diff --git a/gm/badpaint.cpp b/gm/badpaint.cpp
index 45b17f85fe..cce81465ad 100644
--- a/gm/badpaint.cpp
+++ b/gm/badpaint.cpp
@@ -30,12 +30,10 @@ protected:
         SkMatrix badMatrix;
         badMatrix.setAll(0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0);
 
-#if 0 // This crashes pipe!
         // Empty bitmap.
         fPaints.push_back().setColor(SK_ColorGREEN);
         fPaints.back().setShader(SkShader::CreateBitmapShader(emptyBmp, SkShader::kClamp_TileMode,
                                                               SkShader::kClamp_TileMode))->unref();
-#endif
 
         // Non-invertible local matrix.
         fPaints.push_back().setColor(SK_ColorGREEN);
diff --git a/src/core/SkEmptyShader.h b/src/core/SkEmptyShader.h
index 8809d5f958..7b87c284f7 100644
--- a/src/core/SkEmptyShader.h
+++ b/src/core/SkEmptyShader.h
@@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ protected:
         return NULL;
     }
 
+    void flatten(SkWriteBuffer& buffer) const override {
+        // Do nothing.
+        // We just don't want to fall through to SkShader::flatten(),
+        // which will write data we don't care to serialize or decode.
+    }
+
 private:
     typedef SkShader INHERITED;
 };