Mini Bob Started his travels in Oxford, which besides being a really cool place, is a hotbed of children’s literature, past and present. Think CS Lewis of Chronicles of Narnia fame, or Professor Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.
Having a beer at The Bear!
Be the bear…or is that the beer?
Bob T Panda
I know, I know, I know…you come here for entertainment. You come for a little pandy relief from the horrors that comprise the real world. I sympathize. I really do. You come to see funny, badly behaved little pandas, doing non-panda-like things. You didn’t come here to get my OPINION on all this mishegas that is going on. But the fact that I know and can use the word mishegas correctly in a sentence, means that I am a target for that meshugener shmendrik and his minions.
So. I have opinions. read them, don’t read them. It’s okay. Hold your hands over your ears and hum softly to yourself while you scroll till you get to the pandas. It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. But ya gotta know, I have opinions. And one of my opinions is that these are not normal times. This is not a normal president. We must not normalize hatred or discrimination. Pandas are black and white and asian, and sometimes it’s hard to tell what gender they are. If that isn’t diversity, I don’t know what is.
oh…um…maybe not.
You just couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you?
And by the way, tomorrow starts 31 days of pandas! I’m doing something a little different this year, because…um…I didn’t have time to draw a new cartoon every day. The usual schedule of new ‘toons on Sunday and Wednesday continues, along with a bunch of my favorite encore presentations on Fridays. On the other 4 days of the week, we have …(make a trumpet sound here)…
Mini Bob has just returned from a fabulous trip, sponsored by the Froggwell Cultural Institute, to jolly olde England, where, among other things, he got to see the honest to god original drawings and sketches from The House at Pooh Corner! More on that later, but be sure to tune in tomorrow for the the first day of Mini Bob’s travel photos!
Panda On
Bob T Panda
When you need pandas, you can’t do better than a little bit of Meihem to fix what needs fixing. Needless to say, Pinky is going to need some extra persuasive coaching to be convinced to come out from under the covers. But meanwhile, back at the zoo, there was some real life drama happening. Bubba’s real life counterpart, Bei Bei had to go in for emergency surgery, due to a “lemon size lump of bamboo” plugging up his guts. He is back home and resting quietly (I believe Pinky is reading him her rough draft of her autobiography, in order to lull him to sleep) and I’m sure I will have a ‘toon or two relating to the ordeal, but first, this!
Care for a little Meihem?
And don’t forget to get ready for this years 31 Days of Pandas! We have a special treat, The Travels of Mini-Bob! Get ready to join Mini-Bob as he visits Merry Olde England, and some historic sights (and Pooh Bear!!!!!)
Panda On!
Bob T Panda
…popular cartoonists who often used political themes and issues for their cartoons, I thought I’d share some of my more political ‘toons that have appeared over the years. Personally I’ve always thought that humor with a little bit of a bite to it (pandas have very sharp teeth) are funnier than ‘toons that are merely cute and sweet. It may be a bit presumptuous of me to put myself in the tradition of Doonesbury, Pogo, and Bloom County, But I have always been drawn to the somewhat snarky. Calvin and Hobbes is not usually overtly political, but he dealt with some big issues from time to time. They are my favorites!
Is it really all black and white?
Naughty bear or cuddly menace? You be the judge!
Vote for Bob!
A cartoon before pandas!
Babette has ..um…toned her wardrobe down in honor of this important occasion.
In the words of Winnie ther Pooh, “I think it’s time for a little something.
And one of my all time favorites….
How much can a small panda stand?
Panda On!
Bob T Panda
Alas, poor Pinky. She so thought she was going to win. She had the perfect color of pink picked out to re-paint the White House, so it could be the Pink-y House. I don’t know WHAT she is going to do with all those hundreds of gallons of paint that is stored in the elephant house. We all feel for Pinky.
Not even CUPPYCAKES????
CALL IN THE RESERVES!!!!
Panda On!
Bob T Panda
Who doesn’t love whipped cream? And who doesn’t look forward to Starbucks’ special holiday drinks, or those red cups?!? Now, for those that know me well, they know that I worked at *$ many moons ago, and even though I have departed their shores some 28 (almost 29!!!) years ago, I still harbor…um… a little bit of a grudge against them. But I have to say, this story had me rooting for them, or at least their hard working baristas…Twitter followers made a relevant point, that if DJT supporters wanted to BOYCOTT Starbucks, they were…um…going about it in somewhat ineffective way.
And dude…they weren’t discriminating against you by serving you slowly. It takes time to make a half caff triple pandachino with part non fat milk and extra syrup and extra whipped cream. And you were standing behind that person. If you want your coffee fast, go to a gas station. (And I still don’t know how the barista would know who you voted for, in order to serve you more slowly.)
Can I have EXTRA extra whipped cream?
Panda On!!!!
