diff --git a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
index 069c3467a9..0d86cc289f 100644
--- a/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
+++ b/apps/gui/skin_engine/skin_engine.c
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include "inttypes.h"
 #include "config.h"
+#include "core_alloc.h"
 #include "action.h"
 #include "crc32.h"
 #include "settings.h"
@@ -48,9 +49,31 @@ void theme_init_buffer(void)
     skins_initialising = false;
 }
 #else
-static char skin_buffer[SKIN_BUFFER_SIZE];
+static size_t skin_buffer_size;
+static char *skin_buffer = NULL;
+static int buflib_move_callback(int handle, void* current, void* new)
+{
+    (void)current;
+    (void)new;
+    return BUFLIB_CB_CANNOT_MOVE;
+}
+static struct buflib_callbacks buflib_ops = {buflib_move_callback, NULL};
+
 void theme_init_buffer(void)
 {
+    int fd;
+    size_t size = SKIN_BUFFER_SIZE;
+    fd = open_utf8(ROCKBOX_DIR "/skin_buffer_size.txt", O_RDONLY);
+    if (fd >= 0)
+    {
+        char buf[32];
+        read(fd, buf, sizeof(buf));
+        if (buf[0] >= '0' && buf[0] <= '9')
+            size = atoi(buf)*1024;
+        close(fd);
+    }
+    skin_buffer = core_get_data(core_alloc_ex("skin buffer", size, &buflib_ops));
+    skin_buffer_size = size;
     skins_initialising = false;
 }
 #endif
@@ -113,7 +136,7 @@ void settings_apply_skins(void)
             skin_data_free_buflib_allocs(&skins[j][i].data);
     }
 
-    skin_buffer_init(skin_buffer, SKIN_BUFFER_SIZE);
+    skin_buffer_init(skin_buffer, skin_buffer_size);
     
 #ifdef HAVE_LCD_BITMAP
     skin_backdrop_init();
diff --git a/apps/main.c b/apps/main.c
index a6178829b8..84f8bc3893 100644
--- a/apps/main.c
+++ b/apps/main.c
@@ -350,6 +350,9 @@ static void init(void)
 #ifdef HAVE_REMOTE_LCD
     lcd_remote_init();
 #endif
+    /* This init call allocates an *unmovable* block so must be
+     * before any other moveable allocs. */
+    theme_init_buffer();
 #ifdef HAVE_LCD_BITMAP
     FOR_NB_SCREENS(i)
         global_status.font_id[i] = FONT_SYSFIXED;
@@ -390,7 +393,6 @@ static void init(void)
     tree_mem_init();
     filetype_init();
     playlist_init();
-    theme_init_buffer();
 
 #if CONFIG_CODEC != SWCODEC
     mp3_init( global_settings.volume,
@@ -439,7 +441,10 @@ static void init(void)
 #endif
     cpu_boost(true);
 #endif
-    
+
+    /* This init call allocates an *unmovable* block so must be
+     * before any other moveable allocs. */
+    theme_init_buffer();
 
     settings_reset();