oopsie. Being that my technical knowledge is extremely limited, and relies on naps, sugar laden snacks and pushing random buttons, it took a little bit before the problem sorted itself out. At least I think it did. I’ll let you know after my nap. If you missed last Friday’s post, here it is! It is ironic that the glitch happened on Friday the 13th, isn’t it?

Here is a ‘toon that demonstrates my vast technological knowledge:

Lamentations of Luddites lay waste to Linguini….Call 1-800-U-R-LOSER

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday the 13th

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It is Fabulous Furry Friday AND Friday the 13th but I don’t think that we have any cartoons specifically dealing with Friday the 13th, (oddly enough…) so I will have to remedy that! So here is a post on the subject from our good friend over at VSomethingSpeaks.

I guess I will just have to look for some cartoons where our cast appears to be particularly unlucky in some fashion.

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?

This looks kind of dangerous, doesn’t it?

Never underestimate the power of a good “fart joke”

What makes a panda run? Cuppycakes, of course!!!!

I smell FROSTING!!!!!!!!

Love the hobby horse on a spring (inspired by a REAL photo of a REAL panda on one.

National Zoo cub makes mom Mei Xiang disappear

oops.

Have a great day, and remember, that you should be nice to all cats, unlike the panda kindergarten. Just saying. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and remember, if you enjoy reading a bunch of my ‘toons all at once, why not pick up copies of ALL the Panda Chronicles Books? You’ll be glad you did!

Till Next Time…Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday presents…

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Today is Earth Day and we almost forgot to celebrate it. Of course, anything with pandas is rather celebratory, so um…have I convinced you of anything yet? Darn… sO let’s just forget all about what we might or might not have forgotten, as Fabulous Furry Friday celebrates Earth Day because….

We R Endangered!

Yes, that’s right, pandas are endangered and if you think we are going to let you forget it, you have another think coming! Check out this fun video I found about pandas on youtube!

After you’re done watching that, here’s the Friday line up for this fabulously furry day!

You forgot your Binky Bar!

One of my early ‘toons! (and still one of my faves!)

Vote for pandas! We’re endangered!

Does being endangered have NO privileges?

Pandas support all endangered animals!

Keep cool, cat, and don’t go blaming women for stuff. That is SO not the way to get votes…

Hope you have a happy and fulfilling Earth day…um…when you’re endangered, does time really matter? Well, yeah, actually it does.

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday

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We are still popping champagne corks and eating cuppycakes to celebrate my newly agented status, so I thought I would share more of my literature of the panda ‘toons for this weeks fabulous Furry Friday! Huzzah!

From the earliest days of panda satire, pandas have been writing books about…well, about being pandas…

Everything I know

And then, there was Bob’s memoir, “Black and White Like Me”…

More literature of the panda!

And of course we wanted to encourage a love of reading in the panda kindergarten…

I think you get my point….

And what panda doesn’t have an abiding love of Shakespeare….?

After all, the playings the thing….

And let’s not forget that in addition to panda satire, I am also a painter…

You say sumi-e, I say Tsunami

Keep being the bear!
Bob T Panda

Literary Pandas

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This week, Fabulous Furry Friday salutes Literary Pandas and Literature of the Panda! Huzzah!

And now, the pandas are out of the bag!

This week, after the conclusion of a six month mentorship program through the Nevada chapter of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I have been taken on as a client by my brilliant and kind mentor, Gordon Warnock. I’m already on the Fuse Literary website listed as a client!!!! I hope they have hidden all the cuppycakes, because, well, you know…pandas!

I can’t say enough good things about the Nevada mentorship program. If you are a member of SCBWI, I recommend you look in to it, (the next cycle does not start until 2017, so you have some time to get a project in working order). I met many wonderful writers, who I hope will be friends for life. And to all of you here who have been following me since the early days of panda satire, I can only say thank you a thousand times. Maybe ten thousand times. You keep me going with your laughter and comments. Stay tuned. Pandas are going places and I hope you’ll come with us.

But first, how about some Literary Pandas?

It all started here…..

Do you like my new book?

Pandas have long been active in literary pursuits

What do you mean by “was?”

May all your Fridays be Furry and Fabulous!
Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Celebrate Wu

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I love Mr. Wu, San Diego’s junior panda in residence. Because Mr. Wu turns four years old this summer, he will most likely be moving to China sometime this fall or winter, I thought we should celebrate Wu and all things relating to the Wu self today.

I know, I know! I hate the idea of his leaving us too, but it is part of the deal we make with China in order to have pandas come and live here. And because Mr. Wu’s dad, Gao Gao, was born in the wild, Wu is of particular value as the future father of more little pandas. So we must shower him with love and affection while he is here, and try not to cry too much until then.

So let’s have a Fabulous Furry Friday salute to Mr. Wu!!!!

Mr. Wu’s first appearance on The Panda Chronicles

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of BooBeer!

While Mr. Wu was the only cub in the U.S. we had Mr. Wu Wednesday!

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

where happy pandas eat bamboo, oh why, oh why, can’t…Wu?

And who could forget the exciting story of The Wizard of Wu? And remember, you can read all of the Mr. Wu stories in Book 4 of the Panda Chronicles: The Book of Wu! Get it here!

Have a great weekend, everyone! More pandas coming your way on Sunday!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

It’s International Panda Day!

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No, really…it really is International Panda Day! Who knew? Um…well, someone told me it was and while I have been trying to find some corroborating evidence that it IS in fact, International Panda Day, how about we just say that it is and have a panda party to celebrate!

Huzzah! it’s International Panda Day! Let’s have some cake!!!!!

Um...what cho doing wif dat hammer, pinky?

Um…what choo doing wif dat hammer, pinky?

And if you are done celebrating, why not head over to the nice folks at Pandas International and check out goodies in their store. All the purchases there help provide support for pandas. I mean real pandas. Because, without pandas, there could be no panda satire!

Meanwhile back at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, things are heating up on the election front, Bubba gets cuter day by day, and the Meihem twins are hanging out and being about as adorable as two teenage pandas can be.

I hope everyone whose clocks changed for Daylight Savings time has adjusted. It’s only an hour, but it throws me off for weeks, it seems.

And if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter mailing list, you might want to think about doing that. There is a sign up form on the top of the righthand column. I know I have not sent out very many newsletters, in fact it’s probably been 6 months since the last one. Oopsie. My bad. But I just discovered how to make a secret password protected page here, and I am only going to send the password to people on my mailing list. How do you like them apples? I plan to put fun stuff on there, and maybe only leave each page up for a couple of months. We’ll see how it goes. I hope to get a newsletter out sometime next week, so you have a little time to put your email address in the little box that says: Get even MORE Pandas and Powered by Mailchimp at the bottom of the box. At the rate I send out newsletters, I’ll hardly be a nuisance at all, and I swear on the deluxe size box of cuppycakes that I will never share your email address with anyone else.

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Su Lin the first. From a a personal photograph that found it’s way to me.