One of the fun thing about making comics, is creating characters and their “back stories.”  Babette de Panda is actually not my invention at all, but she has come to the enchanted bamboo forest where she hangs out with Bob T., Mehitabel and  the panda kindergarten. By generous permission of her very good friend and confidant, Victory Schouten, (poet Laureate of Greenbank Farm, and co-owner of the Rob Schouten Gallery) Babette appears in my cartoons. I hope (and have reason to believe) that the in stories that she appears in, I have kept her character in tact, and had her act in ways that are consistent with what I know of her.

Sometimes I find myself just “going along for the ride” with the pandas and don’t always feel that I am in control of their actions, especially when the panda kindergarten is involved.

What could be more fun than a car full of pandas?

Recently a new panda showed up on my doorstep (or was that in my head?) and here is what I know about her.  She is a member of the incoming class in panda kindergarten, She is a little shy, but very precocious. Oh, and she likes to dress up like a bee.  And now, she has insinuated herself into an island business, Eddy’s on Whidbey, where she will start appearing on tee-shirts and other things.  She is just buzzing with excitement.  She also has a poster already and that is more than Babette can say. (and don’t think I haven’t gotten an earful on THAT matter!)

I hope you will give a warm welcome to:

Bee, the Bear

Be the bear!

Bob T. Panda