Author Archives: Panda in Chief

About Panda in Chief

Anne Belov paints, writes, makes prints, and is the founder of The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire. You can find her paintings at the Rob Schouten Gallery and Fountainhead Gallery, her cartoons on The Panda Chronicles, and her new book here. She also writes regularly for The Whidbey Life Magazine, a free journal of art and culture on Whidbey Island. Her main regret in life is that there is no MacArthur Grant for Panda Satire.

Resistance is Futile

One of my favorite lines in The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is when some robot or other is running around yelling Resistance is Futile and Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect are doing everything they can to resist, to no avail. It’s kind of like that when Mommee Mei turns her laser sharp gaze on Bubba, in order to make him spill the beans. The Vogons have nothing on Mommee when it comes to wielding power.

Did you really think Bubba would be able to resist telling all he knows?

Resistance is futile

All Mei Xiang has to do it look stern and…

Be sure to tune in this Friday for part 2 of A Halloween Carol!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

The Great Escape

One of the things I love about Pinky is that she always has a plan. If one plan crashes against an immovable object (say, Mommee, for instance) Pinky always has plan B, C, D, or Z at the ready! And there has never been a den that she could not escape from. Bubba, you still have much to learn from Pinky!

And now, The Great Escape!

The Great Escape

Of COURSE Pinky has a secret tunnel!

Pinky never ceases to amaze!

Are you enjoying A Halloween Carol? Be sure to tune in Friday for part 2! And while this story has not yet appeared in print, did you know there are SIX Panda Chronicle books available to have for your very own? yep, that’s right! You can get them here!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

A Halloween Carol Part 1

Last year, when Bubba was but a tiny tyke, I did a parody of the Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol, starring Pinky, in the hopes that it would make her a kinder older sister. Did it work? You be the judge.  Maybe this will become a Halloween classic!

And now, Fabulous Furry Friday presents: A Halloween Carol, Part 1

Bubba's first feature role!

Bubba’s first feature role!

you...is...not...da...yawn...boss of...pinky...

you…is…not…da…yawn…boss of…pinky…

Mr Wu makes a very cute ghost, don't you think?

Mr Wu makes a very cute ghost, don’t you think?

Hey! who said Wu could poof things?

Hey! who said Wu could poof things?

He's small for now, but Bubba Bei Bei is shaping up to be a whole lot of panda!

In case you were getting scared during our feature presentation!

Well, that’s all for now! Be sure to tune in next Friday for the continuation of A Halloween Carol! (Not to mention Wednesday and Friday when we continue with the latest from Pinky and election 2016!)

And if you are starting to think about what to get Aunt Mildred (or anyone else for that matter) for whatever holiday you might happen to celebrate, may we suggest books from The Panda Chronicles series? Or, if you are more the coffee cup, t-shirt, canvas tote bag kind of gift giver, we have a lovely selection of gifts with all of your favorite Panda Chronicles gang on them, (more Bubba products are coming next month) over at our Pandyland Cafe Press store!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

The Long Paw of the Law

Wait. Just. A. Minute. BUBBA gets grounded???? Bubba is the GOOD panda! Bubba is the SWEET panda! Bubba is his momma’s darling boy! Bubba is not Pinky! But Pinky has taught him well, don’t you think? The law of Mom applies to all pandas equally, or so it seems. Oh, the injustice of it all!

I can’t believe that BUBBA has been grounded!!!!

The long paw of the law

I don’t think this is entirely fair!

and don’t call mee Boo Boo!

Don’t forget! This Friday The Panda Chronicles presents part 1 of A Halloween Carol! Huzzah! Get your popcorn ready!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

The Jig is Up

Roh Roh. What did I tell you last week about the all seeing eyes of Mommee Mei? It seems that those panda cams have more than one application and now, now the jig is up and the heavy paw of the law is about to descend on Pinky AND Bubba. This is not good. This is not good at all!!

