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.

Fabulous Furry Friday presents:

Fabulous Furry Friday wanted to celebrate Bubba’s debut to the public, but we have…um…been busy with other stuff. we promise we will get right on it, but in the meantime, here are some of The Panda Chronicles’ favorite panda cubs in their own debuts!

Oh, and if you happen to be descending on Washington DC’s most celebrated pandas for today’s opening, be courteous to your fellow panda fans. #Don’tBehaveLike Pinky

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

Thank you all for coming! Buy my book here!

deleted footage from press conference

Pinky answers difficult questions from the press in her own way.

Atlanta Twins have a fight

Sweet dreams, little bears!

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

Huzzah! a guest appearance by little Po!

Stay tuned for more from the saga at #OpenLateGate and exciting coverage of Bubba’s debut to the public! I’m sure Pinky would never consider using this as an opportunity to put forth her own agenda!

(psst! hey! why not vote for bob?)

Be the bear!
Bob T Panda

Open Late Gate #2

We thought that since all political scandals have been dubbed some sort of “Gate” thingie, since the days of Watergate, We decided to name this debacle Open Late Gate, or if you want to use the hashtag version, #OpenLateGate.

As we saw just a few days ago, Princess Pinky was not amused at the reduction in hours when her most faithful fans can visit her. We won’t even talk about all the joggers that use the zoo for their early morning runs, or the cars that rely on North Road as a commuting alternative.

Far be it from me to jump on a pony that is not tethered in my own paddock, (ha!) but as a promoter of panda satire, I have a close relationship, not only with pandas, but also with the people who visit them regularly, if not incessantly. While the national zoo is free to walk in by anyone with no admission charge (huzzah!) many of the panda faithful, and I’m guessing fans of other animals as well, (wait! There are other animals at the zoo besides pandas?) buy zoo memberships in order to support this beloved institution. At the higher levels of membership, you can also park your car there, which is an added benefit. (Did I mention they have PANDAS???)

An article I read recently added up the lost hours, which amounts to being closed for 7.5 days each month.

As Pinky is inclined to say…

“Dis. Will. Not. Stand!!!!!”

...or as Bubba says, "dis. not. stan!"

…or as Bubba says, “dis. not. stan!”

I hope you noted Mei Xiang’s masterful attempt at censoring Pinky’s comment. Sigh…what’s a mother to do?

So, if you have an opinion about all this, and would like to weigh in (more respectfully than Pinky, of course) here’s the link to the contact page at the Smithsonian National Zoo. After all, if they don’t know what the people think, they’ll just think we don’t care. After all, it is the people’s zoo!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

National Zoo Opening Time

You would think that the director of the Smithsonian National Zoo would know better than to mess with Pinky, not to mention Pinky’s fans. And this is not even taking into account the number of cars that use the zoo route to speed their morning commute. Looks like with the changes for the National Zoo opening time, gridlock will not only be happening in Congress.

Washington DC luminaries, such as DC Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, have weighed in on the controversy as well. This is going to be one big mess, come six AM tomorrow morning.

Well, they ain’t heard nothin’, until they’ve heard from Pinky!

I think we'll call this little debacle: Open Late Gate

I think we’ll call this little debacle: Open Late Gate

As I mentioned on Friday, I’m not really one to make New Year’s resolutions, but I will say this: 2016 is going to be a rip roaring year, politically speaking. There will be lots of rhetoric ripping the air, and The Panda Chronicles will be no exception. Cartooning has a long history in politics, in fact, most of the earliest cartoons were political in nature. Last year I visited the Cartoon Museum in Brussels, Belgium, and saw several exhibits that brought that fact home.

So.

Yes, I have my own point of view, and it may or may not agree with yours, so let’s agree now that if we disagree, we will still be civil about the whole thing and listen to each other’s point of view. And let’s check our facts before we get our panties in a twist, okay?

That said, I can’t be responsible for Pinky’s opinions. Pinky’s opinions have always been her own.

