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…again!

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I am very sorry to tell you of a great tragedy.

Yes, that’s right. Panda Scout cookie Season is over. But it’s not too late for Fabulous Furry Friday to salute the Panda Scout Cookie Drive!

On my honor, I will try…to eat as many cookies as I possibly can….

As you may recall, the Meihem twins are Panda Scouts and have earned many merit badges for such diverse skills as cookie wrangling, sibling rivalry, and hostage taking.

What do you mean “hostage taking” doesn’t have a merit badge? They were very polite.

And who could forget the great Highway Gate incident, when …um…”someone” disrupted traffic to Zoo Cublanta, thus spoiling the sale of the Meihem’s Panda Scout cookies?

Time to call in …Inspector panda!

Don’t you wish you could read the entire Highway-gate Story? You Do? Well, you might consider getting your very own copy of The Panda Chronicles Book 5: Pandapocalypse NOW! which has this whole story and a whole lot more Pinki-tude and Meihem, for your chortling pleasure. Wasn’t that a subtle commercial? I thought so too.

Have a great weekend!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

The Cat Came Back

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I could hear the cries of despair from Mehitabel’s fans (and yes, she does have them) and I had no intention of letting her disappearance be permanent. So yes, the cat came back.

And so did Bob!

Despite the fact that Bob is still wearing his vacation outfit, he’s back and ready to report, observant as ever!

um…”ooopsie”?

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Look at that adorable face! Frosting wouldn’t melt in her mouth.

Will there be some consequences for Miss Pinky? Hmmmmmm… tune in next week.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Here, Kitty Kitty…

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Ooopsie! Here, kitty, kitty! Where are you?

Where does one go when one gets poofed by Pinky? I’m afraid I must admit to a certain amount of irresponsibility. I mean, this is fiction, right? Do I have to have an answer for everything???? Meanwhile, Pinky has to answer to a higher authority for her actions.

Yes: her mom. Just because she is now living on her own in real life, doesn’t mean the same rules apply here.

Now where did that cat go?

Small bears will get into trouble, won’t they?

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday!

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Fabulous Furry Friday brings you more encore presentations from the Panda Season of Love! We are working on some stories in this rich and extensive vein of pure panda gold, but in the meantime, here are some of our favorites from the past!

We would like to alert you to some recent stories and articles about the …um…romantic life of pandas. First, the news of 23 year old Bai Yun reigniting the flames of love in hopes of bringing a seventh cub into the world hit the internet this week. Unfortunately, her resident stud muffin was not quite up to the job, as he has had some um…health issues of late. not that he wasn’t willing, mind you.

And for those of you who may be saying Bai Yun deserves to retire from being a cubby producing machine, let me remind you, we are not talking about an irresponsible couple of teenagers in the backseat of a car. There are veterinarians, panda researchers, and Chinese panda experts who all had to sign off on this venture before they could proceed. If Bai Yun succeeds in having a cub this year, she will be the oldest panda mom on record to do so. They know what they are doing and so does Bai Yun. Nuff said.

Now, shall we quit being serious and get back to making fun of pandas?
Yes!

It was dark…there were men in masks….

Did you HAVE to mention that? Thanks for the New Yorker Article!

Will we ever hear the pitter patter of little paws in Scotland?

Um…pass the beer and poutine, please!

Have we embarrassed pandas enough? NO! If it isn’t bad enough cartoonists are making fun of pandas, how about having to be compared to wild pandas by noted science writer and esteemed pandologist, Henry Nicholls?

Whatever will the pandas standing around the water cooler say about that?

By the way, Did you know tomorrow is National Corn Dog Day? No, me neither. Do with this information what you will.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Don’t Make Pinky Mad!

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Why, oh why, did Mehitabel not listen to me? I warned her about picking that precocious princess of panditude for her temporary co-host. Pick Mr. Wu, I suggested. he’s become a responsible sub-adult panda, as his work with Inspector Panda has shown. But no. You had to go for the big star, the Smithsonian icon, figuring it would boost Zoonooz’s ratings for sweeps week.

And look where it got you.

I was really afraid this was going to happen. We warned you about that Ides of March thingie, didn’t we?

