Tag Archives: satire

The Year of the Rooster

Yes, Chinese New Year, otherwise known as the Lunar New Year, starts tomorrow (January 28th, 2017) and continues until February 15th! This is the year of the Rooster. That sounds harmless, right? How much trouble can the panda kindergarten get into dressed up like chickens?

It was interesting to read this article, because I was unaware of some of the traditions associated with this event. Like, you’re not supposed to do any cleaning the first three days of the New Year, because you could wash away good fortune. Well, I can live with that. Um…I hardly ever clean anything. Was that too much information?

Anyway, we’ll have a brand new ‘toon for you on Sunday, but for today’s encore presentation, I thought I would post some of my favorite Chinese new year ‘toons from years past.

Huzzah!

The year of the bunny…..

Oh that panda kindergarten!

panda cubs on rocking horses

Huzzah! It’s The year of Pandas on Horsies!

Look out!!!! Oh, those triplets!

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

And, of course, my personal favorite…

the year of the dragon, panda kindergarten

Huzzah! it’s the year of the Dragon!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

Have a fabulous furry Friday!

There’s Something Happening Here…

...what it is ain’t exactly clear.…Things are happening very fast and I don’t think it is a good thing. When you are steering a ship of state, which is much bigger, than say, the Titanic, it seems like you would want to chart your course carefully, lest  you, ya know, run into an iceberg.  Not just barrel on ahead, because you like the sound of your own voice that much.

Heh.

Meanwhile, there is no such thing as an alternative fact, unless you are talking about speculative science fiction. Are we still allowed to use the word “science”? It’s good to remember that not everything is as it exactly appears in any particular snapshot (or screenshot!) But that doesn’t mean we should not pay attention. Or talk about what we’ve read or heard. Question everything, and let your representatives know how you feel, good and bad.

Our Future is at stake. Let’s treat it like it means something. Keep the conversation going.

Are all these paper clips mine?

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

The Million Panda March

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were a million pandas available to march? I know they would all be ready to go! Because pandas are not strangers to protests! I attended our small, (comparatively speaking) local march, because I did not feel comfortable going into Seattle, where they were expecting 10’s of thousands of people. At 4 PM on Saturday, the day of the march, estimates of attendance was at about 200,000. That’s people, not pandas. We don’t have any pandas here.

At our own event in Langley, I was expecting maybe 50 old hippies wearing tie-dye t-shirts, but lo and behold, when I arrived at the starting point, I could see maybe a couple hundred people milling around. I was waiting with one friend, who was waiting for her daughter, and after chatting with her for about 15 minutes as people filed past, I decided to hop in when I saw some other friends who had joined the march. As we turned onto the route, you could see that the entire street was full, with 10-12 people across, going all the way down to the corner, and already turning the corner, with almost as many people behind us. Unofficial estimates of attendance are at around 2,000. There aren’t that many people that live in town!

But pandas are no strangers to protest!

Pandas aren’t dopes!

The early days of panda rights groups….

panda bites man who hugged him

“I felt so violated!”

And here is a photo of our gathering in Langley. Huzzah! It didn’t rain, and I marched, picked up my mail, and was home in under 2 hours. You can’t beat that!

March

Women’s March, Langley edition!

Panda On!
Never give up working for peace and human …um…I mean panda rights!
Bob T Panda

What if You Gave an Inauguration & Nobody Came?

Hoo boy! We are right here, at Apocalypse Inauguration Eve, and I gotta tell you, my tummy is doing flip flops. I don’t even know if I can get all these cuppycakes down that I have lined up on the counter in front of me. Despite a certain party’s claims to the contrary, you can find a ball gown in DC, and apparently hotel rooms are available too. On the one hand, you hate to rile up a person with so thin a skin and such a penchant for vindictiveness.

On the other hand, there is this:

inauguration

Hey, save some cuppycakes for me!

Panda On, and let’s be safe out there!
Bob T Panda

And did anyone get my nod to the old Bob and Ray “Wally Ballou” routines, where they joined the roving reporter midway through his introduction? We need anything we can find to cheer ourselves up! Enjoy!

If you thought the second week of November was bad…

So…. we’re not going to wake up from this, are we? As I listen to Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, it becomes increasingly clear that I am NOT hallucinating, experiences with mind altering drugs in the ’70’s notwithstanding. (Um…Chas, don’t mention this to mom, okay?) So, if you thought November was depressing (despite it being my birthday season) just wait till you experience January 20th!

It’s gonna be YUGE!

November

Can I open my eyes yet?

Interestingly (well, to me, anyway) I wrote this BEFORE the intelligence report was released last week. Just saying. The prognosticatory potential of pandas is prodigious!!!!

I will panda on till they lock me up!
Bob T Panda

And may I say, the next books on my to buy list are the graphic novel series March, the real life story of Congressman John Lewis. I’ve been wanting to read these for a while, but his current example of speaking out according to his convictions gives me hope.

Fluffy Feline Friday: Mehitabel

It’s been just over a week since the sweet Mehitabel went to eternal resting place in the back yard. I still miss her terribly, and even though I have decided to keep her memory alive here in the Panda Chronicles, the house is way too quiet and empty without her. How a house can be more quiet than it was when she was sleeping 23 hours a day, I don’t know, but it is.

