Index: Modules/_pickle.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/_pickle.c	(revision 88420)
+++ Modules/_pickle.c	(working copy)
@@ -4168,13 +4168,17 @@
         return -1;
     }
 
-    if (_Unpickler_Read(self, &s, x) < 0)
-        return -1;
+    if (x == 0)
+        str = (PyObject *)_PyUnicode_New(0);
+    else {
+        if (_Unpickler_Read(self, &s, x) < 0)
+            return -1;
 
-    /* Convert Python 2.x strings to unicode. */
-    str = PyUnicode_Decode(s, x, self->encoding, self->errors);
-    if (str == NULL)
-        return -1;
+        /* Convert Python 2.x strings to unicode. */
+        str = PyUnicode_Decode(s, x, self->encoding, self->errors);
+        if (str == NULL)
+            return -1;
+    }
 
     PDATA_PUSH(self->stack, str, -1);
     return 0;
@@ -4191,15 +4195,17 @@
         return -1;
 
     x = (unsigned char)s[0];
-
-    if (_Unpickler_Read(self, &s, x) < 0)
-        return -1;
-
-    /* Convert Python 2.x strings to unicode. */
-    str = PyUnicode_Decode(s, x, self->encoding, self->errors);
-    if (str == NULL)
-        return -1;
-
+    if (x == 0)
+        str = (PyObject *)_PyUnicode_New(0);
+    else {
+        if (_Unpickler_Read(self, &s, x) < 0)
+            return -1;
+        
+        /* Convert Python 2.x strings to unicode. */
+        str = PyUnicode_Decode(s, x, self->encoding, self->errors);
+        if (str == NULL)
+            return -1;
+    }
     PDATA_PUSH(self->stack, str, -1);
     return 0;
 }