It gives a whole new meaning to the saying, “Tickle me, Elmo.” In a bizarre tale that has several unsavory turns, the man behind (no pun intended) the muppet Elmo was accused of carrying on a homosexual liaison with an underaged boy.

Specifically, the homosexual former lover of the Elmo muppeteer, Kevin Clash 52, asserted that Clash had sex with him when the accuser was only 16. According to Clash their relationship did not start until the accuser was at least 18; he is now 23.

Eventually, the accuser dropped his charges and the question remains: why? The initial charges were brought against Kevin Clash in June. The account of the June accusation, as recorded in the Toronto Star, runs as follows:

“We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action,” Sesame Workshop said in a statement issued Monday. “We met with the accuser twice and had repeated communications with him. We met with Kevin, who denied the accusation.”

The organization described the relationship as “unrelated to the workplace.” Its investigation found the allegation of underage conduct to be unsubstantiated. But it said Clash exercised “poor judgment” and was disciplined for violating company policy regarding Internet usage. It offered no details.

In other words, the incident was swept under the rug, despite the fact that Kevin Clash was found to be doing something inappropriate on the internet. It is not surprising that PBS was quick to ditch this issue; a perverted muppet is a terrible marketing tool for children.

The question is why did the accuser bring this issue up in November after it was dismissed in June only to dismiss it again? Was he paid to go away and never be heard from again? It would not be surprising since PBS would hate the publicity, and PBS and Kevin Clash are not talking now.

That begs the question: Is there still a pedophile on Sesame Street? Whether or not the accuser was over 18 at the time is only legally relevant. The fact is that it takes a sick 50 year old man to take sexual advantage of an 18 year old boy. That is not the sort of person that I would want anywhere near a children’s television program.