Elmo Supports the Troops

Well, their families anyway. This is from NewsMax:

With a little help from Elmo, Sesame Street is urging parents to level with their little ones - especially those in military families trying to deal with Mom or Dad's lengthy deployment overseas.
"Our goal is to really get military families with young children ... to talk about the different stages of deployment with their children, not only talk about it but prepare them for it," said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of content design at Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street...

The DVD shows Elmo and his parents preparing for Elmo's dad to be deployed, though it doesn't say where he's going.
The characters discuss their feelings, exchange keepsakes and review the reasons why Elmo can't go, too. They promise to think about one another often, and keep up their regular practice of saying goodnight to the moon.
"Elmo, you know, no matter where I am, I'll still be able to see the moon, just like you," his dad says.

This is a pleasant change, and I hope more cartoon characters pitch in with the war effort!