Boxing Day Party

 

December 26, 1963 -

Did John give Julian that big Panda bear those fans gave The Beatles earlier in December to Julian for Christmas?  

60 Years of this panda bear stuffy

 November 20, 1963

Seeing the Beatles pose with this stuffed panda will always make me smile. 

All Thanks to a Panda Bear

 You know I love that big stuffed panda bear that became one of Julian Lennon's toys.   Here is a story about the fans that gave it to the Beatles.   It was found in the newspaper website, Express, in March 2019. 

The Beatles AMAZING Story of how one fan met the Fab 4 thanks to a stuffed toy

By George Simpson

November 20th 1963. The Beatles superfan Jacquie Graham was sixteen years ago and couldn’t get a ticket to the Fab Four’s show in Manchester. Nevertheless, she’s revealed to Express.co.uk in an exclusive interview how she ended up meeting The Beatles thanks to her panda toy. Jacquie can’t quite recall why she had the plush animal with her, but she and her friends tried their luck at the concert venue. She said: “We got to the Apollo. Knocked on the stage door and this chap came out and took the Panda.”

Jacquie continued: “He just took it out of our hands and shut the door.

“We were absolutely furious. Very, very upset.”

As a result, the girls took a taxi to the Daily Mirror in Manchester and explained to the paper what had happened.

They ended up back at the Apollo with a photographer, who managed to get into the venue and retrieve the panda toy – but that’s far from the end of the story.

Jacquie revealed: “And the next thing we know, we’re invited into the foyer of the Apollo.

“We were interviewed and then led off to another room and they were there!

“Obviously I don’t remember it in fantastic detail as it was all a blur.

“It’s all just too wonderful, like a dream. We were all just lost for words. John and Ringo gave me a kiss on each cheek.

“I can remember them fooling around and throwing the panda about.”

And incredibly for Jacquie and her friends, they were allowed to watch the show from the side.

She said: “There were no tickets available but they took us into the theatre and we stood at the side of the stage, standing, and we watched the whole show from there.”

But having given The Beatles her panda, its whereabouts are now unknown.

In fact, Jacquie’s daughter has set up a Where Is Panda Now? Facebook page to find it.

The panda did appear in later photos, with the last being of John Lennon with his son Julian in the mid-1960s.

No one’s got back to Jacquie yet, but who knows, maybe it will eventually show up.

Jacquie’s photos were sent into The People Beatles Project, which aims to crowdsource an archive of Beatles fan pictures for a book in May.  (Note from Sara:  The People Beatles Project book only printed a few copies and then it was shut down for reasons unknown to me. ) 

Jacquie revealed: “And the next thing we know, we’re invited into the foyer of the Apollo.

“We were interviewed and then led off to another room and they were there!

“Obviously I don’t remember it in fantastic detail as it was all a blur.

“It’s all just too wonderful, like a dream. We were all just lost for words. John and Ringo gave me a kiss on each cheek.

“I can remember them fooling around and throwing the panda about

The return of Julian's Panda Bear

 

Remembering Robert Freeman

Robert Freeman and John photographed by Ringo Starr

I had Robert Freeman sign my copy of one of his books in 2002 at Beatlefest in Chicago

Paul photo taken by Robert Freeman for a Hard Day's Night

Mal E

Sadly, the famed Beatles photograph, Robert Freeman passed away over the weekend.  Freeman will most likely be remembered as being the man that photographed the cover of the "Meet (or With) the Beatles" album as well as the Rubber Soul album cover.    Freeman took so many great Beatles photographs from 1963-1965.    He was able to capture each of the Beatles' individual personality traits.   He took photos that made the Beatles look sexy in an innocent way.   Millions of girls would hang photos taken by Freeman on their bedroom walls. 

I met him in 2002 and got him to sign one of his books for me.   Tonight I want to honor the great photographer with some of my personal photographs he took over the years. 

Thanks Bob!

55 years since the Beatles were photographed with a big panda bear

Ringo's Panda Bear

Shennon and Lotton

Very sad news earlier today that John Lennon's best friend forever, Pete Shotton passed away from apparently a heart attack.    Pete and John were two peas in a pod during the time they grew up in Liverpool.   They caused mischief everywhere they went together.    Pete played the washboard with the Quarry Men for awhile, but wasn't very musically inclined, so it ended with the washboard being broke over his head.

Once John Lennon became famous, he never forgot his best childhood pal.    Pete was often around and ended up working for Apple for a time.  


Pete Shotton's book is a must read for all John Lennon fans.  He was someone that knew John Lennon better than just about anyone else (with a few exceptions) and he will be missed.

Ivan Vaughn and Pete Shotton

We love Panda Bears

Whatever happened to Julian's Panda?

If you ever found yourself wondering whatever happened to that adorable large stuffed Panda bear that belonged to Julian Lennon and was see in a variety of photographs, then now you will know.  It appears that the head has been removed and is now on the body of a drawing dummy.   Aren't you glad you wondered?

Panda Love

More from 1963

Here are a few more shots from 1963. I think an entire book could be written about the Beatles and that Panda Bear stuffed animal.