If it’s possible for a stuffed animal to be your best friend, then my panda, Fred, is mine. I’ve had him for as long as I can remember, and he holds a special place in my heart not only for his perfect ability to snuggle, but also because of the fact that he is a panda. Despite Sohrab’s inherent (and joking) hatred of pandas, they are unabashedly my favorite animal.
How could they not be? Look at this face! This is Bei Bei, a five-month old giant panda at the Smithsonian National Zoo who sleeps at every opportunity – my spirit animal.
I’m always excited to go to new cons. Each one features something different, but there is that sense of familiarity that helps it feel like home. As we began our journey around the show floor of Anime Impulse, it became immediately clear what I wanted to focus on. There were pandas EVERYWHERE!
Anime Impulse is designed as a celebration of anime and the varied cultures of Asia, and the entire area was decked out with delicious food, kawaii prints and clothes for sale, and cosplayers galore. There was so much variety, and yet I just couldn’t help but notice a panda theme.
-
- Pop! makes super cute things. This one is the cutest.
-
- I know. It’s a stretch.
-
- There was a PANDA BOOTH.
-
- PANDAS EVERYWHERE!
-
- Loving pandas…
-
- Badass pandas…
-
- Glasses-wearing pandas…
-
- Kawaii pandas…
-
- …and snuggling pandas!
-
- She was so excited to get her picture taken. I couldn’t resist!
-
- This one tipped me over the edge.
Here’s the thing, though. You can’t eat pandas (no matter what the panda hater, Sohrab, says). On our quest for food, we discovered a corner filled with people and a cotton candy machine near the back. It turned out to be an exclusive area for press and VIP attendees – once we got past the bouncer (the staff member with the cute panda hat!), we made a beeline to that cotton candy. Here’s what came out of it:
