Tag Archives: Mehitabel

Fabulous Furry Friday the 13th

It is Fabulous Furry Friday AND Friday the 13th but I don’t think that we have any cartoons specifically dealing with Friday the 13th, (oddly enough…) so I will have to remedy that! So here is a post on the subject from our good friend over at VSomethingSpeaks.

I guess I will just have to look for some cartoons where our cast appears to be particularly unlucky in some fashion.

Pandanastics star, PO of Atlanta Zoo, practices for the Olympics, while the Torch Bears continue their around the world journey. Where will they turn up next?

This looks kind of dangerous, doesn’t it?

Never underestimate the power of a good “fart joke”

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

I smell FROSTING!!!!!!!!

Love the hobby horse on a spring (inspired by a REAL photo of a REAL panda on one.

National Zoo cub makes mom Mei Xiang disappear

oops.

Have a great day, and remember, that you should be nice to all cats, unlike the panda kindergarten. Just saying. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, and remember, if you enjoy reading a bunch of my ‘toons all at once, why not pick up copies of ALL the Panda Chronicles Books? You’ll be glad you did!

Till Next Time…Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Secret Meetings Were Held…

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…at the campaign headquarters of one Princess Pinky Panda in Washington DC at the National Zoo. Why weren’t you alerted in advance? Well, it wouldn’t have been much of a secret meeting if I told you before it happened now, would it?

Pinky and I having a top secret meeting, to discuss the future of Bob T’s candidacy. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Friedline) (Now you know what I really look like!) (That’s me in the back, in case you were wondering)

When I started my journey into panda satire, I was a little unsure about what kind of people I would meet in cyberspace. After a while, I figured they weren’t all scary and most of them weren’t ax murderers, and so, a couple of years ago (I can’t even remember how many…maybe it was when the first Panda Chronicles books came out) I told one of my Facebook panda friends that yes, I was coming to DC and maybe it would be fun to meet a couple of people, but don’t make a big deal or anything.

Well, one fun lunch get together led to another and then to another and then I met Leslie Johnson who made the most amazing cuppycakes depicting Princess Pinky and now Bubba cookies. (Pinky cuppycakes came complete with tiara and magical wand!)

On this trip, not only did I get to visit with friends from past panda visits, but also met more people that I only know on FB and Twitter, including the people behind @houseofcubs and @pinkypanda0823 on Twitter. I have sworn not to reveal their identities, so don’t even TRY to worm it out of me!

Cuppycakes, anyone? (Photo courtesy of Karen Wille and cuppycakes courtesy of Leslie Johnson)

At the beginning of my trip, I was in Western PA where I met some other blogger friends. a great time was had by all, and was written about on Cordelia’s Mom Still, by one of the bloggers I got together with, while in PA.

Room service!

Do we know how to have fun, or what?

But I know you didn’t show up to see pictures of my trip! Bring on the panda satire, you say! In commemoration of the recent exodus from the clown car by several of the clowns, (I won’t say celebration, because there still is a very big, bad clown in the car) Let’s have a trip down memory lane from Bob’s last venture in presidential politics…..

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.

Bob says it best! “What’s the point of being president if you can’t stop for cake?”

Cats….you just can’t trust em.

Does being endangered have NO privileges?

Keep cool, cat, and don't go blaming women for stuff. That is SO not the way to get votes...

Is this a little too close to what some candidates are actually saying? Um….yes. Yes it is.

Four years ago, I thought I had made a really absurd representation of political discourse. This year, um…not so much. what has been said by certain candidates is way beyond what is in this cartoon.

By the way…yesterday was National Cartoonists Day! Did anyone get me a present?

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday

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Today, Fabulous Furry Friday looks at one of our favorite subjects, Panda Cams!!!! Where would we be without panda cams? (Yes, I know, I know… I’d be getting a lot more work done, but you know, watching panda videos is very relaxing, or so I’ve heard somewhere)

Back in the early days, the panda cams were only in black and white, in fixed positions, and often were only available a few hours a day. Now, they are mostly in color, high definition, viewable 24 hours a day, and camera operators follow the pandas around, at least during the pandas wakeful times. (Don’t say it. They do NOT sleep all the time) So put your paws together and give a big huzzah to the panda cam operators, who are mostly unpaid volunteers who are dedicated to giving pandaholics such as myself our daily fix of pandaliscious goodness.

Some of the new high definition panda cams are sponsored by places like Animal Planet (Zoo Atlanta Panda cam) or the Ford Motor Company (National Zoo). For this, we pandaholics thank you!

