They are watching you!

Once again, news from the real world inspires me with tales of pandas doing stuff that they shouldn’t be doing.  Thanks to Panda-spondant Charlene J. for alerting me to the story on unmanned drones being used to track wild pandas. We are still working on the story about the bear that fell through a skylight in Alaska, (NOT a panda, I might point out) in a brazen attempt to gobble up cuppycakes at a birthday party.  Dude! Just ring the bell! I’m sure they would ask you in if you would just ask politely!

Every move you make, we'll be watching you!

Every move you make, we’ll be watching you!

This is an excellent learning opportunity for the panda kindergarten! I mean learning about science and wild pandas. What did you think I meant?

Be the bear!
Bob T Panda

And be sure to tune in next time when Inspector Panda returns!

 

Fabulous Furry Friday returns!

Friday already? Where does the week go? There has been lots going on and much of it has been stories from the real world, that make us wonder how the human race has survived for this long. (And you thought pandas were endangered!)

Not only have people been taking selfies in perilous situations, apparently some people have torched their homes in their attempts to kill spiders or get rid of snakes.  One fire official commented, “Fire is not the method to use to kill spiders.” You can be sure that the investigative team here at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire will be looking into this.

For now, let’s revisit some of the …um..questionable situations the panda kindergarten has gotten into.

the year of the dragon, panda kindergarten

Huzzah! it’s the year of the Dragon!

What do you mean by "was?"

What do you mean by “was?”

Always read the directions...

Always read the directions…

have a great weekend, and remember, be careful while taking selfies!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

 

 

 

Selfies at The Running of the Bulls

Oh, this “selfies in perilous situations” craze is getting totally out of hand. First tiger selfies, then selfies at the Tour de France, and now, oh…i can barely bear to think about it.

Selfies at the running of the bulls.  I am not making this up.

AAAAAAhhhHHHHHH!

AAAAAAhhhHHHHHH!

Maybe it would be better to take a selfie at the running of the pandas.

What makes a panda run?   Cuppycakes, of course!!!!

What makes a panda run? Cuppycakes, of course!!!!

I smell frosting!

Meanwhile, I’ve made another guest post appearance, this time over at VSomethingSpeaks.  Check it out for more insight into the Way of the Panda (Satire). (sorry, Henry!)

Hope you enjoyed the Meihem twins special birthday ‘toon yesterday! I suppose I will have to do something special for Princess Pinky now, huh?

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Huzzah! The Meihem Twins Turn One Year Old!

Welcome to this special panda birthday season edition of The Panda Chronicles! In honor of Zoo Atlanta’s pride and joy, Mei Lun and Mei Huan turning one year old today, we have an extra ‘toon to celebrate!

Huzzah!

There must be cake!

There must be cake!

I bet the Meihem twins will be out of detention in time to go to Princess Pinky’s pawty in August!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Selfies at the Tour de France

Oh my, just when I thought that the practice of taking selfies couldn’t get any more absurd, (see this post) an observant reader told me that people were taking selfies at the Tour de France.  Not only were they taking selfies, they were stepping out into the flow of (really, really, really,) fast bicycle racers in order to do so.

We are talking about bicycle racers with only three fat cells in their entire bodies, who are probably already a little cranky because
A) Someone just compared them to Lance Armstrong,
B) It’s July,
C)There are not actually french fries every where in France,
and
D) Some moron with an iphone – who hasn’t been on a bike since 4th grade –  just stepped out in front of them and they crashed and cannot finish the race because their $12,000 Italian racing bike now looks like a leftover pretzel from the Bumpkin County Fair.

Of course, here at The Institute of Contemporary Panda Satire felt we had to address this issue, in the mature and respectful way that you have come to expect from us. (Insert fart joke here.)

Sometimes real life news stories make it Just.  Too.    Easy

Sometimes real life news stories make it Just. Too. Easy

Meanwhile back at the Zoo, panda birthday season has begun.  I hesitate to admit that I don’t know the birthdays of every U.S. born panda, let alone those born abroad, but Washington DC’s favorite #1 son, Tai Shan, celebrated his 9th birthday on July 9th, and the Meihem twins of Zoo Atlanta have their first birthday coming up this Tuesday! (Ya’ll come back for a special birthday ‘toon on Tuesday, OK?)