Bob T Panda
And don’t forget, you can get any of the WeREndangered cups from my cafe press store: Pandyland
Yes, I am panda-ing on, even in the face of my unease over what is to come after this devastating outcome to the election of 2016. Panda on, Panda on! We must panda on. We have lost so many bright stars from the sky: Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen, Alan Rickman (sob), Prince, David Bowie, Bob Elliott, Harper Lee, Gwen Ifill, Muhammad Ali, Elie Wiesel (what must he be thinking right now?) and so many more. Some of my panda friends on Facebook have lost those nearest and dearest to their hearts.
Must we go on? In the words of Gene Wilder in his role in Blazing Saddles, “We must, we must.”
Feed me, Mama!
Those darn emails…
Really, Pinky….It’s not nice to tease your little brother.
Nooooo! Not the PINK crayon!
Yes, there IS a Panda Chronicles Coloring Book! Get it HERE!
What is Pinky reading?
Now, more than ever….
Happy 100th day Birthday! More frosting!
And if you are looking for the perfect holiday accompaniment to your breakfast table…
Have yourself a Pandy little Christmas…
Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda
Have a Fabulous Furry Friday
Just between you, me, and how ever many of the millions of people out there in the cyber are listening, I gotta tell you I am still severely depressed over the election results. I am going to do my best to panda on, because the alternative is just too grim to think about. I have responsibilities to you all! The pandas give me what little hope I have for the future. If I ever needed some panda power, now is as good a time as any. And panda girl power is even better.
Last weekend, I spent 3 days with a group of illustrators and writers of books for children. It did more than I could have believed possible to lift my spirits. We did some good work under the guidance of our wonderful illustrators in residence, Catia Chien and Christian Robinson. It reminded me that the way I will survive the next months and years will be to make creative work, be it painting, illustrations or pandas!
So, it’s gonna be a bumpy road. I know many of you are hurting as well. I will keep the pandas coming,although they just might not be as funny as they have been. I’ll try to keep the selections for my Friday encore presentations on the light side, because…well, because we need that.
Will there be cuppycakes?
Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda
I did promise everyone that after the election was over I would shut my yap and get back to pandas all the time and not pandas behaving badly, but the FUN pandas, the cute, adorable ones. Yes, yes, it is more entertaining when bears are behaving badly, but I think we all need a little break with some unbridled cuteness! While in real life, the Meihem twins have gone on to their new adventure in China (and adjusting quite well, I might add) in the world of panda satire, Lun Lun does not have to give up her free baby sitters. She can go off on spa trip with her best buddies from the other zoos, and Bert and Ernie can stay home and watch their new baby sisters!
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda
Between the time I Drew this cartoon and now, my worst fear has materialized. I’m not going to add to the trauma right now with yet another iteration of why I think the outcome of this election is such a bad thing. Enjoy today’s presentation and take a deep breath. I’m afraid that as art is always a reflection of the experieience of the artist, cuteness alone will not suffice. I mean, pandas ARE always cute, but they suffer from angst as well.
The cartoons in the next few weeks or months will most likely reflect what I am feeling, so be prepared. I will be sorry if you feel you need to step away for a while, but I do understand. I have unsubscribed to a thing or two this past week because I needed to for my own peace of mind.
Y’all are da bears.
#WeShallOvercome
It’s a girl! It’s another girl!
We are tired of gloom and doom. As is my practice, I am getting this post ready in advance, so while in real time, it is still election day, by the time you see this, it will all be over but the shouting. And the suing. Rev up your attorneys! It’s gonna be a bumpy ride! I don’t know about you, but I could use something way more cheerful to read today, so I looked in the archives to find some of the funniest, most light hearted ‘toons I had.
Pandas aren’t dopes!
Huzzah for the Cake Party!
Or how about some cuppycakes?
Visit the Panda Ranch!
What do you mean by “was?”
Bee-lieve!
Who says real life can’t be funny?
Well, That’s all for now! Stay tuned for more pandas and panda satire!
Be the Bear and have a Fabulous Furry Friday!
Bob T Panda
Note from the Panda in Chief: As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it was assmbled before the election. As you may surmise, I am deeply distressed about the outcome of the election. Please take this group of lighthearted cartoons as a little respite from what ever anxiety, sadness, and fear you may now be feeling.
I don’t know how to process this news, or even how to go on, but I have been through bad times before, and this one is a doozy. Art is the way I process what I experience and feel. And so, the upcoming cartoons, with the exception of the next two (which were done before the election) may be…um…a little dark. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I have to believe that we, as a nation will survive and maybe even thrive, even while I am not hopeful of that. Know that panda satire will prevail and will hopefully bring a bit of light into the darkness that surrounds us right now. Unless they arrest me. I guess that there is always that possibility.
#BeTheBear. #WeShallOvercome