What should Pinky and Bubba do NOW?????

the jig is up

I don’t think Mei is buying the homework thing.

Bubba does have that extremely innocent look down, doesn’t he? I think Pinky taught it to him.

I hope you’ll keep reading The Panda Chronicles, because coming up for the next two FABULOUS FURRY FRIDAYS we have a special treat! An encore presentation (in two parts) of our Halloween classic (well, we can declare it a classic, can’t we?) A Halloween Carol! As I am not one to deny myself the pleasure of laughing at my own jokes, I have to say this story is a hoot, not to mention Bubba’s first feature presentation. All your favorite pandas have a role in this holiday drama, so be sure to tune in this Friday for some spooky panda fun.

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

 

And the Award Goes To…

Sigh…another cycle of the MacArthur Foundation Awards have come and gone, and yet another year when Panda Satire has not been recognized. There is a bright spot, however, even if it did not come to me personally. One award went to Gene Luen Yang, a graphic novelist, who is also the current US Ambassador of Children’s Literature. This is at least the second graphic novelist who has received this award, so I am taking this as an excellent sign that my graphic novel will get published and maybe even sell well. What the heck! Might as well be optimistic about the whole thing, right?

So, once again, here is my annual plea to the MacArthur Foundation to recognize Panda Satire as a worthy recipient of this award!

Why IS there no MacArthur Fellowship for Panda Satire, anyway?

Why IS there no MacArthur Fellowship for Panda Satire, anyway?

And in other news, for the last week, they have been announcing the winners of The Nobel Prize in various categories, with the Nobel Prize for Literature having been announced yesterday. Once again, Panda Satire has been ignored.

But what IS Panda Satire, anyway? We’re glad you asked!

Panda Satire, explained

Panda Satire, explained, not to mention, the first sight of the magical wand, two years before the birth of Pinky.

This just in!!!! The Nobel Prize for Literature goes to: The very Bob Dylan! I have always thought that he was one of the most profound poets to ever strum a guitar, and I couldn’t be happier! (Well, unless they awarded a prize in Panda Satire, but like that’s ever gonna happen.) Huzzah and congratulations to Bob Dylan (aka the other “Bob”) on this well deserved honor.

 

I just found out that October 1st was 24 hour comic day. Obviously I have been way too busy to find out in good time that this was happening. I will try to do better next year. In the meantime, here are some more panda classics for this Fabulous Furry Friday!

page 036 - meet the pandas copy

Inspired by my discovery of the San Diego Zoo website!

Inspired by my discovery of the San Diego Zoo website!

Speaking of being mauled by bears...

Speaking of being mauled by bears…I’m really hoping to go visit the panda ranches next year!

Privacy Policy Implementation

Privacy Policy Implementation…never let the pandy kindy get access to your panty drawer!

Have a great weekend! Stay tuned for more from Pinky’s campaign to achieve the Pink House!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Sibling Cooperation

Mei Xiang should be so pleased and proud! The level of sibling cooperation between Pinky and Bubba has reached an all time pinnacle! And Bubba is getting so smart about the cyber! heh! As a veteran of a number of Kickstarter campaigns, I think Bubba is very well prepared and has thought things through really well.

Well, he thought of everything except the all seeing eye of Mommee!

Will Bubba’s clever plan succeed while eluding Mommee’s watchful eye?

sibling cooperation

Bubba is such a smart little panda

And thanks to the wonderful world of useless information that makes up the internet, I have learned that today is Take your Teddy Bear to Work Day! Really! Cordelia’s mom: get Teddy Rosalie ready for a day at the office!

Be the (Teddy) Bear
Bob T Panda

Bubba: Junior Computer Whiz

Bubba has now turned a whole year old! He is such a smart little panda, but we never knew how smart he has become until now, what with Pinky occupying everyone’s attention. But as it turns out, that Bubba is quite the junior computer whiz kid. Takes after his sister, no doubt, as she was the one who learned how to hack into the traffic control around Zoo Cublanta at a very early age. (Pinky: that evidence is entirely CIRCUMSTANTIAL! I admit to nothing!)

