It’s The Year of the Fire Monkey

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Yes, it’s the favorite holiday of pandas once again, the Chinese New Year and no one likes to celebrate it more than the panda kindergarten! This year we celebrate the Year of the Fire Monkey and once again we ask, “why is there no Year of the PANDA????” (And every year Mehitabel answers, “as far as I can tell, it’s ALWAYS the year of the panda around here. Hmmmph!”)

For a more factual report of the meaning of this year, visit Vicky Vladic’s blog for her report on The Year of the Fire Monkey and a delicious cuppycake recipe! I’ve done an illustrated version of this recipe which will be appearing on one of my new favorite websites, They Draw and Cook, which features illustrated recipes from artists around the world. Huzzah!

And here, with no further folderol, is the panda kindergarten’s tribute to The Year of the Fire Monkey!

Well, the FIRE part had Mehitabel a little worried, but…

Personally, I think pandas look quite dashing in the other kind of monkey suit! And as Bob says, at least nothing is on fire, like a few hearts ago with The Year of the Dragon celebration.

the year of the dragon, panda kindergarten

Huzzah! it’s the year of the Dragon!

See you on Wednesday!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Could this be why Pinky did not rock the Iowa Caucus

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For some strange reason, I have not been able to get any information about how Princess Pinky did at the Iowa Caucus. I was not able to be there myself, as none of my ~~five~~ three supporters live in Iowa, so I decided to save the bus fare.

But perhaps the lack of results from the Iowa Caucus for Princess Pinky had something to do with this…

…of course Boo-mints are pretty good too.

Will the twins get a merit badge for their road trip? will Lun Lun fess up to where the girls are? will Inspector Panda get a clue, or at least more twitter followers. Stay tuned!

Oh, Pinky…what have you done?

Howdy, Mr Kitty, kindly tell us where a tired old cowpoke can get a boo beer and a cuppycake.

Looks like Pinky and the Meihems have made up and joined forces with the pandy kindy!

If you missed the earlier episodes of The Great Highwaygate Scandal, you can find them here, or in your very own copy of The Panda Chronicles Book 5: Pandapocalypse NOW!

See you on Sunday with a brand new episode of something or other!

Be the Bear!
BobT Panda

What do you mean by “um”?

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A faithful reader, (okay, well, it was my brother,) suggested that I remind people just what WOOZPPAH stands for. So here I go: WOOZPPAH stands for WOOdlandpark Zoo Project PandaH… and I know, I know..there is no “H” at the end of ‘Panda’ but it seemed more festive with an ‘H’ at the end. Kind of like ” There is no ‘R’ in Washington,” as my friend Sandy Bradley always used to say on the old Potluck Show on Saturday mornings in a Wallingford tavern.

But, being that the word WOOZPPAH is kind of obscure, and you have to explain it every time you use it, we need a zippy hashtag so that our movement to bring pandas to Washington State, (or even better, Seattle, or even better than that, Whidbey Island, which while it doesn’t have a zoo, it does have any number of properties with out of control bamboo growing on them.)

If you’re just tuning in, check out our other ‘toons about WOOZPPAH here! And here!

We promise we’ll clean up after them and EVERYTHING! It won’t be like the thing with the goldfish, honest!

So put your thinking cap on and come up with some really good hastags for our campaign to bring pandas to Washington State. This is really, really important, because…um,,, well you are just going to have to take my word for it! It just is!

Tune in on Friday for more from the Princess Pinky Bridgegate scandal! Maybe she will have news about how she did at the Iowa Caucuses!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Woozppah Again!

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Surely you don’t think that now that there is even the faintest hope of Pandas to the Other Washington, that we would ever let this subject drop.

Never!

And by the way, while we have had …um…one (well three, but all by the same person) entry into our #FindAHashtag contest, we are hoping for a more enthusiastic response. Anyone? To refresh your memory, we need a Twitter hashtag for the WOOZPPAH movement, to bring pandas to Seattle. There’s a prize for the winning entry!

Meanwhile, the Eastern states (that already have pandas) are thawing out a bit and visitors are returning to the Pinksonian Zoo to visit Bubba, Pinky, and their parents. Many people hoped that papa bear Tian Tian would do a reprise of his snow fun video, but he turned his back to the crowd of cameras and reporters and …um…had a little snack. Hey! He’s a panda, and he’s a guy panda. Nothing gets between a guy panda and his snack, OKAY?????

Meanwhile, here is the latest from Woozppah!

If only we could have just a couple of pandas….

It will be so much fun to have pandas in Washington State! And if anyone knows how to contact the Washington State Panda Foundation, drop us a comment okay? Panda satire thrives on pandas, you know. And…um…cuppycakes, but that is another matter!

See you later this week for more from WOOZPPAH, and more on Fabulous Furry Friday about the Highwaygate Scandal.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Hearings for Bridgegate Announced

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In honor of the recent news that there will be new hearings for the New Jersey Bridgegate Scandal scheduled for sometime in February, I thought, what more appropriate subject could there be for this week’s Fabulous Furry Friday, than the National Zoo Highway Gate Scandals of 2014… Remember?

George Washington Bridge lane closure satire.

Princess Pinky Bao Bao…what have you done now?

Time to call in …Inspector panda!

Mei xiang and bao bao try to cover up highway-gate

Inspector Panda is on the job!

“Hello, Bai Yun? this is Lun Lun…about that detective you suggested…”

Tune in next Friday to see the conclusion to this exciting story…or, if you can’t wait that long, you can find the whole story in The Panda Chronicles Book 5: Pandapocalypse NOW!

