Category Archives: Encore Presentation

The view from the dark side…

Life in the USA seems kind of dark today. It’s not just the wind and the rain, although those definitely don’t help. As everyone, except his GOP sycophants knew, as soon as the vote not to hold HWMNBN accountable, 45 would start enacting retribution on those he perceives as his enemies.

The Purge has begun…

First Lt. Col. Vindman and his brother’s jobs went on the chopping block, and they were escorted off the WH grounds. As in everything else 45 does, maximum cruelty and humiliation are the agenda. Next, Gordon Sondland was recalled from his ambassadorship, effective immediately. I guess $1 million dollars doesn’t buy what it used to. There is no room in 45’s world for those who disagree with him, even once. He must attack and attempt to humiliate anyone who stands in his way.

I am not, in general, a fan of Mitt Romney, but his principled stand on the abuses of power by 45, are honorable, commendable, and done in the support of the Constitution. I would much rather have principled opponents, with whom I can disagree, than power hungry sycophants who want to win at any cost. Again, I would urge you to read the essays of historian Heather Cox Richardson, who is writing almost daily about the mess we find ourselves in. They are both frightening and hopeful at the same time. Gotta love those historians that can give us some perspective on all this.

Please forgive this descent into pessimism. Here are some (unfortunately) prophetic ‘toons.

Are you SURE you wouldn’t like to vote for Bob?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

“You are all Losers!” – Mittens the Cat

“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”

what do you have to lose?

Mittens is really back.

day after

Remember the song “The Eve of Destruction”? That’s what today feels like.

happening

Are all these paper clips mine?

“Be yourself – Everyone else is already taken”
-Oscar Wilde

Banned

Buy my books! Mittens HATES them!

RESIST!!!!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Bear of the People Panda

Hey! The first felty pandas go out next week!

It’s the Panda Season of Love!

The electricity came back on just in the nick of time! A big windstorm yesterday evening took the power out for much of the island last night (the price of living in the trees!). My neighborhood appeared to be one of the last ones to get their power back and it returned just in time for me not to have to toddle off to the library with my laptop to prepare today’s post.

Huzzah!

But now on to more important things: It’s February, and you know what that means! it’s just about time for…

The Panda Season of Love!!!

I hope people haven’t had enough of silly love songs!

it’s the panda, the panda season of love!

Aw, Pinky…Bubba loves you!

Love in the Time of Mittens (which, quite frankly, is a lot like the time of cholera)

Be the Bear trying to ignore the GOP excusing all of 45’s crimes for at least a day
Bob T Panda

The Year in Review! Part 4, The Year’s End…

Before we start on our last installment of the Year in Review, I want to express my thanks to all who made the Tiny Panda Kickstarter project such a success! I am already hard at work making little needle felted pandas. Once all the Kickstarter paperwork is done, and the boxes and other panda shipping materials have arrived, I will start sending each group out as they are completed over the next 4-6 months. Part of me wishes I could have a class photo of all the completed pandas together, but in addition to the packing and shipping chaos that would cause, with the national stress level predicted to skyrocket in the next, oh, say 11 months, y’all are going to need to have these pandas as much as I need to make them.

Maybe next year’s project should be a recreation of the Chinese terra cotta Warriors, done as felted pandas.

Well, the trial of the Century has started. It has the predictable lines drawn: long, careful, evidence packed testimony by the Democratic House Managers, and loud lies and obfuscations by the tRUmp lawyers. The defense straddles between “He didn’t do it,” and “it’s not a crime if he did,” not to mention, “you don’t have enough evidence” (because “we blocked you from getting it.”)

Sigh…

But how did we get here? Let’s dive back into the Year in review! Starting with October…

I can’t believe how accurate these ‘toons have proved to be!

It’s been a long time coming. Hope he’ll be a looooong time gone!

All together now!

If Pinky wins the 2020 election, can we have panda-gate?

On to November…

“crime” is not a verb

Oh no! There are no pandas in this cartoon!

Our favorite grizzlies are doing “The Bus”!

And in December…

Obeying Pinky is not in the Consditooshun!

Not even Pinky is above the law. And if SHE isn’t, then Mittens sure as heck isn’t either!

Aaaaaannnddd I think this pretty much sums up the Senate Trial as well:

A bear can dream, am I right?

I think Bubba is almost as good a speaker as Adam Schiff!

