diff --git a/config/plugins/visualizations/charts/templates/charts.mako b/config/plugins/visualizations/charts/templates/charts.mako
index 926705d80ef..4910050b7fb 100644
--- a/config/plugins/visualizations/charts/templates/charts.mako
+++ b/config/plugins/visualizations/charts/templates/charts.mako
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@
                 require(['plugin/app'], function(App) {
                     // load options
                     var options = {
-                        id      : ${h.to_json_string( visualization_id )} || undefined,
-                        config  : ${h.to_json_string( config )}
+                        id      : ${h.dumps( visualization_id )} || undefined,
+                        config  : ${h.dumps( config )}
                     }
                     
                     // create application
diff --git a/config/plugins/visualizations/common/templates/config_utils.mako b/config/plugins/visualizations/common/templates/config_utils.mako
index 49f5e188604..d99701d34ad 100644
--- a/config/plugins/visualizations/common/templates/config_utils.mako
+++ b/config/plugins/visualizations/common/templates/config_utils.mako
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
         'action'        : 'saved',
         'type'          : visualization_name,
         'title'         : title,
-        'config'        : h.to_json_string( config )
+        'config'        : h.dumps( config )
     }
     # save to existing visualization
     if visualization_id:
diff --git a/config/plugins/visualizations/scatterplot/templates/scatterplot.mako b/config/plugins/visualizations/scatterplot/templates/scatterplot.mako
index b03fde73834..eb73ccd2ca6 100644
--- a/config/plugins/visualizations/scatterplot/templates/scatterplot.mako
+++ b/config/plugins/visualizations/scatterplot/templates/scatterplot.mako
@@ -50,11 +50,11 @@ ${h.javascript_link( root + 'plugins/visualizations/scatterplot/static/scatterpl
 <script type="text/javascript">
 $(function(){
     var model = new ScatterplotModel({
-            id      : ${h.to_json_string( visualization_id )} || undefined,
+            id      : ${h.dumps( visualization_id )} || undefined,
             title   : "${title}",
-            config  : ${h.to_json_string( config, indent=2 )}
+            config  : ${h.dumps( config, indent=2 )}
         });
-        hdaJson = ${h.to_json_string( trans.security.encode_dict_ids( hda.to_dict() ), indent=2 )},
+        hdaJson = ${h.dumps( trans.security.encode_dict_ids( hda.to_dict() ), indent=2 )},
         display = new ScatterplotDisplay({
             el      : $( '.scatterplot-display' ).attr( 'id', 'scatterplot-display-' + '${visualization_id}' ),
             model   : model,
@@ -78,11 +78,11 @@ $(function(){
 <script type="text/javascript">
 $(function(){
     var model   = new ScatterplotModel({
-            id      : ${h.to_json_string( visualization_id )} || undefined,
+            id      : ${h.dumps( visualization_id )} || undefined,
             title   : "${title or default_title}",
-            config  : ${h.to_json_string( config, indent=2 )}
+            config  : ${h.dumps( config, indent=2 )}
         }),
-        hdaJson = ${h.to_json_string( trans.security.encode_dict_ids( hda.to_dict() ), indent=2 )},
+        hdaJson = ${h.dumps( trans.security.encode_dict_ids( hda.to_dict() ), indent=2 )},
         editor  = new ScatterplotConfigEditor({
             el      : $( '.scatterplot-editor' ).attr( 'id', 'scatterplot-editor-hda-' + hdaJson.id ),
             model   : model,