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The sidewalk in front of the Chinese Theater may seem like a Tinseltown paradise where delighted visitors cavort with shabby versions of their favorite movie characters, posing for no-strings-attached pictures with Batmen and Charlie Chaplins before returning to measuring their extremities against the Chinese's world-famous concrete monuments ("Mommy, Tom Cruise's hands are the same size as mine!"). But this is Hollywood, after all, and things are rarely as innocent as they appear. Concerned that many of these characters were shaking down tourists for tips, the LAPD called a Starving Superhero Summit to lay down the law, and when the super-behavior didn't improve, the cops went deep undercover:

Though many characters left the meeting excited about their roles as responsible "Hollywood Ambassadors," the aggressive solicitation did not abate. So last week, an undercover operation was launched.

Mr. Harper, the 40-year-old Elmo, says he was set up by the cops. But upon returning to his spot a day after his arrest, he conceded that things are tense these days among the characters, who form cliques and alliances to defend their turf and make money. Mr. Harper, for example, says his Elmo is a foe of Batman and Superman, but in cahoots with Mr. Incredible, SpongeBob SquarePants and at least one of the half-dozen Spider-Men who prowl the street.

Members of Elmo's clique often pose in pictures together and split tips when the dollars are flowing. Because many of the costumes have no pockets, wads of cash are often visibly clenched in characters' hands. But as a Saturday stroll down the boulevard showed, other characters are alone and adrift, often wearing ragged costumes and seeming to horn in on others' turf. One Spider-Man and a Puss 'N Boots character, for example, jumped into other characters' pictures at the last minute, then tried to wrangle some of the tip. Both declined to be interviewed.

We don't want to give the impression that all of the characters littering the Boulevard are violent and corrupt; somewhat predictably, there are twin Johnny Depps (in Capt. Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka flavors) who seem committed to keeping their vocation pure. Maybe the Chinese can hire a Sean Penn ringer to help the Depps self-police more effectively, and let the LAPD's fuzzy vice squad off the hook.

UPDATE: The nice folks at the WSJ have released the article into the wild so that Defamer readers can enjoy the whole thing.