About Us



P.M.B.Q. Studios is an art studio founded by Phuong-Mai "Mai" Blasich in sunny San Jose, CA.  She started drawing manga (Japanese style comics) as professionals in 1993, and thought we'd always be doing that.  From 2001 - 2003, we drew our own action-comedy comic called Tea Club.

On a fateful day in 1999, Mai first saw the pandas at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington D.C.  They were quite active, wrestling around on a hillside, chewing on bamboo, and swatting at each other with their big paws.  It was so lively, playful, and inspiring!  Upon seeing them, it was clear that not only did they need to be saved, but that Mai would have to capture their Pandariffic spirit and spread it all throughout the world.

Mai's first panda character was Big Butt Panda.  Although he has a shy demeanor, he's not shy about his love of food and is unapologetic about his rotund-ness.  In fact, it's a source of pride and joy, and he encourages others to be comfortable with themselves too.

As the years went by, Big Butt Panda overtook the Tea Club characters as the most popular one.  Eventually, Mai followed the signs of the universe and embraced her reality of being a prolific Panda Artist!

P.M.B.Q. artwork can be seen on t-shirts, art prints, comics, toys and also on a public mural in downtown San Jose, CA.

A Pandariffic Life™

Life is better with Pandas!  We hope you are inspired to live your own Pandariffic Life, through our panda artwork and apparel.

Each P.M.B.Q. Panda character is created with a full personality, and has a life story waiting to be told.  Keep watching your favorite character to see how she or he evolves over time, on garment design and also in our comics!

About Our Pandariffic Products

We are committed to creating the highest quality artwork on responsibly sourced apparel and products.  We strive to make our eco-footprint smaller each day, by using high quality apparel that lasts several years and researching sustainable garments. We do not believe in "fast fashion" and we encourage you to purchase only what you need.

About Our T-Shirts & Screenprinting

Our soft and stylish t-shirts are locally sourced and printed by hand in San Jose, CA.  They are made of high-quality ringspun, soft jersey cotton, and screenprinted in small batches by expert printers.  What this means for you is that your P.M.B.Q. shirts will feel super-soft against your skin, their colors will last for several years to come, and the screenprint will not crack and peel away.

About Our Print-On-Demand Partners

Select designs are printed on demand by our service partners.  These partners have been chosen based on their commitment to print quality, garment quality and customer service.  Garments ordered through these services may have separate shipping costs that are calculated upon checkout.

Should you have a problem with your garment or order fulfilled by one of our print-on-demand partners that does not get easily resolved (which we don't anticipate, but know that life happens), please drop us a line at shop at pmbq dot com so that we can personally help you.

Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee To YOU

We stand behind all of our products and strive to bring the best quality to you, your friends and family. We want you to be 100% satisfied with our artwork and apparel so please don't hesitate to drop us a line at shop AT pmbq DOT com (replace words with appropriate symbols!) if you have any feedback!