diff --git a/serde/src/de/mod.rs b/serde/src/de/mod.rs
index 5484a7b7..2f3c6a30 100644
--- a/serde/src/de/mod.rs
+++ b/serde/src/de/mod.rs
@@ -571,6 +571,11 @@ pub trait VariantVisitor {
         Err(Error::syntax_error())
     }
 
+    /// `visit_simple` is called when deserializing a variant with a single value.
+    fn visit_simple<T: Deserialize>(&mut self) -> Result<T, Self::Error> {
+        Err(Error::syntax_error())
+    }
+
     /// `visit_seq` is called when deserializing a tuple-like variant.
     fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, _visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Self::Error>
         where V: Visitor
@@ -601,6 +606,10 @@ impl<'a, T> VariantVisitor for &'a mut T where T: VariantVisitor {
         (**self).visit_unit()
     }
 
+    fn visit_simple<D: Deserialize>(&mut self) -> Result<D, T::Error> {
+        (**self).visit_simple()
+    }
+
     fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, T::Error>
         where V: Visitor,
     {
diff --git a/serde_codegen/src/de.rs b/serde_codegen/src/de.rs
index 3f949df0..90f7d7ff 100644
--- a/serde_codegen/src/de.rs
+++ b/serde_codegen/src/de.rs
@@ -555,6 +555,12 @@ fn deserialize_variant(
                 Ok($type_ident::$variant_ident)
             })
         }
+        ast::TupleVariantKind(ref args) if args.len() == 1 => {
+            quote_expr!(cx, {
+                let val = try!(visitor.visit_simple());
+                Ok($type_ident::$variant_ident(val))
+            })
+        }
         ast::TupleVariantKind(ref args) => {
             deserialize_tuple_variant(
                 cx,
diff --git a/serde_json/src/de.rs b/serde_json/src/de.rs
index 8bb33931..efdd53df 100644
--- a/serde_json/src/de.rs
+++ b/serde_json/src/de.rs
@@ -632,20 +632,22 @@ impl<Iter> de::VariantVisitor for Deserializer<Iter>
     fn visit_variant<V>(&mut self) -> Result<V, Error>
         where V: de::Deserialize
     {
-        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self)
+        let val = try!(de::Deserialize::deserialize(self));
+        try!(self.parse_object_colon());
+        Ok(val)
     }
 
     fn visit_unit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
-        try!(self.parse_object_colon());
+        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self)
+    }
 
+    fn visit_simple<T: de::Deserialize>(&mut self) -> Result<T, Error> {
         de::Deserialize::deserialize(self)
     }
 
     fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
         where V: de::Visitor,
     {
-        try!(self.parse_object_colon());
-
         de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
     }
 
@@ -654,8 +656,6 @@ impl<Iter> de::VariantVisitor for Deserializer<Iter>
                     visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
         where V: de::Visitor,
     {
-        try!(self.parse_object_colon());
-
         de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
     }
 }
diff --git a/serde_json/src/value.rs b/serde_json/src/value.rs
index 45cb7785..2cee4427 100644
--- a/serde_json/src/value.rs
+++ b/serde_json/src/value.rs
@@ -687,33 +687,19 @@ impl de::Deserializer for Deserializer {
 
         let mut iter = value.into_iter();
 
-        let value = match iter.next() {
-            Some((variant, Value::Array(fields))) => {
-                self.value = Some(Value::String(variant));
-
-                let len = fields.len();
-                try!(visitor.visit(SeqDeserializer {
-                    de: self,
-                    iter: fields.into_iter(),
-                    len: len,
-                }))
-            }
-            Some((variant, Value::Object(fields))) => {
-                let len = fields.len();
-                try!(visitor.visit(MapDeserializer {
-                    de: self,
-                    iter: fields.into_iter(),
-                    value: Some(Value::String(variant)),
-                    len: len,
-                }))
-            }
-            Some(_) => { return Err(de::Error::syntax_error()); }
-            None => { return Err(de::Error::syntax_error()); }
+        let (variant, value) = match iter.next() {
+            Some(v) => v,
+            None => return Err(de::Error::syntax_error()),
         };
 
