Tag Archives: zoonooz

It’s Time to Party Like a Panda!!!!

Oh my, it is the birthday celebration for Atlanta’s favorite sweethearts, the Meihem sisters, as they turn three years old! I still remember the morning the twins were born. I was…um… checking in on Facebook, because the panda keepers at Zoo Atlanta were pretty sure that mama Lun Lun was pregnant, but they had NO idea it was twins!*

Along with thousands of other panda fanatics, I was glued to the internet, awaiting the entrance of another baby panda to the world, when a cub came shooting out into the universe. (They do seem to come out at great speed). Lun Lun lept into mom mode, but turns out she wasn’t done yet. Less than a half hour later, another cub came rushing out and then we had what you might call a situation.

I did what any other right thinking panda fan would do, under those circumstances. I called another panda fan (Cyndi A) and we danced around our respective kitchens screaming like a girl.

So without further ado, I now present some of my favorite cartoon moments with the Meihems, starting with the Wu Self’s reaction to the news!

Dis. Will. Not. Stand!

Of course all the other panda moms were on the phone to Lun Lun to congratulate her…

“Well Bless your Heart” is not always a compliment

When the twins were born, everyone thought that they were boys, along with their sibling Po. Boy did we all have a surprise coming!

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

Huzzah! a guest appearance by little Po! And is that a cameo appearance by Mr. Bun?

Oh…yeah…how could we forget Pinky?

Huzzah! It’s Bert and his brother Ernie!

…and their jammies! Huzzah!

But after we found out that the Meihems were girls, they promptly joined the Panda Scouts and went to work selling cookies! Binky Bars, anyone? But of course, Pinky threw a ~~monkey~~ panda wrench into the works…

George Washington Bridge lane closure satire.

Princess Pinky Bao Bao…what have you done now?

Time to call in …Inspector panda!

But in the end, all was well that ended well, after a whole bunch more stuff happened, (which, if you had Book 5 of the Panda Chronicles, Pandapocalypse Now! you would know what happened!) and now, it’s time for some cake!!!!

There must be cake!

I hope you enjoyed my Salute to Meihem! Join us next month when we celebrate Pinky’s third birthday and Bubba’s first!!!!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

*Not only did they not know it was going to be twins, with pandas, you don’t even know for sure if they are pregnant or not.

Where is Mittens

15 Replies

Something happened at the debate between Pinky, Bob and Mittens and nobody will tell us what happened. Where IS Mittens? Investigations are now underway, in an attempt to get to the bottom of his mysterious disappearance. Pinky isn’t talking and Mehitabel is claiming debate moderator privilege. Is that a real thing?

Uh oh. Is Bubba about to rat someone out?

If you have any information leading to the return of Mittens, ~~we hope you’ll just keep it to yourself~~ call the #WhereIsMittens hotline at 1-800-BAD-CATZ

Bubba better hope that Pinky is not listening in on the Panda House Party line. I don’t think Pinky will take kindly to any perceived disloyalty.

If you are enjoying these cartoons and wish you could read a whole lot of them at once, even during a power outage, consider adding The Panda Chronicles books to your personal collection! you can find them here! Your book purchases help support The Institute for Contemporary Panda Satire! (That’s me!)

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

A Public Service Announcement.

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Mr. Badger just returned from a trip to the mountains of our neighbors to the north, and one of the things he saw while there lead me to think that the time was NOW for this very important public service announcement. What he saw was a grizzly bear crossing the highway just a little way in front of his car, and then what he saw was a bunch of people following it with cameras at the ready. I am not making this up.

I am only going to say this once (a year):

Do. Not. Try. To. Take. A. Selfie. With. A. Grizzly!!!!!

Hey! That reminds me of a song!

…if I were a panda, yadda dah dah da- da- da- AAARGH! I can’t stop!!!!!

And now, our Salute to Stupid Selfies!!!!

Coming to a mountain road in France, really soon:

Who says real life can’t be funny?

What was that they said about being prohibited from taking a selfie with a tiger?

Much better to take a selfie with pandas!

You know we’re just kidding about this, right?

And then Pinky thought this would be a really great fundraiser for her campaign…

I really had no idea what she was up to.

And then maybe since you can’t take a selfie with a tiger, you could take one at…for instance…the running of the bulls!

AAAAAAhhhHHHHHH!

Probably safer to just take a selfie in the Oval Office during your White House Tour…

Mei should not be getting all excited like this in her condition!

“Get those pandas off my desk!”

Have a Fabulous Furry Friday, and while you are having a Fabulous Fourth of July, you leave off with the fireworks and just load up on hot dogs and beans.

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

POOF!

26 Replies

I know you have been waiting for this. Guess who found her magical wand and brought it with her to the debate? If you guessed Pinky, you should give yourself a gold star on your calendar today. POOF!

Poof!