Until we meet again…
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Pacific Northwest Pandas

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Ever since I became a pandaholic (I’m not ashamed of my love), one of the great causes for sadness in my life is the fact that I have to get on a plane if I want to go and visit pandas. Not that I have any wish to live in Washington DC, especially as they are in the grasp of Snomaggedon 2016, but why, oh why can’t we have pandas in Seattle?

Well, it turns out that people who can get things done are actually talking to folks in China who hand out pandas (the Office of Panda Procurement and Proliferation). We have no idea if they will be successful in bringing pandas to Washington State, but be assured that we are keeping our fuzzy ears to the ground on this one!

I bet Seattle Pandas would vote for Bob!

I can also attest to the fact that bamboo grows really well around here, so if there were Pacific Northwest Pandas they would have plenty of bamboo to choose from! The weather here is very conducive to panda proliferation, so what’s holding us back (I mean besides vast sums of money)? So, if you are a Seattle area millionaire with a fondness for the fuzzy black and white bears, now is the time to come forward and say “I want pandas!!!!!”

There remains only one crucial piece of this campaign to bring pandas to the Pacific Northwest and that is…(wait for it) a really good Twitter hashtag! Please add your suggestions for a Twitter hashtag to the comments section and I will give the contributor of the best hashtag suggestion a signed copy of my latest book, The Panda Chronicles Book 6: We R Endangered (sorry, US entrants only, but even if you don’t live in the US, please share your suggestions. I’ll come up with something less expensive to mail if you have the winning suggestion.)

Till next time!

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

A late note: An alert reader brought to my attention, the news that Chuck Todd on Meet the Press not only played the video of Tian Tian frolicking in the snow, but suggested that maybe a panda should be president. I am not making this up. She thought it might be code for “Vote 4 Pinky” but it could just as easily be “Hey! Why not vote for Bob?”

Open Late Gate 3

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Yes, I had promised to conclude our story about the change in the National Zoo opening times, but several things got in the way, like Bubba’s debut and whoever it was that broke the Cute-o-Meter.

And then there was Snomaggedon 2016 known on twidder as #Snozilla. The video of Tian Tian, the paterfamilias of the National Zoo Panda clan has been going wildly viral on the interwebs, which I know because at least 6 separate people either tagged me in the video or posted it on my FB page. My sympathy goes out to all of you who are stuck at home with nothing to do while the storm rages on outside, and the snow drifts reach your upper story windows, other than watch panda videos, curl up on the couch and read and eat microwave popcorn. You did remember to stock up on that, didn’t you?

So, without any further ado about nothing, here is the final episode of Open Late Gate

How many times do we have to tell you…Don’t make pinky mad!!!!

What can we say?

Starting this week, we will be exploring the potential for pandas in the Pacific Northwest! Could it happen? We don’t know, but people who know people are talking about it. And by that, I mean, “people other than me!”

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

Snow Day Revisited

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I know those of you in the DC area are dreading it, but early this week, there were predictions of a major snowfall in and around Washington DC. I am in total agreement with those of you who hate driving in it, dealing with other drivers driving in it, and shoveling yourself out of your houses and driveways.

But pandas love it!

And it was ever thus….

Meihem, not Mayhem.

Well, they did hang their coats up.

And for the weather in the Pacific Northwest….
40 degrees and raining….at least we don’t have to shovel it.

Have a Fabulous Furry Friday Snow Day

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

The Cute-o-Meter

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The other evening, I was sitting around regaling my friend, Mr. Badger about Bubba’s debut at the National Zoo and he asked if Bubba broke the Cute-o-Meter which of course gave me the idea for todays’s ‘toon.

All kidding aside, Bubba has been wowing his fans in the Panda House and in the media around the world ever since he first stepped on the stage last week. He was recently the subject of this article in the New Yorker, by Robin Wright. I’m telling you people, panda fans are everywhere!

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen just who broke the Cute-o-Meter.

See? I told you it was broken!

And back at the 2016 Presidential race, it seems that Pinky has been given yet another assist from one of her loyal fans who took Pinky on a White House tour, introduced her to the Secret Service, and allowed Pinky to take measurements for curtains and furniture. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pinky didn’t make a visit to the White House kitchen to see what kind of bamboo they keep in stock. (Answer: none!)

The following photographs have been leaked by our intrepid Washington DC correspondent!

Is Pinky headed for an off limits area of the white House?

Could this be Pinky’s future office?

I do not have a good feeling about this….

Many thanks to intrepid correspondent, Anna Lisa, who shared her trip to the White House with Pinky, and her pictures with us!

Now if I could just get ahead in the polls…..

Till next time,
Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda!

Pinky Shares The Spotlight

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Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Excuse me. I think that the title of today’s post is really funny. As we all know, or at least those of us who have been following Princess Pinky since her earliest days know, that “share” is not a word she uses. But of course I could not resist. You might say that the phrase Pinky shares the spotlight is, in fact, not…um…true.

If you want the truth, read National Geographic or The Nature Magazine, not The Panda Chronicles.

But here is what you’ve all been waiting for! Live coverage of Bubba’s Debut at the National Zoo!

I didn’t THINK that Pinky knew the “share” word.

In all of the excitement about Bubba’s debut, we kind of left you hanging about Pinky’s view of the change in the National Zoo opening time. Don’t worry, we will resume our exclusive coverage of this issue, according to the view from the panda house, this coming Wednesday.

In other bear related news, tomorrow is Winnie the Pooh day (in my opinion it would be the Ernest H. Shepard illustrated version) and I for one, tip my hat to the great Pooh Bear. Everyone might have something with honey to celebrate this bear of little brain’s day. And remember, most of the great philosophical questions can be answered by reading the wise words of this simple bear. Huzzah!

Till then, be the bear!
Bob T. Panda