Meanwhile, in honor of the publication of my book Pandamorphosis, we are inviting you to post pictures of YOUR copy of Pandamorphosis on The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire page on Facebook.

Huzzah!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday Celebrates Panda Birthday Season

It is that most blessed time of year, panda birthday season!!!!! For the American born pandas, the season kicked off this week with America’s darling, Tai Shan, who has moved to his ancestral homeland a few years back.  He turned 9 on the 9th.  I’m sure that must be significant in some way, not that I know what. This week also marked the first birthday of Yuan Zai, better known as “Dumpling”, the great granddaughter of Bai Yun of Pandiego.

Coming up next week on the 15th, the Meihem twinkies, Mei Lun and Mai Huan (known here as their fictional counterparts Bert and Ernie) celebrate their first birthday.  I thought I would revisit some of their early feature cartoons to celebrate the occasion.

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

Atlanta twin panda cubs Mei Lun and Mei Huan and older prother Po

Huzzah! a guest appearance by little Po!

Of course this last episode took place before we knew that not only the twins, but big brother…um…sister, Po had been misidentified, gender wise! It is kind of hard to tell with pandas.

Bao bao changes panda cub gender

Of course, Princess Pinky took the credit for that one.

Atlanta Twins have a fight

Sweet dreams, little bears!

And lest we forget Mr Wu’s reaction to the announcement of twins:

Mr Wu speaks out!

Mr Wu speaks out!

Let there be cake!

Anticipation!

Huzzah for Panda Birthday season!

I hope you’ll hop over to read VSomethingSpeaks as Vicky relates her journey into the world of panda…um…obsession. So many people find pandas in answer to difficult times in their lives, and Vicky is no exception.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to have some cake!

Be the Bear,
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

Tiny Bubbles….

…in the boo(tini)…

The other day, one of Princess Pinky’s official photo-chroniclers photographed some children blowing giant soap bubbles somewhere in the area, and this gave me an idea….Pinky as bubble girl….

Oh dear....are you going to leave her there?

Oh dear….are you going to leave her there?

I wonder where she’ll land?

Meanwhile, thanks to all who delved into their art history knowledge (or Google) to identify correctly, the painters who immortalized Minette (the panda formerly known as Mei Mei) in Paris in the late 1800’s.  Our winners are Cyndi A., Laura S., Sandra P., Sue D., and DoxieDad.  An only partially eaten cuppycake goes to Barb B. for making a valiant attempt at the correct answers. Welcome to the Roll of Honor!

Huzzah!

Stay tuned when we return next Wednesday for the newest Inspector Panda Episode.

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

It’s Fabulous Furry Fourth of July Friday

I love watching movies where things blow up (OK, now you know my dirty little secret) but I really wish that fireworks displays were limited to professionals that (mostly) know what they are doing, and hardly ever burn down stuff (like my house) that isn’t supposed to burn down.

Did I mention it’s hardly rained in the last month?  And Mehitabel doesn’t like them either.  At least Guy Fawkes Night is in November when everything is nice and soggy.  And now, The Panda Chronicles tribute to the Fourth of July!

Just saying.

uh. oh.

uh. oh.

Huzzah for Rumpy Dog!

Huzzah for Rumpy Dog!

Thanks to Rumpy T. Drummond for making a guest appearance at The Panda Chronicles!

And lest I forget, the answers to the art history quiz! #1 is, of course, John Singer Sargent’s Madame ‘P’, #2 is Edgar Degas, That pesky number 3 is Mary Cassatt (and yes, in the Boston Museum’s version of A Cup of Tea, there are two women, but there was not another panda to model available to Ms. Cassatt .) #4 is Claude Monet’s Panda with a Parasol, and of course, everyone’s favorite in #5, James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s Arrangement in Black, White, and Gray.

I will be contacting the winners forthwith.

Be the Bear,
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