And isn’t it sweet of Bob to defend Pinky? You can almost hear him say, “Nobody cares about your darned birth certificate, Pinky.” Hard to say whether Mei is going to be mad at Pinky for bringing her wand to the debate or not.

and now, for a small rant…

The other day, as I was romping around on Facebook, I came across an ad for t-shirts and coffee mugs that had a familiar (and one of my favorite) comics characters on them. But as I looked more closely at the website, it didn’t look quite right to me. For one thing, there was a slight, but significant discrepancy in way the name of the comic was spelled, and it was not from the website that I know and love.

I decided to contact the real website and say, hey…I saw this and it didn’t look right. Apologies, if this really is one of your sales portals, but I thought you should know about it and here’s the link. Today I got an email back from the website and they thanked me for contacting them and that I was correct, these were NOT authorized products. They are going after these guys and I hope they nail their asses to the wall.

It is hard enough to make a living in any of the arts without someone siphoning dollars of the fruits of my creative labors. The more famous you get, the more likely you are to have copyright infringement. And at least currently, you don’t have to register copyright to own it. All you need to do is create it. There are legal and financial benefits to registering your copyright, but for your rank and file artist who is just scrapping by, the cost of registering each piece is prohibitive. Yes, you can register collections, but that does not have the same clout as registering individual pieces. Copyright must be transferred in writing. If you buy a painting from me, I still own the copyright, unless I specifically transfer it to you. So I can still make reproductions of something that I have sold and you can’t. (At least you shouldn’t)

So if you see stuff for sale from The Panda Chronicles and it didn’t come from here or here or here, the money is not going into my pocket. and you do want me to be able to keep doing these ‘toons, don’t you? Remember, I post all my ‘toons on line for the low, low price of absolutely nothing, because I know what it’s like to have a limited budget. But I appreciate book and swag purchases a lot! (Not to mention sales of original art and original cartoons.) I appreciate everyone who reads my stuff and shares it with their friends. Huzzah! Keep on…

Being the Bears!
Bob T. Panda

It’s a Beautiful Tail!

22 Replies

You knew it would come to this. Following the scripts of the various debates that we have been bludgeoned with, politicians trading insults…Liars lying about previous lies, BEARS BEHAVING BADLY!!!!! Is this the panda kindergarten? A Beautiful Tail? Looks a little short to me.

“This is not a loser tail!!!!!”

Are Bob and Pinky reaching a new consensus? Could Bob be inspired to concede and get behind Pinky’s candidacy? Stay tuned! anything can happen where pandas are involved.

Daddy Panda News for Father’s Day

Meanwhile among real pandas and the people who love them, we have just learned sad news from San Diego Zoo. The rock star, stud muffin wild guy panda with one short ear and extra furry feet, father of five fabulous cubbies here at SDZ, Gao Gao, has been diagnosed with a very bad heart condition. They think he is around 26. Being wild born, they don’t know his exact age. He has been in somewhat compromised health for a few years now and they have been monitoring his heart condition carefully. We don’t know how long he has left, but I can assure you that the veterinary staff at SDZ is doing everything they can do for him.

Gao Gao has an interesting story of how he came to live at the San Diego Zoo. As a two year old, he was found injured and brought to one of the panda research centers to be treated. After he healed, he was released. But finding that being fed and waited upon was far superior to having to fight for territory and scarce resources, he returned to the center and asked to be readmitted. Eventually, he went to live in San Diego with the Beautiful Bai Yun and together they had five cubs, the last of which is Xiao Liwu, known to his friends and fans as Mr. Wu.

A panda fun fact about Gao Gao is that he has one short ear, most likely the result of a fight when he was a wild cub fending for himself. It is the reason my cartoon version of Mr. Wu always has his left ear taped down! It is a tribute to his dad!

I know many people who have not been to a zoo in over 30 years have an antiquated and unfortunate preconception about zoos. yes, there are still some of those horrible zoos with too small cages and depressed animals, but most zoos in North America, Japan, and Europe have taken huge strides in providing comfort and engagement for their animals, and San Diego Zoo is one of the best. Yes, it would be wonderful if panda’s traditional roaming areas were still intact, but the virgin forested areas where they once roamed are reduced to a tiny percentage of what they once were. But the pandas that live in these well staffed and well appointed zoos live the life of Riley (whoever he is) and generally live 10 to 15 years longer than their wild counterparts.

Happy Fathers Day to those who celebrate their relationship with their dads as something wonderful and nurturing. and for those who don’t…well…go have a cuppycake or two and think about someone who loved you.

Be the Bear
Bob T. panda

Can He Say That?

25 Replies

Oh my ears and whiskers! The world continues to prove it’s madness. We weep for the recent events, which apparently are the 133rd such event this year, only distinguished by being the worst shooting in US history. Can he say that? Can he have really have said what he said after this week’s tragedy? Are we all just tragic figures, stumbling towards the exits in the dark, smoke filled room, hoping not to get caught in the crossfire??

Oh heck. Let’s just watch some panda videos.
Pandas are LOVE
Mittens…not so much.

