Tag Archives: zoonooz

Phexit Exit

Before I bring you the final (we hope) episode of the Phexit Exit, I want to share a report that was shared with me by our roving reporter known only as “Ellen N.” who, while she did not visit the actual pandas while visiting in Edinburgh, Scotland (as opposed to Edinboro PA) did discover a bakery in Blair Atholl that MAKES THE FLOUR FOR PANDA CAKES which the keepers at the Edinburgh Zoo make for Lord and Lady MacBear. Yes, they grind flour according to a top secret recipe that they would not reveal to our intrepid investigator, because if they told her they would have to….

Well, you know.

But while they would not share the secret pandalicious recipe for panda cookies (could these be the fabled Scottish Binky Bars?) she was able to photograph the certificate of Panditude awarded to the bakery by the zoo.

Thanks for the cookies!

Thanks for the cookies!

And Now, for Today’s Feature Cartoon!!!!!

Just when Mei thought everything would calm down....

Just when Mei thought everything would calm down….

And if Daddee said his little princess could have a party….

Get ready to be the bear! It’sPinky’s Birthday Season!

Bob T Panda

Where Are The Real Pandas?

Well, it has been a little crazy busy around here, BUT, knowing it was going to get crazy busy, I got a little bit ahead on ‘toons for the weeks past. But of course, now my surplus is about to become a deficit. So I must ask: Where are the real pandas?

“If one more person asks….”

Oh those red pandas! They are such characters!

Oh those red pandas! They are such characters!

In other news, I have met (and hopefully recruited) a new young panda fan to the fold. If you are reading, Liam, welcome to the pandasphere! If there is anyone nicer to meet than a young reader, it is a young reader who loves pandas! Huzzah! Hope you didn’t drive your mom crazy on the way home quoting The Panda Chronicles Book 1: Your Brain on Pandas. That would make me feel terrible! (hee hee)

Keep being the bear! It’s almost Pinky’s (and Bubba’s) Birthday! Plans must be made! cakes must be frosted! Huzzah!

Bob T Panda

Let the Games Begin!

The opening ceremonies are tonight, for the 2016 Summer Olympics taking place in Brazil, a country that, to my knowledge has NO pandas!!!! How can people live like that!?!?! So let the games begin! And no Olympic Games would be complete without…

CUE THE TORCH BEARS!!!! Huzzah!

Is that the twins I see before me? Don't tell Lun Lun

Is that the twins I see before me? Don’t tell Lun Lun

Did the Torch Bears take a wrong turn????

Did the Torch Bears take a wrong turn???? Remember the 2012 Torch Bears?

Pandanastics star, PO of Atlanta Zoo, practices for the Olympics, while the Torch Bears continue their around the world journey. Where will they turn up next?

Pandanastics star, PO of Atlanta Zoo, practices for the Olympics, while the Torch Bears continue their around the world journey. Where will they turn up next? That torch looks suspiciously like a cuppycake to me!

Never underestimate the power of a good "fart joke"

Never underestimate the power of a good “fart joke”

torch bears, money, selling olympic torch

What incident in Paris…Well may you ask! But now what will they do when they get to the Olympics?…..stay tuned!

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of this story!

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of this story!

Oh, those Torch bears!

Oh, those Torch bears!

And what Olympics themed Fabulous Furry Friday would be complete without one our all time favorites, Cookie Medals!

Huzzah!

Huzzah!I get all fluffy when I hear the Olympic theme song!

Going for the ...um...chocolate chip.

Going for the …um…chocolate chip.

See on Sunday, for the next episode of Phexit: the TRUE story!!!!!!

Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda

Please note…Pinky is…um…resting up for her appearance sunday and did not appear in today’s encore presentation.

 

The Olympics are Coming!

The Olympics are coming! Cue the torch bears! Yes, athletes are heading to Brazil to compete in this year’s summer games, and while I have not done any new Olympic cartoons for our favorite pandatheletes, I do have a nice stash of ‘toons from previous games.

Grab your pop corn and overly sugary beverage and sit yer butt down to enjoy these encore presentations of The Panda Olympics!!!!

Huzzah!

Maybe they have a point...

Maybe they have a point…

See, What did I tell you?

See, What did I tell you?

another boring rerun

another boring rerun, but so much fun!

I love the torch bears, don’t you?

Pandas aren't dopes!

Pandas aren’t dopes!

The early days of panda rights groups....

The early days of panda rights groups….and early days of panda satire!

What do you think of my blob?

What do you think of my blob?

'and for the record, it's just "giant slalom." It's not just for pandas.'

‘and for the record, it’s just “giant slalom.” It’s not just for pandas.’

And one of my all time favorite pand-olympic games ‘toon…

Pandas using performance enhancing substances? Say it isn't so!

Pandas using performance enhancing substances? Say it isn’t so!

Well that it for this week! Maybe (if I remember) we’ll have more Olympic pandas next week.

Till then,
Be the Bear,
Bob T Panda

 

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!

24) Dis. Will. Not. Stand!

Dis. Will. Not. Stand!

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

25) "Well Bless your Heart" is not always a compliment

“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?

Bao bao changes panda cub gender

Oh…yeah…how could we forget Pinky?

Atlanta panda cub twins

Huzzah! It’s Bert and his brother Ernie!

Zoo Atlanta Twin panda Cubs

…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?

zoo atlanta, bao bao, national zoo

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!

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

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?

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.

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!!!!!

…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?

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!

Much better to take a selfie with pandas!

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

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!!!!!"

“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?

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!

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