Tag Archives: National Zoo

Trespassers W

One of my favorite books as I was growing up was Winnie the Pooh. (No surprise there, huh?) And although I loved the stories, and still re-read them whenever I need something familiar and comforting to read, what this artist loved best was the drawings. and within those drawings were so many wonderful details that enhanced the story in a way that was not necessarily obvious. It was there for you to find on the many re-readings of this well loved story. And one of my favorite details was the sign outside of Piglet’s house that read, Trespassers W which Piglet claimed was his grandfather, short for Trespassers William.

So along with all the other signs and surveillance paraphernalia that Pinky had installed in “her” tree, is it any wonder that this sign should make it’s way there?

You keep using that word “share”, mommee!

What’s not to love about Pinky! That panda has a lot of…um…spunk.

Have a fun Sunday. Now would be an excellent time to eat all of that Easter candy that you have leftover. Run, chocolate bunnies! Run!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Through the Looking Glass

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Over the past couple of months, the friends of Bubba (and Pinky! Don’t forget Pinky!!!!!) have been posting many adorable photos of our nation’s littlest panda as he explores the great outdoors. Recently (Linda G?) someone posted at photo of him admiring his reflection in one of the viewing windows, which naturally inspired this ‘toon.

My! You are quite the good looking fellow!

Meanwhile, back at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire Headquarters, I am hard at work on my graphic novel, tentatively titled The PandyLand Chronicles: The Case of the Picturesque Panda. When a mysterious panda enters the office of Inspector Panda, with a tale of late 19th century Parisian pandas, he must rely on his clever assistant Wu to help sort truth from fiction. Especially when it comes to the wily Babette de Panda. Was her great great great great great great grandmama truly the most sought after painters’ model of the Paris Impressionists? Or does Babette have a more sinister reason for wanting to find this painting? Think of The Maltese Falcon, except with pandas.

As those who have been following along for a while know, this story started out as a long cartoon with multiple episodes, starring Inspector Panda. As I am now trying to convert it into a graphic novel, geared toward middle grade readers, there have been many changes. The story now focuses more on the junior pandas, it is much longer, and I am doing illustrations in color. I really have no idea how long this will take me to complete, but you can find the news here as its path carries on and the drawings develop. Most enticing is that it gives me the opportunity to do even more panda versions of famous Impressionist paintings, and what could be wrong with that? (Note to Art Historians: please don’t answer this question.)

Till next time,
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

On the Campaign Trail

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Editors note: Pinky has been sneaking around (unknown to her sainted mother) out on the campaign trail, and if The Very Bob T. Panda doesn’t get out there, even his three loyal supporters might go looking elsewhere with their votes.

I have not said much about the actual campaign atrocities that have been going on out there. It makes me too worried for our future so instead, I am concentrating on Bob and Pinky’s shenanigans. Much better for my blood pressure, and besides, Andy Borowitz does a much better job than I ever could (and he even snuck in a picture of Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau with a couple of pandas!)

But now, it’s time for things to get going panda-a-pando over at the Panda Chronicles debate headquarters.

“I thought I had until November.” -Bob T Panda

Pinky is ready to get down and get dirty.
Are you?

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

It’s International Panda Day!

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No, really…it really is International Panda Day! Who knew? Um…well, someone told me it was and while I have been trying to find some corroborating evidence that it IS in fact, International Panda Day, how about we just say that it is and have a panda party to celebrate!

Huzzah! it’s International Panda Day! Let’s have some cake!!!!!

Um...what cho doing wif dat hammer, pinky?

Um…what choo doing wif dat hammer, pinky?

And if you are done celebrating, why not head over to the nice folks at Pandas International and check out goodies in their store. All the purchases there help provide support for pandas. I mean real pandas. Because, without pandas, there could be no panda satire!

Meanwhile back at The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire, things are heating up on the election front, Bubba gets cuter day by day, and the Meihem twins are hanging out and being about as adorable as two teenage pandas can be.

I hope everyone whose clocks changed for Daylight Savings time has adjusted. It’s only an hour, but it throws me off for weeks, it seems.

And if you haven’t signed up for my newsletter mailing list, you might want to think about doing that. There is a sign up form on the top of the righthand column. I know I have not sent out very many newsletters, in fact it’s probably been 6 months since the last one. Oopsie. My bad. But I just discovered how to make a secret password protected page here, and I am only going to send the password to people on my mailing list. How do you like them apples? I plan to put fun stuff on there, and maybe only leave each page up for a couple of months. We’ll see how it goes. I hope to get a newsletter out sometime next week, so you have a little time to put your email address in the little box that says: Get even MORE Pandas and Powered by Mailchimp at the bottom of the box. At the rate I send out newsletters, I’ll hardly be a nuisance at all, and I swear on the deluxe size box of cuppycakes that I will never share your email address with anyone else.

Be the Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Su Lin the first. From a a personal photograph that found it’s way to me.

Pinky Sez…

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Being the ever attentive big sister, Pinky has offered to teach baby Bei Bei Bubba Brother, a new game…called…Pinky Sez…

Don’t you wish you had such a caring older sibling?

Yeah, me neither.

How IS this different from Pinky’s normal bossiness?

It is a wonder that Mei Xiang’s fur is not turning gray! But I think Bubba is beginning to catch on to his big sister’s manipulations. He can’t quite resist the temptation of frosting, though. For now, Pinky has the upper paw.