Nevertheless….

Bubba has a cunning plan and he is putting it into action!

computer whiz

When did Bubba get to be so smart!

Has anyone noticed how gray Mei Xiang’s fur is starting to turn?

More Panda News!!!!

The Wahington State Panda Foundation (Heretofore known as WASPaF) is moving forward with meetings in China and site visits by the Chinese panda procurement people in their quest (a noble and brilliant one I might add) to bring pandas to Washington state. (Our motto: bring pandas to the OTHER Washington) News stories on TV and radio and newspapers report that the potential homes for the pandas, The Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, and the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle (WOOZPPAH!) are saying, “hey! No one asked US if we wanted pandas!”

To that I sayFie! Of COURSE you want pandas! Everyone wants pandas!!! And for those who say:

A)” the money could be better spent elsewhere”, I say, ” well of COURSE it could, but we’re talking about PANDAS here!!!!!!

or

B) the “I thnk all wild animals should be wild and free and not locked up in zoos” people should visit a modern zoo sometime. Do I think pandas should be in the wild? Hell yes, just as soon as you restore the millions of square miles of their habitat that no longer exisits. A green pea in a 10 gallon bucket doesn’t begin to represent the ratio of lost habitat to the present panda habitat remaining.

They are doing the best they can to keep pandas from becomming extinct and return some to the wild. But that is a topic for another day!

For now, I just say, WOOZPPAH,

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Pandas in the news

There have been rumors that this day was coming. The pandas in the news today are none other than the Cublanta twinkles (version 1.0) Mei Lun and Mei Huan, collectively known to those who love them, as the Meihems. They are also known here in The Panda Chronicles as Bert and Ernie, Panda Scouts extraordinaire! The deal with our rental pandas is that cubs that are born in the US (and other countries that host pandas) are sent to China sometime after they turn 2. Mostly, we have been able to keep them till they are four, and in some cases (like Xi Lan, also of Cublanta) till they were five. It was officially announced last week that the Meihems would be going to China this fall, most likely in November.

I don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s the deal we made, so that’s the deal we have. Fortunately for panda satire, I can keep them here as long as I want. Like most long running comics, characters come and go, or recede into the back ground. That is not my intention here, but as a dedicated pantser, I can’t tell you from one day to the next where my stories are going.

Meanwhile, Let’s Celebrate the Meihems!!!

Atlanta twin panda cubs Mei Lun and Mei Huan and older prother Po

This was before Pinky pooled them all and turned them into girls.

Atlanta Twins have a fight

Bears will be bears!

we are friendly, not ambitious!

Pinky is always butting in on the Meihem’s ‘toons!

Fast furry friends...for now

Fast furry friends…for now…what could possibly go wrong!

Pandas are standing by to take your calls!

Pandas are standing by to take your calls!

Want more from Pinky and the Meihems? You DO have The Panda Chronicles Book 5: Pandapocalypse NOW! don’t you? You don’t? Why the heck not? Take care of that right away, ‘kay?

And if you have a chance to get down to Cublanta before the Meihems leave (and I hope you do) say hi for me, and tell them Bob sent you!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Bubba Has a Cunning Plan

Oh Pinky! You have taught your baby brother well! He has come up with a cunning plan to help you raise money for your campaign and maybe it will take you all the way to the Pink House! And what luck! You already have a video you can use!

Pinky’s campaign video!

A few weeks ago, I thought of a great idea for a Kickstarter campaign: Build a wall around Donald Trump! I thought it had great potential, but then realized, while it would be fun, I have far too much other work to do and Kickstarter campaigns are a lot of work. So instead, I thought that Pinky and Bubba would enjoy the experience!

cunning plan

Pinky has taught you well, Bubba!

Stay tuned as Pinky and Bubba team up to defeat Mittens the Cat!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda