"The Muppets...Tendencies towards terror?" actual caption on this news.com.au image
A puppet on Egyptian TV has been accused of transmitting secret messages via a Vodafone commercial to the Muslim Brotherhood, a huge political organization that was until recently running the country, but which has just been banned as a terrorist organization. The spokespuppet, a sassy old widow named Abla Fahita, appeared on a news program to deny the charges.
My favorite part of coverage of this WTF/SMH story is not how it trivializes the real, dire, and intractable situation in Egypt, but the way everyone incorrectly calls Fahita a Muppet. Muppet terrorists, Muppet controversy, Muppet bomb threats, Muppet banned government coup Christian persecution. Muppets Take Cairo. This is the just the kind of publicity and product placement that money cannot buy, and it's gotta drive the Muppet Brand Managers at Disney crazy.
Warning! Autoplay is ON: Egyptian 'Muppet' Abla Fahita has rejected allegations she used an advert to broadcast secret messages to anti-Egyptian government organisations [news.com.au]
Hounding the Muppet Brotherhood [economist.com]
AWESOME HEADLINE UPDATE:
'Paranoia Is the Mother-in-Law of Invention,' Puppet Accused of Terror in Egypt Tells BBC [nyt]