And if you haven’t read this story by New Yorker writer Robin Wright already, take a few minutes to read it now. It might help you understand why we’re all so crazy for Washington DC’s newest superstar (panda). (Not to mention help you distract yourself from other DC shenanigans.) It is a lovely look at pandas, from the viewpoint of a lifelong panda fan.

Bubba would also like to point out that according to this article, twice as many people have viewed Bubba on the panda cam in his first four months, than they did Pinky during a similar time period. Watch out Robyn. Pinky might be able to find your address. #Don’tMakePinkyMad

Be the bear,
Bob T. Panda

News Flash: Panda Climbs a Tree

15 Replies

Ha ha! that was a gratuitous headline if there ever was one. Of course a panda climbs a tree! Bubba has been climbing up a storm, ever since they let him explore the great outdoors. So, this cartoon is kind of old news, but it wasn’t when I drew it. Mommee Mei is now confident enough in his abilities that she can take a nap or chow down some boo while he is wowing the crowds with his feats of daring.

But when Bubba first started exploring the dreaded hemlock and the gingko of terror, Mei thought he might need just a little help to get started.

You can’t just DO stuff. You need instruction from an expert!

Moms…gotta love ’em.

Meanwhile, we have been having weather not very conducive to pandas, with horizontal buckets of rain today. Blergg. The good news is that it is perfect weather to work on my latest project, which will be available sometime this millennium. I don’t mean to be snarky, but it turns out a graphic novel is a whole heck of a lot of work. Sometime next month I will start sharing some sketches in progress, but for now, can I just say it is either going to be awesomely cool, or a complete pile of crap.

Sigh…We creative types are subject to mood swings and insecurity, if you haven’t figured this out yet. But never fear, Pandas are on the move, and we will bring you all the pandas that fit!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Smile! You’re on Pandid Camera

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Come on Bubba…won’t you give us a little smile? didn’t you know we were…um…watching you?

What’s that blinking red light over there?

As any of you who happen to be younger siblings know very well, that it is the time honored tradition, (or is that privilege?) for older siblings to torment younger siblings. Now, I was not watching pandas when Tai Shan was a mere cub, but I don’t think he would have put his little sister through the same things that Pinky has put Bubba through. That’s just my opinion and I have nothing to back this up. He did send her….ahem…some very nice presents.

We might say that as the middle child, Pinky has worked hard to distinguish herself. One could wish that she didn’t appear quite so gleeful when she gets Bubba all wound up. But what fun would that be?

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

The Panda Season of Love Begins

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Oh yes, the Panda Season of Love has begun once again and panda fans around the world anxiously await the joyous announcements of impending panda pregnancies! This year Australia (being on the opposite side of the globe) is anxiously awaiting a possible perfect puffy panda popkin, but as with all things panda procreation, we don’t often know that something will happen until it actually happens!

Is it any wonder that pandas visit therapists more often than any other animal? (Okay, I just made that last bit up, for those of you who are paying attention!)

But now, let’s get on with the show of encore presentations for Fabulous Furry Friday on The Panda Season of Love!

I hope people haven’t had enough of silly love songs!

A panda by any other name, would smell…well, they would just smell…

The Scottish pandas have had a few disappointments…

I am only making some of this up.

And of course, as noted Pandologist Henry Nicholls has pointed out, wild pandas are a whole different ball game!

Thanks guys! No, really.

So sit back and be the bear! The panda season of loooooove only lasts two day! It pays to be ready!

Bob T. Panda

Pinky has a Cunning Plan

18 Replies

Oh that Pinky! She snuck off to the Iowa caucuses, using Daddy’s credit cards and now there are rumors of her showing up in New Hampshire, as well as appearances scheduled in South Carolina! But what kind of cunning plan has she used so that no one will realize she has left the zoo?

And is her willingness to let Bubba play with Mr. Bun NOT a sign that Pinky has learned to share (as IF!!!!) but a way to buy his silence when she sneaks out of the zoo?

What do YOU think?

That Pinky is too clever for her own good!

Meanwhile, after listening to the GOP “debates” on Saturday night, (didn’t I have anything better to do? Apparently not.) I think I can honestly say that having a roomful of baby pandas on stage would not have been any more unruly than what was happening before the world and everyone. I get that there are legitimate differences of opinions both between and within political parties. I have even (gasp!) voted for republicans in state elections. But I think that requiring participants of these “debates” to wear shock collars which would provide a mild but emphatic shock when the wearer lied, would have provided a more illuminating discussion. Just saying.

You have a clear choice. #HeyWhyNotVote4Bob or #Vote4Pinky

We could do worse.

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Is Tian Tian campaigning for Pinky?

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The video of Tian Tian of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC was all over the internet as well as television and newspapers a few weeks ago, as Tian Tian showed us just how much fun playing in the snow is. Well, it is if you’re a panda and don’t have to shovel your sidewalk and figure out how to get to work!

But the rest of us…well, at least the rest of you who live in places where snow shows up on a regular basis, we have a somewhat different relationship with the cold white stuff.

Meanwhile, Pinky seems to figured out how to turn Daddy’s fame into a plus for her presidential campaign…

Pinky never misses a trick!

Well, I did hear that the host of Meet the Press suggested that a panda should be president. Or maybe that’s just hearsay. And maybe it wasn’t Pinky, but a panda with …ahem…more experience that should be considered. I don’t know. But then again….

The results of the Giant Panda Global Awards have been announced and um…Pinky did not win the two categories she was nominated in. I am pretty sure there will be repercussions, especially since baby brother Bubba totally rocked the Cub of the Year category. This is not going to be well received. Stay tuned.