diff --git a/shell/data/Makefile.am b/shell/data/Makefile.am
index 1f0f9c05..5bdb6b88 100644
--- a/shell/data/Makefile.am
+++ b/shell/data/Makefile.am
@@ -1,4 +1,7 @@
+matchboxthemedir = $(datadir)/themes/olpc/matchbox
+matchboxtheme_DATA = theme.xml
+
 confdir = $(pkgdatadir)
 conf_DATA = kbdconfig
 
-EXTRA_DIST = $(conf_DATA)
+EXTRA_DIST = $(conf_DATA) $(matchboxtheme_DATA)
diff --git a/shell/data/theme.xml b/shell/data/theme.xml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0222007d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shell/data/theme.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,268 @@
+<?xml version="1.0"?>
+<theme name="Default" author="Matthew Allum - mallum@handhelds.org"
+       desc="" version="1.0" engine_version="1" >
+
+<color id="white" def="#ffffff" />
+<color id="black" def="#000000" />
+
+<color id="borderdark" def="#acaaa5" />
+<color id="borderlight" def="#fcfaf5" />
+<color id="bordermid" def="#bcbab5" />
+
+<color id="grad1" def="#dadad5" />
+<color id="grad2" def="#dadad5" />
+<color id="grad3" def="#dadad5" />
+
+<color id="menuborder" def="#acaaa5" />
+<color id="menubg" def="#dadad5" />
+<color id="menutext" def="#000000C8" />
+
+<!-- below is menu highlight and highlighted titlebar color -->
+<color id="menuhl" def="#486880" />
+
+<color id="trans" def="#ffffff00" />
+<color id="textcol" def="#ffffff" />
+
+<color id="shadowcol"   def="#11111166" />
+
+<font id="titlefont" def="Sans bold 16px" />
+<font id="menufont" def="Sans bold 16px" />
+
+<frame id="main" height="20">
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="borderdark" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="13" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="grad1" endcol="grad2"/>
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="17" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="22" y="3" w="100%-44"  h="14" 
+   type="plain" color="menuhl"/>
+
+  <layer x="22" y="3" w="1"  h="1" type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+  <layer x="22" y="16" w="1"  h="1" type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+  <layer x="100%-23" y="3" w="1"  h="1" type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+  <layer x="100%-23" y="16" w="1"  h="1" type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="1" y="19" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="100%-3" y="19" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <!-- <layer x="6" y="2" w="16"  h="16" type="icon" />-->
+
+  <layer x="26" y="3" w="100%-60" h="20" 
+   type="label" color="textcol" justify="left" font="titlefont" />
+
+
+  <button x="labelx" y="0" w="labelw" h="20" 
+   action="menu" options="inputonly" /> -
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="main-east" width="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="main-west"  width="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="main-south" height="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="100%-2" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="100%-3" y="0" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="3" y="1" w="100%-6"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="dialog" height="20" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="borderdark" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="13" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="grad1" endcol="grad2"/>
+
+  <layer x="1" y="15" w="100%-2"  h="4" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="grad2" endcol="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="1"  h="100%-1" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="borderlight" endcol="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="100%-2" y="1" w="1"  h="100%-1" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="borderlight" endcol="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="2" y="19" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="100%-3" y="19" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="5" y="3" w="100%-60" h="20" 
+   type="label" color="black" justify="left" font="titlefont" />
+
+</frame>
+
+
+<frame id="dialog-north" height="4">
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="borderdark" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="2" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="1"  h="100%-1" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="borderlight" endcol="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="100%-2" y="1" w="1"  h="100%-1" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="borderlight" endcol="grad3"/>
+
+  <layer x="2" y="19" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="100%-3" y="19" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+  
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="dialog-east" width="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="dialog-west" width="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="dialog-south" height="4" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="bordermid" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="100%-2" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="100%-3" y="0" w="2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="grad3" />
+
+  <layer x="3" y="1" w="100%-6"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<!-- below frames are likely not needed, legacy stuff -->
+
+<frame id="utility-max" width="20">
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="borderdark" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="100%-2" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="grad1" endcol="grad2"/>
+
+  <button x="0" y="0" w="100%" h="100%" action="minimize" options="inputonly"/>
+
+</frame>
+
+<frame id="utility-min" height="20">
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="borderdark" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="1" w="100%-2"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="borderlight" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="2" w="100%-2"  h="100%-2" 
+   type="gradient-vert" startcol="grad1" endcol="grad2"/>
+
+  <layer x="5" y="3" w="100%-60" h="20" 
+   type="label" color="black" justify="left" font="titlefont" />
+
+  <button x="0" y="0" w="100%-20" h="100%" 
+  action="maximize" options="inputonly"/>
+
+</frame>
+
+
+<frame id="menu" 
+        border_north="2" 
+	border_south="3" 
+	border_west="2" 
+        border_east="2"
+        font="menufont" 
+	highlight="menuhl"
+        color="black" 
+	options="shaped" >
+
+  <layer x="0" y="0" w="100%"  h="100%" 
+   type="plain" color="menuborder" />
+
+  <layer x="1" y="0" w="100%-2"  h="100%-1" 
+   type="plain" color="menubg" />
+
+  <layer x="0" y="-1" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="trans" />
+
+  <layer x="-1" y="-1" w="1"  h="1" 
+   type="plain" color="trans" />
+
+</frame>
+
+<shadow style="none"/>
+
+</theme>
diff --git a/sugar/session/MatchboxProcess.py b/sugar/session/MatchboxProcess.py
index fccf47a1..4fd47417 100644
--- a/sugar/session/MatchboxProcess.py
+++ b/sugar/session/MatchboxProcess.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ class MatchboxProcess(Process):
 		options = '-kbdconfig %s ' % kbd_config
 
 		options += '-use_titlebar no '
+		options += '-theme olpc '
 
 		command = 'matchbox-window-manager %s ' % options
 		Process.__init__(self, command)