diff --git a/lib/merb-core/dispatch/request.rb b/lib/merb-core/dispatch/request.rb
index ff55484..54445e0 100644
--- a/lib/merb-core/dispatch/request.rb
+++ b/lib/merb-core/dispatch/request.rb
@@ -113,10 +113,19 @@ module Merb

     # ==== Returns
     # Hash:: Parameters from body if this is a JSON request.
+    #
+    # ==== Notes
+    # If the JSON object parses as a Hash, it will be merged with the
+    # parameters hash.  If it parses to anything else (such as an Array, or
+    # if it inflates to an Object) it will be put in the json_object
+    # parameter.
     def json_params
       @json_params ||= begin
         if Merb::Const::JSON_MIME_TYPE_REGEXP.match(content_type)
-          JSON.parse(raw_post)
+          jobj = JSON.parse(raw_post)
+          # If the JSON object inflates to something other than a Hash,
+          # we should return it as the :json_object in the params.
+          jobj.kind_of?(Hash) ? jobj : { "json_object" => jobj }
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/spec/public/request/request_spec.rb b/spec/public/request/request_spec.rb
index 8be17a6..7bd4e68 100644
--- a/spec/public/request/request_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/public/request/request_spec.rb
@@ -66,7 +66,13 @@ describe Merb::Request, " query and body params" do
     request.stub!(:route_params).and_return({})
     request.params.should == {"foo" => "bar"}
   end
-
+  
+  it "should support put JSON params that do not inflate to a hash in param 'json_object'" do
+    request = fake_request({:content_type => "application/json"}, :req => %{["foo", "bar"]})
+    request.stub!(:route_params).and_return({})
+    request.params.should == {"json_object" => [ "foo", "bar" ]}
+  end
+  
   it "should support XML params" do
     request = fake_request({:content_type => "application/xml"}, :req => %{})
     request.stub!(:route_params).and_return({})