Stay tuned in right here, to hear more from Pinky later this week about her views on the Zoo’s change of opening time. It is a matter of earthshaking importance. (At least as far as Pinky is concerned.)

And keep Being the Bear, Okay?
Bob T. Panda

By the by, Vicky Vladic and I just had another cuppycake recipe posted on They Draw and Cook’s website! You can find it here

Happy New Year …

Happy New Year from The Institute of Contemporary Panda Satire!

Princess Pinky helps with new years resolutions

You say you want a resolution, well, you know, it is hard to change a bear….

Are you one of the resolution people?

Bob still likes to get out in the field once in a while.

Bob still likes to get out in the field once in a while.

…Or are you more the polar bear plunge type?

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

See you on Sunday with a brand new ‘toon, when Pinky takes on the new zoo opening times!!!!!!!!

Day 31: The Ultimate 31 Days of Pandas Post

It has finally arrived! Day 31 of 31 Days of Pandas. As ever, I am grateful to all who have stuck it out, all who have commented, all who have embraced these pandas and welcomed them onto your screen. I am especially grateful to those of you who have bought my books and goodies from my Pandyland Cafe Press store! But mostly, I am grateful that you enjoy what I do here, and have chosen to return.

The life of a creative professional ( a term I am not entirely comfortable with, but it is the closest I can come to what it is I do) is a very uncertain one. Will anyone respond to my work? Will I make enough money to live? Should I have married a dentist, like my parents wanted? Will I have to endure one more family dinner with great Aunt Mildred telling me how successful her daughter is, and how she just bought a vacation home in Hawaii? And what was it you do, again?

I was reminded recently of Neil Gaiman’s commencement speech that he gave at MY alma mater, The University of the Arts,  in 2012.  It’s referred to as “the make good art” speech, and that sums it up. All I want to do is make good art, and maybe tell some good stories along with it. The video is about 20 minutes long, but well worth it. It’s inspiring as all get out! Go watch it. We’ll wait right here…

Meanwhile, it’s New Year’s eve at the panda kindergarten…

new years eve party, panda kindergarten

The panda kindergarten at their best…or is that worst?

And we still have to finish the 12 Days of Crispmoss…

On the twelfth day of Crisp-Moss, My Panda cam Did See....

On the twelfth day of Crisp-Moss, My Panda cam Did See….

MX: no, Pinky, you may NOT have a Bamboo-tini!

MX: no, Pinky, you may NOT have a Bamboo-tini!

I can't hear you....

I can’t hear you….

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

whew!

whew!

Everybody sing!

Everybody sing!

Be the Bear everyone, and let’s be careful out there!
Bob T. Panda

 

 

Day 30: Oh My Gosh We are Almost …

We are almost at the end of 31 Days of Pandas! I hope you had as much fun as I did traveling down memory lane and are looking forward to our regular schedule of new ‘toons every Sunday and Wednesday, and an encore presentation on Fabulous Furry Fridays! I can hardly wait!

OOOOO! Pinky is a star!

OOOOO! Pinky is a star!

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

whew!

Almost done!

I, for one, am looking forward to a…um…backbreaking schedule of pandas, pandas, pandas in 2016, and I hope it is enough to save me from the debacle that the 2016 presidential election is sure to be. Whatever happens on the political front, you can be sure that princess Pinky, the Meihems, little Bubba, and all the other pandas will up the ante. Of course with the level of absurdity, (or as brilliant writer Jasper Fforde refers to it: The Stupidity Surplus) reality will be difficult to top.

well, until tomorrow,
Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

 

Day 29: We Are So Ready for 2015 to be Over

I don’t know about you, but I am so ready for 2015 to be over. Actually, with the upcoming election season swinging into full speed ahead mode, I might be ready for 2016 to be over too.