In the early days of panda cams….

And then there are those dedicated folks who record hours and hours of panda cam footage, and then edit it, so we can watch 20 minutes of pandas playing instead of 14 hours of pandas sleeping. One of my favorite panda video creators, is my Facebook friend who has a YouTube channel called Doxiemom19 who I would credit with supplying me with the best bits of panda life, so that I can turn it into panda satire and illustrations and not have to be constantly watching the panda cams raw footage, and instead, bring you my take on pandas.

What pandas get up to when they are in front of a camera…

#6 is getting ready to make his move!

Huzzah!….ooops.

Speaking of being mauled by bears…

And even wild pandas are subject to invasion of privacy…

The secret lives of the wild panda!

Hope you have a fabulous furry weekend! Be the bear!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday presents…

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Today is Earth Day and we almost forgot to celebrate it. Of course, anything with pandas is rather celebratory, so um…have I convinced you of anything yet? Darn… sO let’s just forget all about what we might or might not have forgotten, as Fabulous Furry Friday celebrates Earth Day because….

We R Endangered!

Yes, that’s right, pandas are endangered and if you think we are going to let you forget it, you have another think coming! Check out this fun video I found about pandas on youtube!

After you’re done watching that, here’s the Friday line up for this fabulously furry day!

You forgot your Binky Bar!

One of my early ‘toons! (and still one of my faves!)

Vote for pandas! We’re endangered!

Does being endangered have NO privileges?

Pandas support all endangered animals!

Keep cool, cat, and don’t go blaming women for stuff. That is SO not the way to get votes…

Hope you have a happy and fulfilling Earth day…um…when you’re endangered, does time really matter? Well, yeah, actually it does.

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Fabulous Furry Friday

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We are still popping champagne corks and eating cuppycakes to celebrate my newly agented status, so I thought I would share more of my literature of the panda ‘toons for this weeks fabulous Furry Friday! Huzzah!

From the earliest days of panda satire, pandas have been writing books about…well, about being pandas…

Everything I know

And then, there was Bob’s memoir, “Black and White Like Me”…

More literature of the panda!

And of course we wanted to encourage a love of reading in the panda kindergarten…

I think you get my point….

And what panda doesn’t have an abiding love of Shakespeare….?

After all, the playings the thing….

And let’s not forget that in addition to panda satire, I am also a painter…

You say sumi-e, I say Tsunami

Keep being the bear!
Bob T Panda

Bob gets an Agent

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Yes indeed, it’s true! The official announcement came out today, and I am now represented by Gordon Warnock of Fuse Literary Agency. So it only seems fair that Bob gets an agent too. Several people have suggested that Pinky will try to use this to her advantage, and that I might want to drop out of the presidential race and take a cabinet position. We shall see, we shall see.

So what does this mean for panda satire? It means that my graphic novel, The Pandyland Mysteries: The Case of the Picturesque Panda will get a professional eye and guidance. Actually it has been getting a lot of that for the last six months as Gordon acted as my mentor through the SCBWI program that I have mentioned before. It means that I won’t rush into publishing it before it is ready. I have lots of work to do before we start submitting it to publishers, but I am very excited about this book. Yeah, we’re going to have to wait for it, but I think it will be worth it.

Meanwhile, Bob is ready to give Mehitabel the news, and Pinky…well…she’s just being Pinky, isn’t she?

Do you smell smoke?

Next week, Pinky continues with her cubpaign to gather new minions from our neighbors to the north! Will Pinky succeed in getting the Toronto twinkles to campaign for her? Tune in next week and find out the latest Panda News!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Literary Pandas

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This week, Fabulous Furry Friday salutes Literary Pandas and Literature of the Panda! Huzzah!

And now, the pandas are out of the bag!

This week, after the conclusion of a six month mentorship program through the Nevada chapter of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I have been taken on as a client by my brilliant and kind mentor, Gordon Warnock. I’m already on the Fuse Literary website listed as a client!!!! I hope they have hidden all the cuppycakes, because, well, you know…pandas!

I can’t say enough good things about the Nevada mentorship program. If you are a member of SCBWI, I recommend you look in to it, (the next cycle does not start until 2017, so you have some time to get a project in working order). I met many wonderful writers, who I hope will be friends for life. And to all of you here who have been following me since the early days of panda satire, I can only say thank you a thousand times. Maybe ten thousand times. You keep me going with your laughter and comments. Stay tuned. Pandas are going places and I hope you’ll come with us.

