Category Archives: Inspector Panda

Inspector Panda immersed in Art

Every once in a while I like to remind myself that I do know a bit about art, despite the fact that  many (ok, most) of the art history slide lectures I sat through caused me to…um…doze off. What can I say? It was dark, the room was warm, and my art history prof had such a deep, soothing voice.

If you are just joining our story,  you can read the rest of the episodes to date here!

I have this strange sense of deja vu...

I have this strange sense of deja vu…

Meanwhile, in the technical labs of The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, we are working on several exciting developments, which we will alert you, our faithful readers in the next week or so.  But we will FIRST alert those who have signed up for our mailing list (which you must admit, does not overtax your inbox!) So, if you want to be the first to know what there is to know, you best get over there and sign up to be on our newsletter list.

But wait, you cry! How do I do that? There is a sign-up link near the top of the right hand column, that says Get even More Pandas, and by signing up, you will get my email newsletter whenever I get around to send it.  No News? No email. and you can banish pandas from your inbox any time you choose.  Huzzah! Do it now as there will be some very cool news heading your way next week.

We would be remiss if we didn’t congratulate Princess Pinky on her exciting win over a whole bunch of kinda important icons in the Smithsonian Smackdown this week.  If you thought she had a good opinion of herself before this, wait till you see her pinky-self now! Hooboy. Good luck Mei Xiang.  Your little princess is going places!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

More of the Best of Pinky Panda

I didn’t want to leave you hanging in the story of Pinky, the Meihems, and the great Highway Closure scandal…

...of course Boo-mints are pretty good too.

…of course Boo-mints are pretty good too.

Tune in tomorrow for one more episode…

Be the Bear
Bob what did you buy me? T Panda

The Case of the Picturesque Panda: Our story so far…

There has been great rejoicing in Panda-ville this week! Panda triplets have been born in China and three weeks later all are still surviving. Princess Pinky Bao Bao’s 1st birthday approaches, the Atlanta Meihem sisters have turned one year old, as has Bai Yun’s great granddaughter, Princess Dumpling, resident of Taipei. And let us not forget Mr. Wu who has just turned two!

Not only that, I am up to Episode 10 in Inspector Panda’s mystery! Huzzah! In honor of all the Panda happiness going around, I am going to post the ENTIRE SERIES SO FAR, so that you don’t have to go linking about, possibly missing an episode or three along the way.

So, without further ado, here’s Inspector Panda (start nourish music soundtrack here:)

If "trouble" ever had a proper name, that name is Babette de Panda...

If “trouble” ever had a proper name, that name is Babette de Panda…

When a panda has a problem, you know where to turn...Inspector Panda, I presume.

When a panda has a problem, you know where to turn…Inspector Panda, I presume.

...and so the story begins...

…and so the story begins…

...of a young panda's arrival in France, and all that followed...

…of a young panda’s arrival in France, and all that followed…

Why DOES Mr Wu have a piece of tape on his right ear?

Why DOES Mr Wu have a piece of tape on his right ear?

Let's see who stayed awake during art history classes!

Let’s see who stayed awake during art history classes!

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

Is this plot thickening, or what?

Is this plot thickening, or what?

I don't know about you, but I think this document is VERY suspicious!

I don’t know about you, but I think this document is VERY suspicious!

Mr Wu observes an interesting detail....

Mr Wu observes an interesting detail….

Mr Wu is still skeptical of Babette's story...

Mr Wu is still skeptical of Babette’s story…

"fuggedabout the bleeping tape!"

“fuggedabout the bleeping tape!”

Oh that Babette!

Oh that Babette!

Inspector Panda: the bear with the clues...

Inspector Panda: the bear with the clues…

The search for clues begins...

The search for clues begins…

...but Mr Wu still has a lot to learn when it comes to detecting.

…but Mr Wu still has a lot to learn when it comes to detecting.

Many thanks to panda fans who are enjoying and sharing panda satire around the inter-webs! Keep up the good work. Also a sincere pandy welcome to Anna and hubby Patrick, new Panda Chronicle fans that I met whilst at a family wedding on Whidbey Island last weekend.  Yes! That’s you!

See you all on Friday (of the fabulous furry variety!) when we have a special tribute to Pinky, in celebration of her upcoming birthday! Huzzah!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Inspector Panda is Back!

Oh yes, a week without Inspector Panda is a sad thing indeed.  But he is back!

For those of you who are just joining this tale of mystery, intrigue, and cuppycakes, here are links to earlier episodes:  Episode 1: hereEpisode 2: here, and Episode 3: here. Episode 4 & 5; Episode 6; and Episode 7 & Episode 8.

Now! On to episode 9!

Oh that Babette!

Oh that Babette!

Inspector Panda: the bear with the clues...

Inspector Panda: the bear with the clues…

I can hardly wait! Tune in next week, same time, same place, for the next exciting episode! But don’t forget Fabulous Furry Friday, not to mention Some Panda-or-other Sunday! A person needs more than one dose of panda satire to get through the week, don’t you think?

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

I’m late, I’m late…..

Oh my ears and whiskers! I had been doing so well, getting all my cartoons done and posted in advance, but this bear is wearing the “semi-famous artist putting on an show with 11 artists” hat this week, and expecting 400-600 people to show up at our show, so, if I am a little behind, I have a good excuse! Check it out over at the Froggwell Blog!

But Inspector Danger is my middle name Panda cannot be stopped!

Mr Wu is still skeptical of Babette's story...

Mr Wu is still skeptical of Babette’s story…

"fuggedabout the bleeping tape!"

“fuggedabout the bleeping tape!”

