diff -r 657caf5d3eb1 Modules/_elementtree.c
--- a/Modules/_elementtree.c	Mon Dec 03 16:13:48 2012 +0200
+++ b/Modules/_elementtree.c	Mon Dec 03 16:33:57 2012 +0000
@@ -814,6 +814,84 @@
     return PyLong_FromSsize_t(result);
 }
 
+static PyObject *
+element_reduce(ElementObject *self)
+{
+    PyObject *children;
+
+    if (self->extra && self->extra->length) {
+        /* Build a tuple of children. */
+        int i;
+        children = PyTuple_New(self->extra->length);
+        for (i = 0; i < self->extra->length; i++) {
+            PyObject *child = self->extra->children[i];
+            Py_INCREF(child);
+            PyTuple_SET_ITEM(children, i, child);
+        }
+    }
+    else {
+        /* No children. */
+        Py_INCREF(Py_None);
+        children = Py_None;
+    }
+
+    if (self->extra && self->extra->attrib && self->extra->attrib != Py_None) {
+        return Py_BuildValue("O(OO)(OOO)", Py_TYPE(self), self->tag,
+                             self->extra->attrib,
+                             self->text, self->tail, children);
+    }
+    else {
+        return Py_BuildValue("O(O)(OOO)", Py_TYPE(self), self->tag,
+                             self->text, self->tail, children);
+    }
+}
+PyDoc_STRVAR(reduce_doc, "Return state information for pickling.");
+
+static PyObject *
+element_setstate(ElementObject *self, PyObject *state)
+{
+    PyObject *text, *tail, *children;
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple(state, "OOO", &text, &tail, &children))
+        return NULL;
+
+    Py_CLEAR(self->text);
+    self->text = text;
+    Py_INCREF(self->text);
+
+    Py_CLEAR(self->tail);
+    self->tail = tail;
+    Py_INCREF(self->tail);
+
+    if (children == Py_None) {
+        /* No children. */
+    }
+    else if (!PyTuple_Check(children)) {
+        /* Internal error? */
+        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_SystemError,
+                        "Expected _elementtree.__setstate__() "
+                        "to be passed a tuple");
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    else {
+        /* Have children. */
+        Py_ssize_t n = PyTuple_Size(children);
+        int i;
+
+        /* ### TODO: verify this block doesn't interfere with attrib */
+        /* attrib, if any, will have been set by now. */
+        assert(! self->extra || ! self->extra->length);
+        if (element_resize(self, n) < 0)
+            return NULL;
+
+        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+            if (element_add_subelement(self, PyTuple_GET_ITEM(children, i)) < 0)
+                return NULL;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    Py_RETURN_NONE;
+}
+
 LOCAL(int)
 checkpath(PyObject* tag)
 {
@@ -1582,6 +1660,8 @@
     {"__copy__", (PyCFunction) element_copy, METH_VARARGS},
     {"__deepcopy__", (PyCFunction) element_deepcopy, METH_VARARGS},
     {"__sizeof__", element_sizeof, METH_NOARGS},
+    {"__reduce__", (PyCFunction)element_reduce, METH_NOARGS, reduce_doc},
+    {"__setstate__", (PyCFunction)element_setstate, METH_O},
 
     {NULL, NULL}
 };
@@ -1686,6 +1766,10 @@
 
 static PyTypeObject Element_Type = {
     PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0)
+#if 1
+    /* ### TODO: other type objects need the same treatment? */
+    "_elementtree" "." 
+#endif
     "Element", sizeof(ElementObject), 0,
     /* methods */
     (destructor)element_dealloc,                    /* tp_dealloc */