So, That’s our year in review! We hope you enjoyed this look back over the last 12 months and really (really) hope we survive the next 12!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

The Year in Review Part 3

Two notes on things other than the year in review posts:

First, I was alerted to an excellent newsletter by Heather Cox Richardson, writing about the legal  and political issues of the day, in a very readable, clear manner. (In other words, if I can understand what the hell she’s talking about, pretty much anyone can.) I highly recommend subscribing to her news letter. If nothing else, maybe it will keep me out of the Twidder trenches so I can get some work done. We’re in for a wild ride, panda fans! Here’s to hoping we all survive it!

Second, my Tiny Panda Kickstarter is going swimmingly! It ends this Friday at 5 PM PST, so if you wee thinking about getting a tiny panda (or two) of your own, this is the week. There are still several panda rewards available, and should you want more than one there is both a two panda reward, or you can add another panda to the reward selected. Just message me here via the Contact Us form, or the Kickstarter message system.

Now! On with the Year in Review for July, August, and September!

Frank and Mikey return with excellent advice for hikers!

Don’t (*snorf*) look like food!

Another reminder of why “president” Mittens must not only be impeached, but also removed from office.

*snorf*

Pinky and her new minions get down to serious business

On to August… This seems topical!

Made by the same highly scientific company as the Cute-o-Meter!

Don’t get mad. Get even.

Even elephants are tired of the GOP’s shenanigans!

 

September! The back to school month!

It does not pay to be late! You don’t want to flunk cake again, do you, Boo Boo?

Another reminder of why the Senate needs to vote to remove…

Mittens: a disgrace to cat-hood

bears will be bears!

See ya next week with some new ‘toons and the wrap up of our Hold Me Closer Tiny Panda Kiscktarter!

Panda On!
Bob get-your-tiny-pandas-here T Panda

These ‘toons previously appeared on The Panda Chronicles in July/August/September of 2019

Day 29 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

We are so close to the end of 31 Days of Pandas that I can almost taste the cuppycakes that I get to have once I get done setting up all of these posts! I’m hard at work, thinking about what the pandas are going to get up to next year! These little bears keep me on my tippy toes!

Which reminds me…

are you SURE it’s not “carbonated”?

I’m sure Greta Thunberg would applaud Bob’s efforts to reduce his carbonated foot print.

well, what if I….

but…WeREndangered!

Pandas LOVE science! They are also very good at literature!

What do you mean by “was?”

Bob’s first foray into the realms of literature …

is it….

…time for….

…a little something?

be the bear
Bob T Panda

By the way, I am hard at work inventing the reward levels for the felty panda project, which I am calling Hold Me Closer Tiny Panda! I’m very excited, as I have always felt that the only way you get good at something is to do it a lot! To that end, even though the project hasn’t started yet (look for it to start around the 9th of January, for Kickstarter’s #Make100 initiative) I am already making pandas! I keep designating ones I want to keep, as well as refining my panda felting techniques. Stay tuned! as soon as I have a bit more done on the project page, I’ll share it with you here so you can follow along and be ready for the launch!

Day 28 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

Oh my. We are almost at the end of the 2019 edition of 31 Days of Pandas. Recently, one of my readers asked how 31 Days of Pandas got started. Maybe what they actually asked was “What the heck were you THINKING!!!!????”

As I recall, the first year I did this, it was in November, and an illustrator friend had just completed A Monster a Day during the month of October. Another popular one-a-day art project for artists is Inktober, where people post a drawing a day during the month of October. While I have not participated, I’ve seen some great drawings posted for Inktober, and I think for those looking for a kick in the pants to do some regular drawing, I think it is a fine thing. Since making art is my day job, there is less of an incentive, and it feels like another thing on my lengthy “to do” list. Don’t let my attitude stop you from trying this!

My original 30 Days of Pandas was to create a drawing that every day, in honor of Po’s Birthday! I added a new panda to the drawing every day for a month. This turned out to be more work than I thought, as I had to re-scan the drawing every time I added a panda. It did turn out to be a really fun drawing, though!

Days one and two!

Day nine!

I think I need to have the ballon panda as something on Redbubble!

18 pandas

Day 18

day 25 -30 days of pandas

30 pandas day 28

Day 28

And the final image…

30 days of pandas - day 30

30 Days of Pandas!

I hope you enjoyed this look back at the origins of 31 days of Pandas!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Day 23 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

It is Day 23 of 31 Days of Pandas, and that means it’s Christmas Eve EVE!!! I bet you didn’t know that was a thing? Egg nog and cookies all around! Meanwhile, You Know Who is STILL impeached, even if he doesn’t accept it, and if anyone was going to get coal in their Christmas stocking, it would be him.

But now! let’s watch the final episodes of Bears Under the Big Top! Huzzah!

episode 13

episode 14

episode 15

…and it all ends with Mr Wu’s Birthday party! Huzzah!

