Once again, time slipped away from me and there is no new ‘toon for today, but I am working on a new Thanksgiving ‘toon and I’ll have it here next week. What’s time to a panda?
Nooz reached me this morning of the passing to the great beyond of Gao Gao, paterfamilias of the PanDiego Zoo for some 20 something years. Gao Gao was one of the great pandas. Wild born, he was brought to the Wolong base as an injured cub, rehabilitated and set free. I don’t know if he had already lost a chunk of his ear by then. Anyway, as the story goes, after being released, he must have figured what a sweet deal it was at the panda base, and he turned himself back in. Sometime later, he was assigned to PanDiego, to be the mate of the enchanting Bai Yun, who was not getting on with the older panda they had paired her with.
They went on to populate the first great panda dynasty in the US. Their grandson, by way of the effervescent Zhen Zhen, Yun Chuan is now in his grandfather’s seat in PanDiego.
Gao Gao was considered something of a stud muffin by his friends and nannies, as well as a very sweet tempered panda by his caregivers. We were all sorry to see him leave to return to China, but by all reports and pictures, he continued to charm his nannies and was given stellar care.
His last cub in PanDiego was the one and only Wu Self, Xiao Li Wu, or Mr. Wu to his friends and fans. Somewhere along the way, I started drawing him with his ear taped down, as a tribute to his dad, with his half gone ear. To hear Gao Gao tell it, he lost it in a bar fight defending Bai Yun’s honor.
In my as yet unpublished graphic novel, The Pandyland Mysteries: The Case of the Picturesque Panda, Wu loses his ear tape to the dastardly Babette De Panda, who holds it for ransom.
In this season where we are supposed to be grateful, there are arguments for and against gratitude.
I think you all know things to be grateful for are a little scarce on the ground right now, but there is still much for which to give thanks. I am inordinately thankful that you all are still here. I am thankful for pandas, and the community of people who love them. I am thankful for those who are no longer here, for the friendship and support they gave me when I needed it most. I am grateful for that strange place in my brain that spills these stories out. I’m not being hyperbolic when I say that pandas saved me. At a time when optimism disappeared along with most of my income, the pandas arose and said, “Hey look! Over here! We are cute and we have cuppycakes!“
And so here we are.
I hope you are spending the day as you choose, and with whom you choose, and if you’re not, well, there is always third helpings of pie.
Be the Bear,
Bob T the T stands for Thankful,* today, Panda
*Usually it stands for “the”
I was heartbroken to hear about Gao Gao. What a guy. He returned 3 times to the base when they set him “free”. But I’m so grateful that his legacy lives on your ‘toons’.
I had the honor of getting to see him in person (bearson?) multiple times. He was quite the charmer. (Bai Yun: I should say so! hee hee!)
Nothing can top your tribute to Gao Gao, but I came across this “historical” information on him and thought you might be interested. It’s actually quite funny!
https://pandatribe.org/panda-gao-gao-an-ambassador-for-panda-conservation/
Thank you for sending the write up about Gao Gao. He was a smart bear. Small in stature, but massive in intellect.
Love this post and grateful for you!
Gao Gao is a legend. He will never be forgotten. The Story Goes that he was returned to the wild more than once and more than once came back to the base! Smart panda.
I didn’t remember that he returned more than once! That is such a wonderful thing to know about our sainted Papa bear (West coast dynasty!) Seems like there needs to be a ‘toon or two about that.
Among other things I am grateful for you and pandas.
And I am grateful for you. I mean…if no one else read my ‘toons, I’d have to go back to accosting people in the produce aisle, waving my notebook and making people read them.
Happy Thanksgiving! And yes,, there’s always a third helping of pie (with good ice cream, not that cheap stuff). Today let’s focus on the good things and ignore those things that we cannot control/change and really, really tick us off .
Yes, indeed. I am trying to ignore as much of the craziness as I can. I hope your day was good and you had extra whip cream on your pie.
I’m so sad to hear about Gao Gao’s passing. A cute little guy who was stud muffin enough to mate with the lovely, larger than average Bai Yun. As a taller than average woman, I have never refused to date a man shorter than me. (Most have been around the same height as me.) I’m glad Bai Yun did not turn him down and they had a big family – including Mr. Wu who first charmed me when he was a wee panda in the den – and started my love of pandas.
RIP Gao Gao, you were a star.
Gao Gao was a quiet superstar among pandas. I wonder if his smaller than average stature lead him to realize that he would have a better life among the the panda nannies, than among the other wild bears. His original rescue was fortuitous, and he was smart enough to recognize a great deal when he saw it. He will be missed, but I’m already thinking that his career in The Panda Chronicles is far from over. After all, Mehitabel has been gone for more than 8 years, and Nixon’s Ghost doesn’t know when to shut up.