SESAME STREET — Elmo defended his friendship with a newly arrived Chinese exchange Muppet named Mei-Mei after reports surfaced that the mysterious character had been asking questions about the locations of several American military installations, insisting she was simply interested in learning more about the United States.
According to sources, Mei-Mei quickly developed a close friendship with Elmo, frequently inviting him to private dinners and asking him to share everything he knew about American military infrastructure, defense capabilities and national security procedures. The two were also reportedly seen taking photographs outside several restricted military facilities, although Elmo maintained that Mei-Mei was simply collecting vacation memories.
“Elmo doesn’t understand why everybody is making such a big deal,” said the red Muppet, who reportedly met the exchange student earlier this month. “Mei-Mei was very nice to Elmo. She asked Elmo where the military bases were, how many soldiers were stationed there, and which ones had nuclear weapons. Elmo thought she was just really interested in America.”
Meanwhile, FBI officials have reportedly begun questioning several Sesame Street residents about Mei-Mei’s activities, with investigators particularly interested in determining how a children’s television character managed to obtain information that normally requires extensive security clearance.
At press time, Mei-Mei had reportedly returned to China after thanking Elmo for his hospitality and asking whether he knew the location of America’s underground nuclear command center.
