July 8 - Bedtime for Cousin Lee

Cousin Lee is all snuggled up in her nice, soft and comfy bed. The nice cool tradewinds are blowing into her upstairs bedroom through the open windows, where she has a great view of her Pearl City neighborhood and Pearl Harbor. It all makes for one happy hapa. Lee loves living in Hawaii, and she's ready to close her eyes and say aloha o'e to another day in paradise nei. And with her bedroom door locked, no screaming keiki or hyperactive pets can barge in and ruin her mood. :)

May 25 - Mine!

Little baby Robbie just learned a new word, and it's striking terror into his parents Ricki Lee & Tony. He loves innocently showing off his expanded vocabulary and is quite proud of himself. This is the title card of a Flash animation I'm working on.

May 22 - We Are Na Ali'i... Seriously

Here are some of the students and faculty Ricki Lee works with at Calvary High School of Hawaii in Honolulu, where she teaches English and Japanese as well as coach the three-member cheer team. From left to right are school mascot Ono Grindz the Ali'i Sheep, Ricki's mentor Mrs. Yamashita (aka Tutu Huhu), Ricki, cheer captain Tita Silva and her class-clown boyfriend Jared McMooney. The L in "School" perpetually falls to an angle because the pegs behind the L won't stay put in the concrete, but as an inside joke the administration just leaves it that way to remind themselves and the student body that despite our best efforts to keep up outward appearances, all of us are still imperfect and sinful before a perfect God--but thanks to the finished work of Jesus on the cross, we stand before the Father as if we never sinned.

April 18 - Don't Get Huhu in Ricki Lee's Classroom

Ricki Lee teaches English and Japanese at Calvary High School of Hawaii, a tiny private Christian high school in suburban Honolulu. Tita Silva is the short but spirited captain of the CHS cheer squad, which Ricki coaches. Tita's temper tends to be just as short as she is, and she often makes a fool of herself when she gets huhu (angry) over the dumbest of things. Now she is learning the hard way during detention that you don't do such things in your coach's English class, and she can't blame her Portugese and Samoan heritage for her huhu. Hence the sneer. Bart Simpson isn't the only one, you know.

April 12 - Da Kine Easter Parade

I created this happy Easter cartoon on Easter Sunday, which this year in the United States was on the last day of March. I did a thumbnail sketch in my notebook a few weeks before, then after my church's Easter sunrise service I drew the final edition on the back of an envelope at the Cafe Westminster in Westminster, California and scanned it into my laptop.

The Rogers ohana is dressed in their hau'oli Easter best--pet mongoose included--to celebrate the resurrection of Christ at a local Easter sunrise service. And in doing so they are putting on their own version of Da Kine Easter Parade, yeah? Pictured from left to right are Cousin Lee, her adopted daughter Keisha, Lani Girl the mongoose, and arm-in-arm Lee's parents Della and Pete. Keisha laughs at Tutu's Easter bonnet because she's never seen one before and to her it looks so wonderfully ridiculous. :)

St. Patrick's Day in Hawaii Nei

Do people celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Hawaii? Why faith and begorrah, of course they do, brah--but with an island twist. Ricki Lee, dressed as an Irish folk dancer, is happily swinging on a vine from the big banyan tree with baby Robbie in tow. Her Uncle Pete and Aunt Della mix shakas with shamrocks on the lawn, joining their daughter Lee (who is "Hapa Irish" through her dad), adopted granddaughter Keisha, Ricki's other son Isaac on the other vine, and the ohana pets Xena the Chihuahua and Lani Girl the mongoose.

November 2 - Late Night HDTV

This should have been posted before Halloween, but I've been busy with work this week and haven't been able to until now. This animated video was made during the summer and is the sequel to a 2009 Ricki Lee & Tony cartoon, Late Night TV. As the name implies, this new one is high-definition and widescreen. Here, cousins Issac and Keisha are watching test patterns while Cousin Lee (Keisha's adopted mom) is sleeping. The keiki (kids) make jokes about Popsicle flavors and donuts while the noise wakes poor Lisa up to a bizarre TV nightmare.