But first, how about some Literary Pandas?

It all started here…..

Do you like my new book?

Pandas have long been active in literary pursuits

What do you mean by “was?”

May all your Fridays be Furry and Fabulous!
Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Pandas in Science

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If pandas know anything, they know about science, so today Fabulous Furry Friday is very pleased to present Pandas in Science or, everything you wanted to know, but want to know the wrong information!

We start our encore presentation with a cartoon that was inspired by a real story about pandas, and also contributed to this past Wednesday’s cartoon!

Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who is that handsome panda I see before me?

And one of my all time favorites, a news story about how an animal’s abstract patterning can increase the likelihood of becoming a successful predator.

No nonsense to be found here!

And if we take the way-back machine to a couple of our early explorations of the conjunction of pandas and science, we have this in depth interpretation of our carbon foot print:

are you SURE it’s not “carbonated”?

well, what if I….

but…WeREndangered!

Hmmm…I hope these cartoons don’t get out. Pinky may have some additional ammunition in the next debate. Don’t tell, ‘kay?

Be the Bear and have a Fabulous Furry Friday!
Bob T Panda

Fun with Science

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Oh, how Mehitabel tries to run a tight ship over at Zoonooz, but somehow someone (usually a panda, go figure!) manages to disrupt her carefully laid out plans. Can you blame Bob for wanting to have a little fun with science?

Meanwhile, I am trying to get over some really nasty crud that I picked up coming home from Panda Fest in Pandiego, and am trying not to spray anything disgusting into my keyboard. Was that TMI? Sorry, but today’s cartoon just has me thinking gross thoughts!

Well, it is kind of funny, isn’t it?

And speaking of inappropriate behavior, (Who was? Was that you?) Princess Pinky has been up to her old tricks, with more to come. We’ll have a new ‘toon starring Bubba (And Pinky!!!!!!!) coming your way on Wednesday, and I will be sending out my first newsletter in a very long time this week. It will reveal the secret page and password thereto, that tells the story of my rise (or descent, depending on your point of view) into the world of panda satire. This is the transcript- with many, many pictures- for the talk I gave to the 2016 Pandamonium Convention which was held last weekend at the San Diego Zoo. Yes, Virginia, there IS a panda convention.

So, if you would like to join my mailing list for my relatively infrequent newsletters, you can sign up with the second sign-up form at the top of the right-hand column. (The first one is to get new posts automatically emailed to you as they come out 3 times a week). I actually have come up with a bit of a plan for future newsletters that you might find interesting. Or maybe not. Anyway, it is very easy to unsubscribe as well as subscribe, and we pinky-promise not to post your email address in any public bathrooms, or share it with any other entity.

And because it is Easter….

What’s Black and White and carries cuppycakes in a basket?

A tiskitt a taskitt , a great big wheelie basket!

Be the bear,
Bob T. panda

Pinky and Bob

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Okay, politico fans! Today Pinky and Bob go panda-a-pando on the debate stage. I can hardly wait!

But first, I must report on last weekend’s Pandamonium 2016 Panda Convention which took place at the San Diego Zoo. Panda fans from around the world (literally) gathered in San Diego (or as we like to call it: Pandiego) to greet old friends, meet new friends, and most of all, visit the pandas at the SDZ. Mr. Wu was in rare form, eating, sleeping, rushing around wildly (Note to Wu: watch your panda nip intake!) and some of us who indulged in the Early Morning with Pandas tour even got to see Gao Gao, who although getting up in years, still let it be known that he is the bear.

Panda fans came to Pandiego from Singapore, Australia, Canada, and Switzerland. They came from New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Washington state, Florida, and Arizona, in addition to those from California. In case you are counting along on your fingers, that’s FIVE countries and FOUR continents. And…ahem…they also came to hear yours truly speak about the history (well, my history, anyway) of panda satire and how The Panda Chronicles came to be.

If you had to miss the fun in Pandiego, you can still read the tale of panda satire (with pictures, no less!) by signing up for my mailing list! I will send out the link and secret password to the page: From Pandapiphany to Princess Pinky: Finding my Inner Panda. If you are already on the mailing list, I will be sending out a newsletter next week, and if you aren’t, you’ll have time to sign up for it. This is separate from the regular blog posts, and is the second sign-up box on the upper right column headed: Get Even More Pandas and never fear, you won’t be inundated with daily or even weekly emails. Honest.

Okay…with no further folderol….

Hey! That’s not fair!!!!

Be the Bear
Bob T. Panda