Well, I could go on, but I still have miles to go before I sleep! I hope you are still celebrating Mr Wu’s Birthday! We will bring you more Wu on Fabulous Furry Friday, and remember, pandas like being shared with your friends and families!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

 

Episode 7: A Suspicious Document

The plot is thickening, no question about it. Babette du Panda has presented the alleged will of Minette, in an attempt to convince Inspector Panda that she is the rightful owner of the prized painting.

But first, here is the previous episode for those who have just tuned in!

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

and now, our story continues!

Is this plot thickening, or what?

Is this plot thickening, or what?

I don't know about you, but I think this document is VERY suspicious!

I don’t know about you, but I think this document is VERY suspicious!

Mr Wu observes an interesting detail....

Mr Wu observes an interesting detail….

Oh my! here we are on the edge of our seat, and what’s with the tape on Mr Wu’s ear, anyway?

“Fuggedabout da bleeping tape!”

Tune in next time for our next episode. A suspicious document, indeed!

Bears of Mystery!
Bob T. Panda

 

 

Inspector Panda is Back and On the Job

Oh yes, Inspector Panda is back for the next episode of The Case of the Picturesque Panda, starring Robert Thelonious Panda as Inspector Panda, Babette du Panda as the mysterious Babette du Panda, Mr Wu as Inspector Panda’s clever assistant, and who knows who else will show up in this Noir et Blanc mystery!

Meanwhile a little technological aside, I just discovered that I could schedule when my new posts would post, instead of having to do it manually!!!! Wow! Dang, I wish I had figured this out …oh, say five years ago when I started! Huzzah! ( Of course, this does not deal with my…um…tendency to finish the new ‘toon right before I post it…oh well, one thing at a time!)

Well, so much for my technological incompetence! On with today’s show!

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

Oh, that Mr Wu is a clever little bear! Is Madame du Panda trying to pull a fast one?

Keep panda-ing on, being the bear, and did you buy presents and cake for the Meihem twins yet? It’s their birthday next week, so on Fabulous Furry Friday we are going to re-visit some of our Meihem cartoons!

Bob T. Panda

More from Inspector Panda…

…and his latest mystery.  Or maybe more accurately, a little more on Babette’s story of her great-great-great-great-gasp-great-great grandmama. There will be an art history quiz at the end.

For those of you who have missed the first 4 episodes, you can see Episode 1: hereEpisode 2: here, and Episode 3: here. And just because I’m that kind of bear, I am reposting episode four, along with today’s episode:

Why DOES Mr Wu have a piece of tape on his right ear?

Episode four of The case of the Picturesque Panda…

And now, for today’s episode….

Let's see who stayed awake during art history classes!

Let’s see who stayed awake during art history classes!

I told you there would be a quiz, didn’t I? The first 5 people to CORRECTLY identify all five of the painting references (by artist, extra credit for titles) will receive a small envelope full of panda swag. You can leave your answers in the comments. I will contact the winners for their addresses. (US addresses only, sorry, Vicky, but you should be getting a whole BOX of panda swag any day now!)

And I would be remiss, if I did not mention that yesterday was Canada Day, better known around here as Panada Day! Thanks again to Liam Francis Walsh who suggested this drawing:

 

Oh Panada, Oh Panada, how tasty are your maple leaves....

Oh Panada, Oh Panada, how tasty are your maple leaves….

And would someone please tell the morons who are setting off fireworks NOW, that the 4th of July is FRIDAY?????

Sigh…being the bear….
Bob T. Panda

 

Episode 4: The Case of the Picturesque Panda

Yes, we are back with episode 4 of The Case of the Picturesque Panda. If you’ve missed the first three episodes, you can see Episode 1: here, Episode 2: here, and Episode 3: here. And for a little bit of Art Historical (or is that art hysterical?)  background on pandas that modeled for the impressionists, see last Friday’s post.

And now for today’s feature presentation:

Why DOES Mr Wu have a piece of tape on his right ear?

Why DOES Mr Wu have a piece of tape on his right ear?

By the way, pandas are still rampaging around the interwebs, most recently Pandamorphosis was reviewed by Henry Nicholls, author of The Way of the Panda, on his Animal Magic blog at The  Guardian.

More pandas around the block:
Kirby Larson’s Kirby’s Lane: Friday June 13, 2014
June 9th on Cordelia Calls it Quits, and
June 11th on Cordelia’s Mom, Still

Stay tuned for more from Inspector Panda next week as he asks searching questions, such as, “Why do you have a piece of tape on your ear?” Also coming up, more from princess Pinky in her new role as leader of the panda kindergarten!

Episode 3:The Case of the Picturesque Panda

Yes, yes, I have been promising the next installment of The Inspector Panda mystery, The Case of the Picturesque Panda, and so here it is! Yes, yes.

This is, perhaps, the bones of a story I have been wanting to write, that has been canoodling around in my head for a while, that of a young panda that emigrates to France in the late 1800’s, and becomes a favorite model of the Impressionist painters. I’m hoping that her story will shape itself within the Inspector Panda story, so that I can write it, and illustrate it with paintings done in the style of various late 19th century painters.

Meanwhile, Inspector Panda has a mystery to solve…

...and so the story begins...

…and so the story begins…

...of a young panda's arrival in France, and all that followed...

…of a young panda’s arrival in France, and all that followed…

And just to pique your curiosity, here is the painting that Babette is searching for:

Portait of the mysterious "Madame 'P' "

Portait of the mysterious “Madame ‘P’ “

Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter!

Meanwhile, pandas are playing around the interwebs, in celebration of Pandamorphosis!
Kirby’s Lane
Cordelia Calls it Quits
Cordelia’s Mom Still
and more to come (um…as soon as I write them!)

So keep being the Bear, and Panda ON!
Bob T. Panda