Here are some of my favorite ‘toons starring the divine Miss Mehitabel!

Mehitabel

Mehitabel thanks you!

first panda gender misidentification at zoo atlanta

Well, we do all look alike.

The panda kindergarten is “busy” …can you call back later?

Part 1 of Bob and Mehitabel’s explanation…

Look out Mehitabel! here comes the panda kindergarten!

Maybe someone else should release their tax returns, don’t you think?

And who could forget her starring role in The Wizard of Wu?

094-the-wizard-of-wu-episode-7-100-res.jpg

Mehitabel would like to register her protest about given the least sympathetic role in this adventure.

wizard of Oz satire

Stay tuned later this month for the outtakes and blooper reel!

We’ll have more of Mehitabel’s greatest moments in next week’s Fabulous Furry  Feline Friday!

Panda On!
Bob T Panda

And now, a political message from The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire: If you believe that affordable healthcare for all is important, please call your representative today and ask him or her to vote AGAINST the repeal of the ACA (Affordable Healthcare Act). Repeal will affect you no matter where your insurance comes from, as some of the provisions include things like preventing insurance companies from rejecting  you or charging you  more for pre-existing conditions, and keeping them from setting lifetime limits on coverage, which, if you or someone you know has been very ill, can affect you. There’s a bunch more good stuff that it does, including providing insurance for low income artists such as myself, at an affordable cost.

They had six years to come up with a better plan and they haven’t. Don’t let them repeal it without replacing it with something better!

What if we wished …

What if we wished on the moon…do you think it might happen then? In Pandamorphosis, the cat wishes on the moon that she would be loved as much as the pandas were. It didn’t quite turn out the way she planned, now did it?

So, if Lun Lun wished that her girls would always be as sweet as they are now…

wished

Would it be such a bad thing?

Well, it COULD happen like that.

Panda On
Bob T Panda

What could it hurt?

Where there are pandas, there is hope

We now return to our regularly scheduled pandas. I am so sorry to bring you the sad news of Mehitabel’s real life passing. It has taken the wind out of my sails. It is the first time in almost 21 years, without the sound of the pitter patter of little paws. I hope I will have another cat, just not yet.

In the meantime, her fictional counterpart is not going anywhere. Who would keep these pandas in line is she were gone? The show must go on!

hope

Panda Trek 2: The Next Generation

Panda On
Bob T Panda

Note: Mehitabel came to me in a dream last night, and wanted me to take note of the fact that FAR more people were commenting on the post about her, than they ever had on anything panda.

Really, I want to thank all who have written and offered their sincere and heartfelt condolences. I know many of you have walked this same path, and that we will again, because in the end, all you need is love, and to be loved by a cat (and let me tell you, they can be really particular about who they love) is the greatest gift of all.

Resolution Day

You say you want a resolution, well, you know, you can never change the bear… Oh! Hello everyone. Welcome to 2017. We hope that 2017 turns out a lot better than 2016, but we really won’t know until we get there, right? One thing you can be sure of, as long as I can hold a pencil and pen, and my quart of india ink (extra black!) doesn’t run out, I will be bringing you new panda ‘toons twice a week, on Sundays and Wednesdays, and on Fridays, there will be a small collection of some of my favorite ‘toons of the past eight years! Yes, it has been that long!

You’d think I would be famous by now.

And while Bubba is growing up, some bears never change.

resolution

Once again proving the intransigence of Pinky, and the omnipotence of Mommy Mei

We shall Panda On!
Bob T Panda

Day 31: 31 Days of Pandas Happy New Year

Well, we’ve done it again. We have completed 31 days of panda goodness, coming to you from the desk and archives of The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire. I hope you have had fun revisiting some of your favorite ‘toons, or if you are new here this year, that you have gotten a little taste of panda satire, and like a really good potato chip, it has you coming back for more. What better way to say hello to the new year than with panda satire? And no, despite how flattered I am to be asked, we will not be doing 365 days of pandas. I do need a bit of time to actually write and draw all of the panda ‘toons that I share with you here.

As far as I can see into the future (which, granted, my eyesight is not as good as it used to be,) I will always make my ‘toons here available for you to read, without any kind of subscription or fees. However, if you would like to support panda satire, I am grateful to have people buy my books here. That helps keep the ink flowing, the lights on, and the coffee perking so I can keep bringing panda goodness to you.

I am also considering starting a Patreon account, so that people can more directly support my efforts of the last 8 years. I haven’t done it yet, but I am thinking about it. If you have an opinion about this, please feel free to share it with me.

I may also run a Kickstarter campaign later this year in order to complete a very special project. More about that later. :o) It does involve pandas.

But now, let’s say BUH-BYE to 2016, don’tletthedoorhityouonthewayout with the panda kindergarten! Happy New Year !!!

new years eve party, panda kindergarten

The panda kindergarten at their best…or is that worst?

The Four Panda Kindergarteners of the Apandalypse!

 

Let’s vow to panda on in 2017!!!!
Bob T Panda