I can’t help it. I love to draw Pinky when she gets all upset, and…um…poofy. My bad. But where did she go? I guess I’ll find out when you do. That’s what happens when you make Pinky mad. Bad stuff.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Even more journalistic follies

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If there is one thing we just cannot abide (the Dude, notwithstanding) it is people or …um…pandas, getting credit for something they did not do. But that is just what is going on here at Zoonooz headquarters. Some one is going to have to put a stop to these journalistic follies!

And then there is accidentally confessing to something you did do, but hoping that no one will believe you.

We KNEW that was you!

Is there more Meihem ahead?

What do you think?

Meanwhile, the panda season of looooove is heating up! More from the PSofL soon! And don’t forget! Today is the Ides of March. We don’t know what that is, but it sounds scary. Beware!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

The Panda Season of Love has Begun!

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News from the San Diego Zoo, Department of panda whoopee reports that Bai Yun and her favorite stud muffin, Gao Gao, had a romantic encounter today. Mr Gao Gao has an advantage over most zoo pandas, in that he was wild born and so has better instincts and ….um…technique than…um…some other pandas we could name.

So in honor of the panda season of love, let’s have a few love pandas from the archives!

A panda by any other name, would smell…well, they would just smell…

Prevaricating pandas perceived in pregnancy pastry ploy

And who could forget the controversy surrounding figuring out who fathered miss Pinky?

Who’s the bear???!!!

And what panda doesn’t need a little inspiration from some appropriate reading material?

We really need to more thoroughly check the panda kindergarten’s reading list.

And what better way to celebrate the panda season of love, than buying all the books from the Panda Chronicles series. Um…just saying.

Have a great weekend!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

Are You Still Here?

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Are you still here?…That’s what Mehitabel must be saying to herself about now. Why didn’t I hold auditions? Why did I say okay, when Mei Xiang called me and asked if I could give Pinky a job, just a little something to help her through her transition to big girl panda?

But she didn’t, and now she is paying the price, of having a co-host with a big personality. Maybe Bob could come back early…I’m sure he’s learned his lesson by now, don’t you think?

Archie, is that you?

This story is also courtesy of Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me. What would I do without them?

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

The Panda Voice

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In my attempt to be not just a visual artist, but also a writer, one of the crucial concepts I have learned about, whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, is that of voice. Everybody has one, apparently. I think maybe it’s a little like listening to your own outgoing message on your answering machine. Is that me? Boy do I sound dorky!

In these pages and in my cartoons, I strive for the panda voice, of each individual panda (and cat!) character that I invent as I sit in my studio, drawing and chortling to myself, (quietly, or sometimes not so quietly.) I think I should give myself a big, furry paw pat on the back for achieving this goal, because of some of the comments that people share with me here and on Fezbook. You get me! You really get me!

Huzzah!

Mehitabel did NOT approve this cartoon. I really did hear the story on Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me

Let me also add that some of my faithful readers must be looking into their crystal binky balls, because some of their suggestions, fears, and suppositions are not far from some of the upcoming cartoons, which I have been working on ahead of my usual last minute schedule! You have been paying attention, so give yourselves a big, furry paw pat on the back, and then go have a cuppycake. You have embraced your inner panda!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda!

BTW I don’t want anyone to forget that today ends daylight losing time, and so I must include the panda kindergarten salute to Daylight savings time!

Fabulous Furry Friday KNOWS that this is one of your favorites!

Fabulous Furry Friday Presents Great News!

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OK, unlike most of what we talk about here, this is totally serious and we are not making this up! The most recent panda census results are in and the wild panda population is up, possibly by as much as 17%. This is great news, because, well…pandas!

Not that we don’t make fun of serious things like the panda census. Of course, some people (and you know who you are, bro) might point out that China’s relationship to statistics is not um…entirely unlike that of the panda kindergarten.

Do we have to count panda adoption fees?

Is it any wonder Bob has a sharp pain behind his ears?

And here is more panda fun…because…um…pandas!

Always read the directions…

And because our heads are filled with thoughts of cuppycakes….

I smell frosting!

And because it’s that time of year….

Will Bob ever learn? will Mehitabel ever get the better of the panda kindergarten?

Let’s put pandas to work!
Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

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