diff --git a/components/gfx/platform/freetype/font.rs b/components/gfx/platform/freetype/font.rs
index 4d78afd8c46..dfe649a0ca7 100644
--- a/components/gfx/platform/freetype/font.rs
+++ b/components/gfx/platform/freetype/font.rs
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ impl FontHandleMethods for FontHandle {
             }
         }
 
-        let average_advance = self.glyph_index('x')
+        let average_advance = self.glyph_index('0')
                                   .and_then(|idx| self.glyph_h_advance(idx))
                                   .map(|advance| self.font_units_to_au(advance))
                                   .unwrap_or(max_advance_width);
diff --git a/components/gfx/platform/macos/font.rs b/components/gfx/platform/macos/font.rs
index ad3d5bd1b29..dd48e797cd1 100644
--- a/components/gfx/platform/macos/font.rs
+++ b/components/gfx/platform/macos/font.rs
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ impl FontHandleMethods for FontHandle {
         let line_gap = (ascent + descent + leading + 0.5).floor();
 
         let max_advance_width = Au::from_pt(bounding_rect.size.width as f64);
-        let average_advance = self.glyph_index('x')
+        let average_advance = self.glyph_index('0')
                                   .and_then(|idx| self.glyph_h_advance(idx))
                                   .map(|advance| Au::from_frac_px(advance))
                                   .unwrap_or(max_advance_width);
diff --git a/components/layout/construct.rs b/components/layout/construct.rs
index 24d85b7fece..2897f04fa43 100644
--- a/components/layout/construct.rs
+++ b/components/layout/construct.rs
@@ -226,10 +226,10 @@ impl<'a> FlowConstructor<'a> {
         //       value? definitely for string comparisons.
         let elem = node.as_element();
         let data = match elem.get_attr(&ns!(""), "type") {
-            Some("checkbox") => InputCheckbox(node.get_input_checked()),
+            Some("checkbox") => InputCheckbox,
             Some("button") | Some("submit") | Some("reset") =>
                 InputButton(node.get_input_value().len() as u32),
-            Some("radio") => InputRadioButton(node.get_input_checked()),
+            Some("radio") => InputRadioButton,
             Some("file") => InputFile(node.get_input_size()),
             _ => InputText(node.get_input_size()),
         };
diff --git a/components/layout/fragment.rs b/components/layout/fragment.rs
index 010d26f98e0..0be128ccb27 100644
--- a/components/layout/fragment.rs
+++ b/components/layout/fragment.rs
@@ -161,8 +161,8 @@ impl InlineBlockFragmentInfo {
 pub enum InputFragmentInfo {
     InputButton(u32),
     InputText(u32),
-    InputCheckbox(bool),
-    InputRadioButton(bool),
+    InputCheckbox,
+    InputRadioButton,
     InputFile(u32),
 }
 
diff --git a/components/layout/wrapper.rs b/components/layout/wrapper.rs
index 5c634ab3caf..eb1be0b09de 100644
--- a/components/layout/wrapper.rs
+++ b/components/layout/wrapper.rs
@@ -731,16 +731,6 @@ impl<'ln> ThreadSafeLayoutNode<'ln> {
         }
     }
 
-    pub fn get_input_checked(&self) -> bool {
-        unsafe {
-            if !self.get().is_htmlinputelement() {
-                fail!("not an input element!")
-            }
-            let input: JS<HTMLInputElement> = self.get_jsmanaged().transmute_copy();
-            input.get_checked_for_layout()
-        }
-    }
-
     pub fn get_input_value(&self) -> String {
         unsafe {
             if !self.get().is_htmlinputelement() {
diff --git a/components/script/dom/htmlinputelement.rs b/components/script/dom/htmlinputelement.rs
index 251a0dd0439..8c50c6519a0 100644
--- a/components/script/dom/htmlinputelement.rs
+++ b/components/script/dom/htmlinputelement.rs
@@ -81,17 +81,11 @@ impl HTMLInputElement {
 }
 
 pub trait LayoutHTMLInputElementHelpers {
-    unsafe fn get_checked_for_layout(&self) -> bool;
     unsafe fn get_value_for_layout(&self) -> String;
     unsafe fn get_size_for_layout(&self) -> u32;
 }
 
 impl LayoutHTMLInputElementHelpers for JS<HTMLInputElement> {
-    #[allow(unrooted_must_root)]
-    unsafe fn get_checked_for_layout(&self) -> bool {
-        (*self.unsafe_get()).checked.get()
-    }
-
     #[allow(unrooted_must_root)]
     unsafe fn get_value_for_layout(&self) -> String {
         unsafe fn get_raw_value(input: &JS<HTMLInputElement>) -> Option<String> {
@@ -99,16 +93,7 @@ impl LayoutHTMLInputElementHelpers for JS<HTMLInputElement> {
         }
 
         match (*self.unsafe_get()).input_type.get() {
-            InputCheckbox => if self.get_checked_for_layout() {
-                "[X]"
-            } else {
-                "[ ]"
-            }.to_string(),
-            InputRadio => if self.get_checked_for_layout() {
-                "(*)"
-            } else {
-                "( )"
-            }.to_string(),
+            InputCheckbox | InputRadio => "".to_string(),
             InputFile | InputImage => "".to_string(),
             InputButton(ref default) => get_raw_value(self)
                                           .or_else(|| default.map(|v| v.to_string()))
@@ -117,7 +102,7 @@ impl LayoutHTMLInputElementHelpers for JS<HTMLInputElement> {
                 let raw = get_raw_value(self).unwrap_or_else(|| "".to_string());
                 String::from_char(raw.len(), '*')
             }
-            _ => get_raw_value(self).unwrap_or("".to_string()),
+            _ => get_raw_value(self).unwrap_or_else(|| "".to_string()),
         }
     }
 
@@ -369,9 +354,8 @@ impl<'a> VirtualMethods for JSRef<'a, HTMLInputElement> {
 
         if "click" == event.Type().as_slice() && !event.DefaultPrevented() {
             match self.input_type.get() {
-                InputCheckbox | InputRadio => {
-                    self.SetChecked(!self.checked.get());
-                }
+                InputCheckbox => self.SetChecked(!self.checked.get()),
+                InputRadio => self.SetChecked(true),
                 _ => {}
             }
         }
diff --git a/components/style/user-agent.css b/components/style/user-agent.css
index a9def733ef2..4ca752f344d 100644
--- a/components/style/user-agent.css
+++ b/components/style/user-agent.css
@@ -123,3 +123,8 @@ input[type="reset"]     { background: lightgrey; border-top: solid 1px #EEEEEE;
 input[type="hidden"]    { display: none !important }
 input[type="checkbox"],
 input[type="radio"]     { font-family: monospace !important; border: none !important; background: transparent; }
+
+input[type="checkbox"]::before { content: "[ ]"; padding: 0; }
+input[type="checkbox"][checked]::before { content: "[✓]"; }
+input[type="radio"]::before { content: "( )"; padding: 0; }
+input[type="radio"][checked]::before { content: "(●)"; }