See? I TOLD you it would all be okay in the end!

Panda On!
Bob T I’ve been very, very good Panda

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for the final installment of Mei Xiang’s Nightmare Before Christmas!

Day 22 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

We are past the solstice! Is it getting lighter yet? Well, not really! It has been raining like mad, trying to catch up on the rather dry November we had. I’m sure the trees are thirsty, and really, I’d rather have rain than snow. This time last year, I was was stuck at home, because it snowed I couldn’t get down the hill, my power was out, and my car was in the shop because I had hit a deer a week earlier. So a little rain? Meh!

Meanwhile, it’s time for the next episodes of…

Bears Under the Big Top (starring the Wu Self!)

Episode 9

episode 10

episode 11

episode 12

Happy Day 22 of 31 Days of Pandas!
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Day 21 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

Happy Solstice, everyone! It’s day 21 of 31 Days of Pandas, and the end of the days getting darker and shorter, could not have come at a better time. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it is raining buckets and dark by 4:15. Now that we have reached the Solstice, the days will slowly start to get longer and longer. Huzzah!

45 has been impeached, Chrispmoss is coming, and Mr. Wu has run away with the panda kindergarten to join the circus! What could possibly go wrong? Read on after the ‘toons for a brief announcement about the felty emotional support panda project coming in January on Kickstarter!

But now…it’s time for …Bears Under the Bigtop!

episode 5

episode 6

episode 7

episode 8

So…About those felted Pandas…

In early January, I am going to do one of Kickstarter’s January projects called “Make 100”, the idea being that you make a limited offering of something and agree to have no more than 100 backers. Within those guidelines, I have a bit of leeway, I started making these needle felted pandas a couple of months ago, because I felt (get it?) the need to take on a new activity to deal with all the nervous energy the current political climate engendered.

I’ve been thinking about how to structure this project, and what specifically to offer. I decided that in order to be responsive to which versions of pandas are the most requested, I would roll the rewards out in small groups. This will be a fairly fast and furious funding period, and I am going to keep the initial funding goal fairly low, because it really doesn’t matter how many people (up to 100) want one of these pandas, since there is no minimum order that I need to make as with the pins and patches.

The first group will get posted on the opening day (projected as Thursday, January 9th) and then on both Mondays, I will post new, more complex offerings, and all will be available till the project closes on January 24th. (If they haven’t sold out!)

Now, you CAN change your reward choice, and Kickstarter makes that fairly easy to do. Because of the limited nature of the rewards, it’s important that you change your choice within the Kickstarter website, so that someone else has a chance to get what you no longer have selected.  I will help walk anyone through the process if they are having a hard time figuring it out. I will have step by step instructions on my project page as well. It will be way too confusing if I get half a dozen requests outside of Kickstarter for off the record changes.

Not to sound all hey you kids get off my lawn about this but because of the way people pledge on Kickstarter, I can’t take requests for changes on other platforms (like Facebook, email, or here) and change them for you on Kickstarter. I mean, if I could change things within someone’s pledge, I could make them all say you pledged $1000, and head off to the south of France before you saw your credit card had been charged.

To this end, it is important that you use an email address that you regularly check when you sign up to pledge, as that is the best way to communicate right from the Kickstarter website.

It seems like there are always 2 or 3 people who don’t respond to messages or requests for information and I really want you to get your panda! And when you want to make changes, it’s really important that I know you’ve gotten messages from me.

So! Get ready to welcome a little felt panda into your life! Huzzah!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

Day 20 ~ 31 Days of Pandas

Day 20! We are just about in the home stretch! I hope you have been enjoying our deep dive into panda satire this December. I mean, we really did need something not take our minds off…um…other things (IMPEEEEEAAAAACCCCCHHHHMENT!) not that anything particularly comes to mind.

Today, and through the weekend, I thought we would re-visit the story of Mr. Wu as a young cubbies, running away to join the circus with the panda kindergarten! It’s one of my favorite Mr. Wu tales, although when I wrote it, a number of you were very worried about Mr. Wu, and let me know that you were not happy! Well, if you are reading this for the first time, I will assure you that all ends well. If you prefer a little dramatic tension in your stories, then forget I said anything! So, with no further ado about nothing, The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire presents…

Bears Under the Big Top! (Starring the Wu Self!)

Fanmail from some Flounder?

Voices in the night, a ladder, a letter…adios…

“Are we there, yet?”

This is a case for…Inspector Panda!

Tune in through the weekend and then on Tuesday for the finale of Mei Xiang’s Nightmare Before Christmas!

Tune in tomorrow for our next exciting installment of Bears Under the Big Top!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda