Tag Archives: the way of the panda

Drum Roll Pleeze! Another Roll…Of…Honor Recipient!

Before we get started here, I’d like to welcome my most recent subscribers!  Hope you enjy the fun!

Be the Bear!

Okay, maybe I should ask people whether they want to be singled out for the Roll…of…Honor…but…NAH!  It’s the old saying, it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission.  Today’s Roll of Honor honoree is none other than Henry Nicholls, who wrote The Way of the Panda.  This is a real book about panda history and panda science, and as someone who is often accused of “only looking at the pictures in art books and reading the cartoons in The New Yorker,” I actually read and enjoyed Henry’s book.  So what did Henry do that landed him on the Roll of Honor?  Well, he stumbled across this very blog while he was writing his book, and contacted me asking both how I got into panda satire and whether I knew any other examples of it.  I never even knew there was such a thing as panda satire!  And then, I “offered” to let him use one of my cartoons in his book, and he fell for it….I mean he graciously accepted.  Not only that, he listed my blog address and gave me a photo credit.  So, The Way of the Panda contains the first internationally print published version of one of my cartoons. And, he put a link on his blog, also named The Way of the Panda, to The Panda Chronicles! Is that cool, or what?  Definitely Roll of Honor material.  So thanks Henry.

Here’s the cartoon that appeared in his book:

And remember,

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

How many pandas are there? Let me count the bears….

In a recent post by Henry Nicholls, author of The Way of the Panda, he talked about the upcoming panda census.  The various methods for counting wild pandas are fairly, well, quite frankly, some of them are just gross.  We at the Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire feel we have a better idea.  Just mail out the forms to the pandas and let them fill them out.  Don’t have their addresses?  Just leave them where pandas are sure to find them.

Ok, well, maybe not.

We thought it would be a good idea to re-run a quiz we gave last year in honor of the panda census.  Find out right now how far your panda obsession has gone!

Please answer the questions as honestly as possible as this will go on your permanent record.

1. How many stuffed pandas do you now own?

a) Oh, just a couple.

b) You can still see parts of my bed

c) None of your business

2. What percentage of your friends are now sending you pictures of pandas, panda cards or emails with pictures of the earthquake pandas?

a) 10%

b) 25%

c)I have no friends anymore, except for pandas, which all love me.

3.  What portion of your time do you spend thinking about pandas?

a) Just when I have my coffee in the morning.

b) Only when I’m awake.

c) What else could I possibly want to think about?

3.  Do you feel that your obssession with pandas is interfering with your daily life and ability to earn a living?

a) No, no, it’s no problem. Just talk amongst yourselves, while I look at pictures of earthquake pandas.

b) None of your business.

c) No, the cardboard box that I now live in is quite comfortable and I’ve drawn pictures of pandas all over the inside.

Hope this little quiz has been instructive!

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

The Continuing Saga of the Pandadelphia Story

As we continue our journey into advanced stages of Pandaphilia, something really exciting (if you have a kind of boring life, it was exciting) happened.  I got a comment from a writer who was working on a book about pandas.  He wanted to know how I started doing “panda satire” and whether I knew of other examples of pandas as humor material.  Of course I had to look up his blog, to make sure he wasn’t some nut job, (or at least a harmless one, hopefully). He turned out to be Henry Nicholls, a serious writer of popular science with many magazine articles and a previous book to his credit.  One thing led to another, and  I  offered to let him use one of my cartoons to appear in his book. Yay!  It certainly was  one of my proudest moments when I got my copy of The Way of the Panda hot off the press, with my very own cartoon in it.  Attention Panda Shoppers!  If you haven’t read this book, get it now! (available through Amazon and maybe your local bookstore.) Pandas, of course have written some of their own books as well:

But of course, sometimes when pandas write books, their um…fact thingies are not always um…welll…correct.

Well, till next time,

Be the Bear!

The Continuing Saga of the Pandadelphia Story

As we continue our journey into advanced stages of Pandaphilia, something really exciting (if you have a kind of boring life, it was exciting) happened.  I got a comment from a writer who was working on a book about pandas.  He wanted to know how I started doing “panda satire” and whether I knew of other examples of pandas as humor material.  Of course I had to look up his blog, to make sure he wasn’t some nut job, (or at least a harmless one, hopefully). He turned out to be Henry Nicholls, a serious writer of popular science with many magazine articles and a previous book to his credit.  One thing led to another, and  I  offered to let him use one of my cartoons to appear in his book. Yay!  It certainly was  one of my proudest moments when I got my copy of The Way of the Panda hot off the press, with my very own cartoon in it.  Attention Panda Shoppers!  If you haven’t read this book, get it now! (available through Amazon and maybe your local bookstore.) Pandas, of course have written some of their own books as well:

But of course, sometimes when pandas write books, their um…fact thingies are not always um…welll…correct.

Well, till next time,

Be the Bear!

More from the Institute of Contemporary Panda Satire!

I can’t tell you how cool it is to spend my days here in Pandyland! I also have to send out a big pandy thank you to Henry Nicholls, an actual real author, who wrote The Way of the Panda.  He is responsible for coining the phrase, contemporary panda satire, for which one of my dear friends would like to have a word about that, if an ocean didn’t separate him from Henry.  Since I am never one to resist the temptation of taking a phrase and running it into the ground, I took the liberty of appropriating the phrase to create the Institute of Contemporary Panda Satire.  I have also declared myself the directure of said institute, as well as the leading practitioner of contemporary panda satire.  To be honest, I’m not sure that it’s a very crowded field, but I thought it would be good to get in on the ground floor.

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

Notes From the Bamboo Forest

My favorite F.T.P. (friend to pandas) Henry Nicholls, of The Way of the Panda fame,  writes that there are 3 classes of folks in regard to pandas. First are pandaphiles, those who love pandas; next are pandaphobics, who are obviously quite insane, cause who doesn’t love pandas; and next are the pandapathetics, of whom we dare not speak.  We at the Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire maintain that there are 3 more groups, in regard to pandas.  The first is pandapologists, those who make excuses for pandas; next are the pandaholics, who can usually be found watching endless panda videos on youtube, (my personal favorite is baby pandas playing on a slide).  Pandaholics can often become pandalusional, from watching too many videos of adorable pandas, and believe that they have a “special understanding of pandas”

I’m just sayin’.

Be the Bear

Bob T. Panda

What Pandas want for the Holidays

Ok, we admit that we haven’t done any new cartoons in WEEKS probably, but it gets so busy this time of year.  So, you’ll just have to put up with this look at postage. You remember postage, don’t you. You know, you write a letter…. a what did you say?  You know…well, anyway, you write a letter, put it in an envelope and then put a stamp on it and eventually it gets somewhere else. pretty nifty, huh?   I guess pandas are naturally luddites.  It’s part of what makes us so charming.

We want to send out a big pandy hug to our friend Henry, who doesn’t have anymore reason to think about pandas now that he’s done with his book.  You can still watch us on youtube. I’m sure it will cheer you up.

Be the Bear

Bob T.

Great Moments in Panda History!

We at Way Better Than Working Inc. have been avidly reading The Way of the Panda, and so have been inspired to make our own, unique (some would say irreverent and sophomoric) comment on PANDAS IN HISTORY.   I know, I know, the use of all cap. bold font is incredibly melodramatic and pretentious, but hey, that’s the way we do things around WBTW.  Ruth Harkness and Su-lin were real people (and pandas) from panda history.  I first read of her in Vicki Croke’s MOST excellent book, The Lady and the Panda. We plan to do lots of reading about pandas, thanks to Henry Nicholls thorough reading list in T W of the P. Oh dear, we are sort of getting serious and academic here and that is certainly NOT how we usually do things around here.  Have no fear! we will take Vicki and Henry’s fascinating research and turn it to our own nefarious and satirical purposes.

Be the Bear!

Bob T. Panda

More on the Importance of Being Pandish

Well I just received my copy of The Way of the Panda, by Henry Nicholls, F.O.P. (Friend of Pandas) and was pleased to see that the photo of my childhood at one the the panda ranches did not end up on the cutting room floor.  I should point out that it was NOT me on the far left.  I would never do such a thing.  Anyway, The Way of the Panda is a real book and you should buy it. ( Avasilable soon from Amazon.com)  Till next time,

Be the Bear!!!!!

BobT. Panda

Be the Bear! Pandas Rule!

Pandas, while not noted for  aggressive behavior, are not wimps.  We did get somewhat discombobulated during the earthquakes in recent memory, but who wouldn’t?  We do draw the line at people who say pandas are not worth the effort and expense to keep our existence assured.  Is not our fabulously graphic appearance and adorable aspect not sufficient in and of itself?  While we cringe at the very thought of pandacide, remember that we are bears, and could revoke our vegetarian status any time we WANTED.  We’re not saying that we WILL, we’re just saying, OK?

Be the Bear!

Bob T.