Apropos of nothing, I would like to announce my Lifetime Achievement Award I just received for…going to Pittsburgh! Twice! In one year! Friends who I originally met while living in western MA, now live in Pittsburgh, which are my childhood stomping grounds. As writers of one of the only amusing holiday letters I have ever read, they started a Roll of Honor some years back, which they award to people who have come to visit them in the various cities where they have lived over the last 30 years. Various achievement levels are obtained depending whether you just drop by for dinner, or stay over at their house, or meet up with them in their travels. Because I had to make two trips to Pittsburgh (and maybe because I hounded John incessantly about making this years Roll of Honor, I got the aforementioned Lifetime Achievement Award.

Huzzah!

I really am easily amused. and now…..

No WONDER I didn't get any presents!

No WONDER I didn’t get any presents!

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

F-F-F-FI-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-VE Cuppycaaaaaaakes!

whew!

Are you still singing?

As we get ready to say buh bye to 2015, let me tell you a little of what will be in store for next year…
Pinky will comment on the kerfuffle at the National Zoo, caused by Zoo Director Dennis Kelly’s decision to change the opening and closing hours at the zoo.
Bob and Mehitabel will discuss the plans to try to bring pandas to the other Washington.
Pinky will outshine Bob in her campaigning efforts, and Bob will try to gain an advantage.
Plans to revise “The Case of the Picturesque Panda” into a graphic novel will continue.
Bob will continue to lament the lack of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant in the field of Panda Satire.

It’s going to be a panda-ful year, and I hope you will continue to visit all of us at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire!

Day 28: Will These Pandas Ever Go Away?

Gosh, we hope not! In fact, we are hoping for even more pandas to grace our fair shores.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, there are high level panda procurement talks happening between China and Washington state. All pseudo thumbs crossed for a panda invasion to my home sweet home state!

Meanwhile, pandas are waiting to sing the next verse of…

The Twelve Days of Crispmoss!

Oh no! Not again!

Oh no! Not again!

FIIIIIVE cuppycakes!

FIIIIIVE cuppycakes!

whew!

whew!

Keep Being the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Day 27: Countdown to the New Year Begins

Could it really be true? Could we be starting the countdown to the new year already?

Well, yes we could. In some ways the year flew by, and in other ways it was excruciatingly long. We have a new panda cub in Washington DC, twins in Toronto, and now the faintest glimmer of the possibility of pandas in the Pandacific Northwest. Huzzah!

And now, for the last new cartoon of the new year, I offer this, as my wish for the new year, probably guaranteed to delight and annoy, in equal measure. Feel free to tell me what you think in the comments, but I won’t post anything really mean or abusive. Other than  that, have at it!

Consider this my Werld Peez Pandifesto

Consider this my Werld Peez Pandifesto

No fairs unka bob, indeed!

Well, why the heck not?

Well, why the heck not?

Isn't that just the cutest thing?

Isn’t that just the cutest thing?

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn't?

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn’t?

Hey! Why NOT vote for Bob? Peace, prosperity, and buy stuff with pandas!
Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Day 26: 31 Days of Pandas Continues

So did Santa bring you everything you wanted?

No, me neither. But right around the corner is a brand new year, all shiny and untouched by tragedy and meanness. A new year full of hope and possibility.

I had hoped to have some early sketches of my new work in progress, but I am not that far along yet. You can be sure that when I get there, I will be sharing it right here!

On January 3rd, I will go back to my regular schedule, so no more pandas every day, (boo! hiss!) BUT, two new ‘toons per week, plus encore presentations for Fabulous Furry Fridays (yay! Huzzah!) There’s something to be said for that, right?

So sit back and have some leftover fruitcake and get ready to sing along as 31 Days of Pandas brings you day 6 of the 12 Days of Crispmoss!

Oh…could you not sing while eating leftover fruitcake? Especially not with your computer’s webcam turned on… Ick!

HOW many more days are there?

HOW many more days are there?

whew!

Are you singing?

Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for a brand new cartoon, starring all of your favorite pandas!  While this will be the last NEW ‘toon of the year,  I am already hard at work writing and drawing new cartoons starring all of you favorite pandas!  I hope I will see you all then!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda