Tag Archives: Mehitabel

Against His Better Judgement, Bob Returns From China

Really, if I had known that you know who would still be president, that Puerto Rico would be devastated by a hurricane and that you know who would insult rather than help them, well, I might have remained in the panda kindergarten. But against my better judgement, I came home to all of the current events.

It was really kind of nice not being able to access Fezbook and Twidder. well, except I missed you all, so there you have it. I am still trying to get over jet lag, get my photos organized and all that, but I did get back in the studio today. Huzzah!

And against your better judgement, here are all of you! Huzzah!

better judgement,

Pretty sneaky, huh?

Panda on!
Bob T Panda

It’s True! I Went to China

…and I didn’t even bring you a lousy tee shirt! For those of you who supported my Kickstarter project to travel to China, you have been following along with my real time posts from the road. But if you aren’t part of that faithful contingent, don’t despair! I’ll be transferring my trip journal to these very pages, adding photographs and sketches that I did on the road, AND sharing the artwork that will be forthcoming as soon as I can escape the jet lag nap monster that has hit me hard since my return.

The time difference between the west/lefty coast of the US and China is 15 hours, with a skip and a jump across the international date line thrown in for good measure. I’m only beginning to go through my photographs, to sort out the travel documentary photos from the eventual art photos. I’ll also be writing some ‘toons about my travels, including today’s offering!

Let’s see what Bob has brought back from China! Huzzah!

China

Well, it’s better than a tee shirt, right?

Ping Ping is a real panda that I met at the Gengda Panda base. He was the sweetest little panda, and according to his nanny, the most gentle panda. We had a heartfelt squeaking conversation, after which, I fed him carrots and panda bread. It was the best day ebber!

And don’t worry! I won’t forget about Bubba, Pinky, the Meihems, Six and Sebben, Wu, and the rest of the panda Chronicles gang! Stay tuned!

Panda On
Bob T Panda

Some Pandas Leave – Some Pandas Return

It’s one of those things that most lovers of all things panda have a bit of a hard time with: We don’t own our pandas, we only rent them. America has not owned their resident pandas since the Nixon Pandas came to live here in 1972. And not only that, any panda cubs born here still belong to China and these pandas return to China any time after they are two years old. Well, return is not really correct, since they were born here, but that’s how it’s thought of in the panda procurement department.

As much as we’d like to keep all of our American born pandas, it’s just not gonna happen, so save your petition writing for your Congressperson.

A panda can dream though…

pandas return

But some pandas go both ways!

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as I share my adventures with real, actual pandas!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

 

Is Our National Nightmare Over Yet?

I have…um…stepped away from the computer for a few weeks to have a confab with my panda cousins in China. (More about that later.) I’m pretty sure that it is safe to assume that there has been a  national nightmare or three in my absence.

Over the past 10 months I’ve done a lot of pondering, and one of the questions that I have been pondering is this: If the internet with such plentiful and easy access to information, had existed in the 1930’s would Hitler have come to power, so easily? I started asking myself that on November 9th, thinking that surely, with everything happening in full view, surely democracy could not be overturned so easily.

It appears I was wrong. Our national nightmare is in full tilt chaos, despite (or maybe because) so much unfiltered and unverified information  zipping around the airwaves.

I don’t know what to do, besides draw more pandas.

national nightmare

When, oh when, will this be over?

I’m really hoping that I’ll wake up soon.

Really

Panda On,
Bob T Panda

 

It’s Fabulous Furry Friday!

Once again, Fabulous Furry Friday rolls around, to bring you encore presentations of previously shown ‘toons. Why do we do this? NOT because we are lazy and don’t want to write and draw 3 new cartoons a week. Oh No! Okay, not entirely for that reason. (We do have some other projects in the works, after all!)

But as hard as it is to believe, there are some people reading these ‘toons who have not been here from the beginning, and maybe they would like an introduction to all the pandas, who work at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire (Putting pandas to work since 2008)

Of course, you could buy all my books and then you’d be up to date, wouldn’t you???

You could say this group of ‘toons comes from the Don’t Say We didn’t Warn You division.

cat came back

Is it just my imagination or does Mittens look even more crazed than before?

what do you have to lose?

Mittens is really back.

The Great Escape

Of COURSE Pinky has a secret tunnel!

Resistance is futile

All Mei Xiang has to do it look stern and…

Pinky

Well, who did you THINK she would enlist in her final attempt to stop Mittens the cat?

Do NOT mess with Pinky and the Meihems!

do the right thing.

The Power of the Poof

day after

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

Alas…it did not turn out as we hoped.

Resist, good pandas, resist!

Have a great and fabulous furry Friday, and try not to worry about…um…anything.

Panda On
Bob T Panda

It wouldn’t be an ICPS* fable, without an appearance on…

Nope, it just wouldn’t be an Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire fable, without an appearance of the cast on the extremely famous and popular (most popular show ever!!!) Mehitabel Tonite!!! show! Meet the pandas behind the seemingly true to life portrayal of the exciting tale, Being Endangered is SUCH a Curse!! Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s true and what’s not true!

Are we talking about alternative facts again?

Well, no, just a little fiction within a fiction, a tale told on a stormy night to calm little pandas as they listen to the wind howl. A tale to bring tranquility to pandas who are being buffeted by a political wind(bag) the blows evil onto the land.

But enough about the battle between good and ebil! Let’s meet the cast of Being Endangered is SUCH a Curse!

appearance

Bears will be bears

Pand on!
Bob T Panda

We Want More Cake

Because who wouldn’t want more cake or in this case, more cartoons about cake and cuppycakes? I can’t think of any self respecting panda who wouldn’t be saying more cake! more frosting! under similar circumstances.

So let’s have more cartoons about more cake…

There must be cake!

pandas in the laboratory

Can you calibrate the cuppycake?

Last Supper, Cupcakes, DaVinci

Princess Pinky says, she is thankful for cuppycakes and da panda kindygarten and her magical wand!

inspector panda and cuppycake pushers

Inspector Panda says, “Know the signs of cuppycake dependency”

Legalize cake today! Prevent illicit cuppycake activities.

Escape! Come with me, little cake, so we can be alone together.

“Madame Babette sees all!: I see cake in my…er…your future!”

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

The Panda is Political

You know the saying, “The Personal is Political?” You can add to that “All Art is Political” because making art, at it’s core is a political act, no matter your subject matter. Some might even say subversive. If you don’t believe me, look up the paintings of Artimesia Ghentileschi and tell me these paintings don’t make a powerful political statement.

Not that I am putting panda satire, or even my serious paintings in the same technical class as Ghentileschi. But you know…just to make the point…

In celebration of our temporary victory on retaining healthcare for the many that gained access to it through the Affordable Care Act, I thought I’d share some of our more political ‘toons in this Friday’s round up.  Is it too much to hope that the R’s and D’s will now work together and make access to healthcare better and more affordable? I’m such an optimist.

But now, here are pandas at their most political!

Are you now, or have you ever been a panda?

political

Pinky’s career as a spokes panda and icon begins, with a different president.

Remember how it all began????

It is too much to BEAR!

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Today is a good day to be the bear.

field

Just don’t call Bob a loser. He feels bad enough already.

“You are all Losers!” – Mittens the Cat

Pinky is beginning to look positively presidential!

“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”

Poof!

cat came back

Is it just my imagination or does Mittens look even more crazed than before?

I have to say, it’s a little frightening to see how close the satire comes to what has actually been happening.  Stay tuned, folks. I think the bumpy ride is far from over.

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

 

 

Tomorrow is Mr. Wu’s Birthday

It’s almost here! The very Wu Self’s actual birthday and the party is just about to begin! There are piles of cuppycakes on the tables and Bai Yun is looking serene and radiant…at least till cousin Pinky gets there!

By the way, the story of my journey into panda satire is now a public page, so you can read and get caught up on all the pandas you need to know! Originally, this was given as a talk to the 2016 Panda Convention at the San Diego Zoo, called From Panapiphany to Princess Pinky.

But now, let’s revisit some of my favorite Wu ‘toons in preparation for his birthday tomorrow!

Don’t you love “rear shots” of baby pandas?

Whatever could be in the box the panda kindergarten is delivering to Mr. Wu?

Will the panda kindergarten get it put together before Bai Yun gets home?

“Up in the Air, Junior Pandas…”

Nothing like a snappy graphic to um…solve a problem!

May Day! May Day!

Mr wu’s cousin, da Sooperpanna, appears courtesy of Bruce Sebring, creator of the Sooperpanna Chronicles

Bet ya didn’t see this coming…or maybe you did.

I just had to include something with that provocative “rear panda view” you know!

If you enjoyed this Mr. Wu adventure story, there are more where that came from in The Panda Chronicles Book 4: The Book of Wu! You can find it here!

Princess Pinky and the Meihems (yes, and Bubba too) will return on sunday in their feature presentations, Being Endangered is SUCH a Curse!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

It’s all over but the shouting …

…and the panda dancing and hey! Pass that plate of cuppycakes over here!!!! I’ll be shouting from the rooftops…um…well, not actually the rooftops, because I’m afraid of heights, but there has been dancing and singing since yesterday at 5 PM when my Kickstarter campaign closed.

Shouting and dancing, dancing and shouting !!!!

shouting

You’ll forgive the shouting, but we are having a celebration!

Well, Mehitabel is just shouting.

Now, I will admit that I did this cartoon before the end of my project, and even before I had reached my funding goal. I thought about doing a sad, “we didn’t make our funding goal” cartoon, kind of like how politicians write both a victory and a concession speech so they are ready either way. But I decided I would have enough time to do that on the day after the campaign ended.

And thanks to you all, I didn’t need to do that sad cartoon!

So now, (after we finish this last plate of cuppycakes…urp! ‘scuse me!) the real work begins. Very shortly I’ll be organizing my lists, ordering the embroidered patches and logo bags, planning what art materials I’ll take to China and how to organize and pack them. Oh..and scheduling my hepatitis A shot as well as the suggested typhoid shot.

And once those things are done, I’ll be setting up my trip blog for those who contributed to my campaign. It will eventually be available for all to view, I think, but until sometime after the trip, it will only be available to my Kickstarter supporters.

Thank you all again! I’m so excited to share the art (and panda satire) that emerges from this trip. It’s a tough job,but somebody’s got to cuddle those baby pandas!

Panda ON!
Bob T Panda