+        // enums are encoded in json as maps with a single key:value pair
         match iter.next() {
             Some(_) => Err(de::Error::syntax_error()),
-            None => Ok(value)
+            None => visitor.visit(VariantDeserializer {
+                de: self,
+                val: Some(value),
+                variant: Some(Value::String(variant)),
+            }),
         }
     }
 
@@ -723,6 +709,67 @@ impl de::Deserializer for Deserializer {
     }
 }
 
+struct VariantDeserializer<'a> {
+    de: &'a mut Deserializer,
+    val: Option<Value>,
+    variant: Option<Value>,
+}
+
+impl<'a> de::VariantVisitor for VariantDeserializer<'a> {
+    type Error = Error;
+
+    fn visit_variant<V>(&mut self) -> Result<V, Error>
+        where V: de::Deserialize,
+    {
+        de::Deserialize::deserialize(&mut Deserializer::new(self.variant.take().unwrap()))
+    }
+
+    fn visit_unit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error>
+    {
+        de::Deserialize::deserialize(&mut Deserializer::new(self.val.take().unwrap()))
+    }
+
+    fn visit_simple<D: de::Deserialize>(&mut self) -> Result<D, Error>
+    {
+        de::Deserialize::deserialize(&mut Deserializer::new(self.val.take().unwrap()))
+    }
+
+    fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
+        where V: de::Visitor,
+    {
+        if let Value::Array(fields) = self.val.take().unwrap() {
+            de::Deserializer::visit(
+                &mut SeqDeserializer {
+                    de: self.de,
+                    len: fields.len(),
+                    iter: fields.into_iter(),
+                },
+                visitor,
+            )
+        } else {
+            Err(de::Error::syntax_error())
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn visit_map<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
+        where V: de::Visitor,
+    {
+        if let Value::Object(fields) = self.val.take().unwrap() {
+            de::Deserializer::visit(
+                &mut MapDeserializer {
+                    de: self.de,
+                    len: fields.len(),
+                    iter: fields.into_iter(),
+                    value: None,
+                },
+                visitor,
+            )
+        } else {
+            Err(de::Error::syntax_error())
+        }
+    }
+}
+
 struct SeqDeserializer<'a> {
     de: &'a mut Deserializer,
     iter: vec::IntoIter<Value>,
@@ -773,35 +820,6 @@ impl<'a> de::SeqVisitor for SeqDeserializer<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a> de::VariantVisitor for SeqDeserializer<'a> {
-    type Error = Error;
-
-    fn visit_variant<V>(&mut self) -> Result<V, Error>
-        where V: de::Deserialize,
-    {
-        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self.de)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_unit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error>
-    {
-        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
-        where V: de::Visitor,
-    {
-        de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_map<V>(&mut self,
-                    _fields: &'static [&'static str],
-                    visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
-        where V: de::Visitor,
-    {
-        de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
-    }
-}
-
 struct MapDeserializer<'a> {
     de: &'a mut Deserializer,
     iter: btree_map::IntoIter<String, Value>,
@@ -884,35 +902,6 @@ impl<'a> de::Deserializer for MapDeserializer<'a> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a> de::VariantVisitor for MapDeserializer<'a> {
-    type Error = Error;
-
-    fn visit_variant<V>(&mut self) -> Result<V, Error>
-        where V: de::Deserialize,
-    {
-        self.de.value = self.value.take();
-        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self.de)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_unit(&mut self) -> Result<(), Error> {
-        de::Deserialize::deserialize(self)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_seq<V>(&mut self, visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
-        where V: de::Visitor,
-    {
-        de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
-    }
-
-    fn visit_map<V>(&mut self,
-                    _fields: &'static [&'static str],
-                    visitor: V) -> Result<V::Value, Error>
-        where V: de::Visitor,
-    {
-        de::Deserializer::visit(self, visitor)
-    }
-}
-
 /// Shortcut function to encode a `T` into a JSON `Value`
 pub fn to_value<T>(value: &T) -> Value
     where T: ser::Serialize