Tag Archives: satire

*F.F.F. Salute to Meihem!

* Fabulous Furry Friday is proud to present our…

Salute to Meihem!!!!!!

Yes, the darling duo turns TWO this weeK, and all things Pinky aside, we are delighted to celebrate the Meihem’s big week! (For those of you who are new to panda watching, the Meihems are the twin cubs of Lun Lun and Yang Yang of the Cublanta Zoo …um I meant Zoo Atlanta…deep in the southern belle state of Georgia.

I remember the day they were born. I was watching the Zoo Atlanta panda cam and Lun Lun was in the den, and wouldn’t you know it a little cub just slid out. of…you know…the cub slidey place, and then not even a half hour later, here comes ANOTHER one! I immediately called one of the panda faithful, knowing she would be watching as well, and we yelled into our phones and jumped around our respective kitchens.

What a day!

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

We started off calling them The Twinkies, but when they got their real names at 100 days, Mei Lun and Mei Huan, we began to call them the Meihems, because when you have more than one panda cub, you are bound to have Meihem!

But of course, Mr Wu had had a whole year of being the center of attention, and he. was. not. pleased at this development.

Mr Wu speaks out!

Mr Wu speaks out!

And then there was the old gender misidentification thing. For the first four months, we thought they were boys…

Atlanta Twins have a fight

Sweet dreams, little bears!

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

Huzzah! a guest appearance by little Po!

Bao bao changes panda cub gender

Well, you didn’t think Pinky would be able to resist showing up in the Meihem’s tribute, did you?

So, once they were determined to be girls, appropriate measures had to be taken!

downloadable paper panda upgrade

downloadable paper panda upgrade

school uniforms for pandas

Ready for panda kindergarten!

And in March of 2014, The Meihems joined the Panda Scouts, and have worn their uniforms proudly, ever since.

zoo atlanta, bao bao, national zoo

Time to call in …Inspector panda!

We hope you enjoyed this Tribute to Meihem, and if you would like to read ALL the cartoons about this dynamic duo, be sure to pick up a copy of The Panda Chronicles Book 5: Pandapocalypse NOW, starring the Meihems and Princess Pinky.

Be the bear!
Bob T. Panda

Be sure to stay tuned to our tribute to Mr. Wu later this month who turns THREE! Oh yeah, and um… someone else’s birthday is coming up in August… can’t quite remember whose…..

 

The Great Debate

For those of you in the know, TODAY is the Meihem’s birthday. Huzzah! But. Pinky refused to give up her cartoon today, so Fabulous Furry Friday will host The Salute to Meihem! Be sure to check in on Friday for Pandapalooza X 2!

It was inevitable that Pinky and I would have to have a great debate, live on the Mehitabel Tonite!!! show. I think she is getting some unfair advantage, what with being on magazine covers and newspaper stories all over the place. It’s time to even the score!

What about us pandas who have been around for a while? Are you going to throw us over for each new furry face that comes along? And Pinky has hacked into my computer AGAIN and I can’t get her graphics off of my headline.

Can anyone stop this pandapocalyptic menace?

Don't mess with Pinky.

Don’t mess with Pinky. Or her minions.

Stay tuned folks! Politics is a bear!

Be the…um….Bear,
Bob T. panda

Watch some more panda videos

I think I really need to watch some more panda videos. I am completely stressed out over this hacking business. I thought I had gotten the overlay bug out of my system, but now it is back again. How am I supposed to run for president using MY blog as a platform, if Pinky is over-riding everything from her command center?

Thanks a lot, Leslie. I think you gave Pinky this idea.

Thanks a lot, Leslie. I think you gave Pinky this idea.

Pinky wanted to thank her dear friend Leslie for contributing to Pinky’s campaign with purchases of Pandyland swag from the Committee to Elect Pinky Headquarters. Leslie thoughtfully photographed the actual goodies here, so you could see what they really look like!

Huzzah! Won't your coffee taste better in a Vote 4 Pinky mug?

 Hey! Rand Paul has a store with all his merchandise to raise campaign funds, why can’t Pinky?

Now, I just need to get Pinky’s mother on the phone to discuss her daughters escapades with my computer, but every time I call it goes to voice mail and she is NOT returning my calls.

Sigh.

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

 

Pinky has a plan

Pinky has a plan, and you can be sure that it will be something that gives her mother heartburn. What can I say? Pinky marches to the beat of her own salsa band, and nothing you or I (or her mother) say will make her toe the line.

Pandas. You gotta love ’em!

There were no tigers involved in this plan, so it must be okay, right?

There were no tigers involved in this plan, so it must be okay, right?

I think I got the bug out of my computer that was altering my header graphics. Now we shall see if I have my firewall defenses adequately beefed up so that Pinky can’t get back in and change things!

I wonder what the minions’ mother thinks of Pinky’s influence on her children? Oh well, not my concern! Tra la, tra la!

Be the (irresponsible) Bear!
Bob T. Panda

Satire vs Direct Quotes

A recent commenter to this blog reminded me of something satirical folk singer Tom Paxton once said. “Some people you don’t have to satirize, you just quote ’em.”  ’nuff said.

There is something very funny going on here...

There is something very funny going on here…

Normally, I would give these lines to one of the feline candidates, but we haven’t gotten there yet.

On another disturbing note, I think “someone” has hacked into my computer. My normal graphic header for all my cartoons has been altered, and for some reason, I am unable to remove the overlay of text. I suspect Pinky is somehow involved in this. I better call her mother and see if she is monitoring Pinky’s computer usage.

Vote Pinky, Vote often!. Hey! that’s not what I meant to say! Stop that Pinky!

Meanwhile, my colleague in cuppycakes, Vicky Vladic,  has a great post about the sneezing baby panda video, not to mention full length movie over at her blog V Something Speaks. Go check it out! You will be rewarded by a yummy cuppycake recipe!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

But First, a Word From Reality

We all love pandas. And we all love panda satire. (okay, I’m stretching the point a little, but just be patient with me.) So if you are here, and reading this blog, I think we can agree that we have at least one thing in common. Pandas.

But now, let’s have a word from reality…

I’m guessing that we all have differing opinions on some things and that’s okay. Every once in a while, I make someone mad because I put words in my pandas’ mouths that disagree with what the reader believes and that’s okay too.

Today, the Supreme Court agreed that any two people in this country can get married and that their marriage will be recognized throughout the country.  I think that’s marvelous. I myself have no intention of getting married, but that has been my right to get married or not for my whole life. I have friends and family who this has not been their good fortune, to have this as their decision to do or not. But now they have that right and I say huzzah!

The cynic in me says that as the years and decades go by, same sex couples will discover the rights of divorce, child custody and community property, but perhaps that’s as it should be. Why should heterosexual couples have all the fun?

The pandas  have nothing to say about this, at least not yet. The general atmosphere in the pandy kindy is one of celebrations. After all, it’s really hard to tell what sex pandas are, let alone whether they are the same sex or not.

This political season promises to be an even more acrimonious one than those that preceded it. I will do my best to only make fun of the things that people actually say and do, and so far it seems like this is going to be a bonanza year for satire. If I make something up, I will try to make sure that it is rooted in reality, and not just me saying something nasty about someone whose politics I disagree with.

Okay. enough of this serious crap. Let’s have fun with pandas! Vote Pinky 2016!

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn't?

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn’t?

Bring on the clown car!

Bring on the clown car!

BTW, you can show your support for Pinky by buying Vote  Pinky merchandise at my pandyland store. Huzzah!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

 

Fabulous Furry Friday

Last week we revisited some of the earliest appearances of Princess Pinky and the Meihems. Pinky thought we should continue in this vein. Don’t ask me how she gets away with this high handed behavior. She just does. (I am putty in her paws.) So join us as Fabulous Furry Friday presents….

Pinky tests her powers....

Pinky tests her powers….

And then, there was the first appearance of Pinky’s magical wand (for those of you who came in after the start of our show)…

National Zoo cub makes mom Mei Xiang disappear

oops.