Pinky is beginning to look positively presidential!

Meanwhile, back at the (panda) ranch, I have received several communications, one form the Toronto Twinkies, and more recently from the Meihems. All are concerned that perhaps Pinky is not a good role model for the Toronto cubbies. Fortunately, the Meihems have offered to mentor the Toronto Duo, after all, they know a lot about being twins! I think we need some kinder, pandy-ish story lines here, to compensate for the horrors of the real world.

Be the Bear, and let’s stay sane out there, okay?
Bob T Panda

Here Comes Mittens

31 Replies

Oh yeah. Mittens the Cat is back and as I previously might have mentioned, once or twice, it is really hard to make stuff up when the stuff you read on the news is already so absurd. As the Nihilists said in The Big Leibowski, “It’s just not fair!” Oh, yeah, here comes Mittens the Cat!

The disappearance of Mr. Bun has taken a back seat to the debate between Princess Pinky, Bob T. Panda, and Mittens the Cat. Tell me when it’s all over…I don’t think I can bear to watch!

“You are all Losers!” – Mittens the Cat

What’s that you say? Mittens bears some resemblance to one of this year’s Presidential candidates? Imagine that! well, if all of this year’s political shenanigans has got you down, get yourself a beer, some cuppycakes, and sit a spell and watch this video by my pal Doxiemom made of Bubba and his mom! I hear panda videos are very relaxing and we are going to need all the relaxing we can get this summer and fall!

Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

Sharing is caring! Share this post with all your friends!

What a World We Live In

10 Replies

It’s no wonder some people (such as myself) have a little bit of a hard time separating fact from fiction. As you will see in next week’s ‘toons, when Mittens takes to the stage, there was so much of his dialog that I could pull from actual news items, that I really didn’t have to make much up. In some ways, it makes my life easier, but in other ways… I’d like the world we live in to be kind and fair and…um…have so many pandas that they become a pest: invasive rather than endangered. They could go into neighborhoods where people have foolishly planted bamboo, which has now gotten out of control, and take care of it, providing fertilizer in addition to pesky plant removal. The Putting Pandas to Work program could go global!

Putting Pandas to Work goes global!

Along with all the political news of the week, I’ve also seen a few references to “sock puppet” accounts on various social media outlets. I don’t know what the big deal is. I’ve always loved puppets.

But they’re so cute!

And as various politicians toot their horns about their popularity, as opposed to that of their opponents…

See? I told you it was broken!

(Ha ha! That one has become one of my all time favorites!)

But as we head into the home stretch of this very long campaign season, let me leave you with a ‘toon that reminds us, that the most important positions in the world should not be awarded through stoking the fears of some, but because of what we can bring to a table where there is room for all.

Consider this my Werld Peez Pandifesto

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

And now for a word from our sponsor! If you enjoy these cartoons and want to support *me* the creator of the aforementioned cartoons, consider visiting my Book Page and buying my books for yourself or for friends! A portion of my sales also goes to support our friends at Pandas International, who support actual pandas!

Oh Where Has My Little Bun Gone?

24 Replies

Oh where, of where has my little bun gone, oh where, oh where can he be? The disappearance of Mr. Bun is such big news that it is the lead story on today’s episode of ZooNooZ! This has all the hallmarks of an international incident of crisis proportions! Will the Toronto Twinkies send Mr. Bun Home? Maybe, but not just yet, I don’t think.

Is that a ransom note I see?

And the demand is that Pinky be nice to Bubba????? Hmmm…this seems kind of suspicious if you ask me. I’m afraid there could be political concussions ahead!

And on a completely unrelated note, This video may replace pandas on a slide as my new favorite panda video! Just part of the Putting Pandas to work program! Nothing here to see…let’s move along, please.

Wednesday’s ‘toon will have more from the missing Mr. Bun controversy and then Mittens the Cat makes his reappearance next week. Be very afraid. This cat is not qualified to hold office!

Be the Bear

Bob T Panda

It’s Going to Get Worse Before it Gets Better

12 Replies

I apologize to you all in advance, in case the current run of ‘toons traumatizes you. But with art as well as in politics, it sometimes gets worse before it gets better. In my work to reintroduce Mittens the Cat (with a whole new fur-do) I am finding that I can’t make up anything more absurd or horrifying than what I hear on the radio or read online.

So in the words of someone or another, sometimes writing satire is just quoting the news. Tom Leher, maybe?

Be very afraid. Bob is…..

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

But before we bring Mittens on, there is the little matter of Mr. Bun. He seems to be…um…missing. Dis. Will. Not. Stand. Hmmm…we seem to be saying that a lot.
Be sure to tune in on Wednesday to see what’s up with Mr. Bun.

Be the Bear
Bob T Panda

Note: I just got word from the folks at WordPress that my site was down for 7 minutes this morning, but now it is back on track. Either it was Pinky trying to hijack my site, or Mittens the Cat got word that we were going to be revealing his evil plans and new fur-do. Be very afraid.