How many of these characters do you know?

The Elephants

Throughout their travels, Foster and Panda have met some extraordinary animal friends. Among the first of these were the elephants, whom they originally met when they went on an African safari. In that adventure, they rode on the backs of the elephants, who rescued them after they had driven their jeep into a river by mistake.

Later, when they went to Cape Town, South Africa, the elephants gave them a ride through a storm to find their flying carpet, which they had temporarily misplaced. Wherever they run into them, their elephant friends are happy to see them and ready to help in any way they can.

The Penguins

Foster and Panda first met the penguins in the Swiss Alps, when they overheard them having a discussion on how to get to the North Pole. Panda politely interrupted to let them know that they should be going to the South Pole, as that is where penguins live.

They found a way to get their new friends started in the right direction and didn’t see them again until they ran into them at the San Diego Zoo, where the penguins were using zoos as bed and breakfast hotels on their way south.

The Men in Orange Jackets

Unbeknownst to Panda when he won the gold medal in karate at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, two men in orange jackets were waiting to kidnap him and try to steal his medal. With the help of the penguins, who were now working as undercover agents while in Tokyo under the witness protection program, Foster was able to free Panda and have the men in orange jackets arrested for running a gold-stealing ring.

The Hamster

When Foster and Panda met the hamster, he was unknowingly helping the men in orange jackets (aka MIOJ) steal chocolate in Bariloche, Argentina. He was working as what he thought was a chocolate delivery hamster, and when Foster and Panda figured out what was happening, he joined forces with them to defeat the MIOJ and return the chocolate to its rightful owners.

Because of his undercover skills, the hamster was hired by the Bariloche police, the Mexican police, and eventually the NYPD.

The Koala

The koala came into the picture at a bus stop in Australia, when Foster, Panda, and the hamster were there trying to find the penguins, who had apparently taken a detour on their way to the South Pole and gotten lost again. Along with the hamster, the koala helped Foster and Panda find their penguin friends and get them back on the right track for their journey to the South Pole.

The Dog in the Orange Jacket

The dog in the orange jacket had been a stray on the streets of Sydney, Australia when he was picked up by the MIOJ and forced to be their dog. Foster and Panda first met him at a McDonald’s, where he had been told to stay while his owners were at a meeting in the back. Wanting to get away from his unfriendly owners, he joined Foster and Panda in search of their flying trampoline, which had been towed away by airport police.

Spike

Spike is a trained rat, who, along with his handler Andre from South Africa, solve crimes for a living. As part of a group called the APOPO Foundation, they track wildlife poachers and bring them to justice. Foster and Panda read about them online and traveled to South Africa to learn more about them.

Spike and Andre showed them how the rats are trained and even let them come along on a case to find missing African gray parrots. Was it any surprise that the culprits turned out to be the men in orange jackets?

François

Foster and Panda landed in François’ back yard when they arrived in Paris to investigate the case of the Louvre jewel heist. François turned out to be an undercover agent for the Paris police. Along with his informants, Jacques and Adele, and their informant, Alexandre, as well as the penguins and the hamster, they were able to prove that the men in orange jackets were the real jewel thieves and have them put once more behind bars.

Do you remember where Foster and Panda met these characters?

Note: The majority of the background photos for the Foster and Panda stories shown here are from Unsplash.com, a royalty-free photography site. Stories and photo editing by Debra Tracy. To download free coloring pages from the stories, click here.