Princess Pinky is fooled by Mei Xiang at the National Zoo

Oh Princess Pinky, mom has a trick or two up her paw, I think…

And even though I may incur the wrath of those who have a different political viewpoint, I just have to share that traumatic day when…I shudder to remember…the Pinky-cam was shut down! Remember, cartoons have a long history of being political and maybe through humor, we might resolve our differences.

Nah, I didn’t think so either. Just deal with it.

How much can a small panda stand?

How much can a small panda stand? Pinky has a way of putting things in perspective.

Next Friday, I think the Meihems should have the day to themselves. what do you think, Pinky?

Youthful Indiscretions, Part 2

All I can say is, at least Mei Xiang did not star in one of those…um…you know….educational movies for pandas. If you get my drift. This was not one of those youthful indiscretions.

But leave it to Pinky. As we learned in a previous post, The panda cam at the National Zoo in Washington DC, takes up 60% of the entire Smithsonian bandwidth. Which, is as it should be.

Just saying, you know?

We can definitely use this in Pinky's campaign....

We can definitely use this in Pinky’s campaign….

Meanwhile, we are keeping a close eye on Mei Xiang, as she relaxes in her secluded panda den. Is there going to be another cub in DC this year? Or what if there are two? Will Pinky be able to cope with the distraction from her campaign?

Stay tuned!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Youthful Indiscretions

When I first started watching and drawing pandas, people would send me pictures of pandas from the internet, as well as any video that featured an adorable panda. Okay, I think all pandas are adorable, even muddy messy ones.

But one video made the rounds more often than any other. Recently, an interesting discovery was made by the good folks at Pandas International, because, enquiring minds wanted to know!

What could this youthful Indiscretion be?

What could this youthful Indiscretion be?

Of course, my other favorite panda video is this one.  I really want that job.

Stay tuned to learn of Mei Xiang’s secret, early film career!

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda

Panda Commerce news!
I just added several new designs to my Pandyland Store on Cafe Press! Included are items for Princess Pinky’s Presidential Campaign, as well as a mug celebrating the Panda Kindergarten! Here are the new designs, for bumper stickers, t-shirts and sweat shirts, and magnets. 10% of the profits from June sales will go to Pinky’s campaign…um…I mean Enrichment Fund at the NZ. Many of her toys are funded by donations from her loving fans, so this is a chance to put panda satire to work for Pinky. Here are the new designs:

Nobody expects the Panda Kindergarten!

Nobody expects the Panda Kindergarten!

Declare your support for Pinky!

Declare your support for Pinky!

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn't?

Vote for Pinky. Do YOU want to explain why you didn’t?

 

Fabulous Furry Friday

It’s hard to believe that 2015 is almost halfway over. Where does the time go? Any day now, the panda progeny season may begin. We are hopeful that there might be two new panda cubbies in the US, although we are hoping for a trifecta, which has not happened yet. Ms Lun Lun of Atlanta has not revealed whether she is interested in completing the triple crown of panda-dom, but we are ever hopeful!

We had no new panda cubs in the US last year, but in 2013, we celebrated the birth of the Meihems and…ahem…Princess Pinky, America’s sweetheart (“and icon! don’t forget I am a icon!!!!!”).

I think this would be an excellent opportunity for Fabulous Furry Friday to look back on the birth of our about to be two year-old reigning panda princesses, don’t you?

Mr Wu speaks out!

A look-back at the birth of the meihem twinkies would not be complete without Mr. Wu’s commentary.

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

The first appearance of the twinkies on The Panda Chronicles

Atlanta Twins have a fight

Sweet dreams, little bears! This cartoon was written before…um…Pinky poofed the twins into girls.

And just how did the panda kindergarten get her address?

And just how did the panda kindergarten get her address?

Such a little darling!  How could her big brother resist spoiling her?

When Pinky got her first tutu…

Tune in again next week, for more from the childhood of the Meihems and Princess Pinky!
(Not to mention more from the Pinky for president campaign! Vote Pinky 2016!)

Be the Bear,
Bob T. Panda