diff --git a/src/decode.rs b/src/decode.rs
index 39d61cad..e510fdcc 100644
--- a/src/decode.rs
+++ b/src/decode.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 use pyo3::prelude::*;
 use pyo3::types::*;
+use pyo3::IntoPyPointer;
 use serde::de::{self, DeserializeSeed, Deserializer, MapAccess, SeqAccess, Visitor};
 use smallvec::SmallVec;
 use std::borrow::Cow;
@@ -14,11 +15,11 @@ pub fn deserialize(py: Python, data: &str) -> PyResult<PyObject> {
     let seed = JsonValue::new(py);
     let mut deserializer = serde_json::Deserializer::from_str(data);
     match seed.deserialize(&mut deserializer) {
-        Ok(py_object) => {
+        Ok(py_ptr) => {
             deserializer
                 .end()
                 .map_err(|e| JSONDecodeError::py_err((e.to_string(), "", 0)))?;
-            Ok(py_object)
+            Ok(unsafe { PyObject::from_owned_ptr(py, py_ptr) })
         }
         Err(e) => {
             return Err(JSONDecodeError::py_err((e.to_string(), "", 0)));
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ impl<'a> JsonValue<'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'de, 'a> DeserializeSeed<'de> for JsonValue<'a> {
-    type Value = PyObject;
+    type Value = *mut pyo3::ffi::PyObject;
 
     fn deserialize<D>(self, deserializer: D) -> Result<Self::Value, D::Error>
     where
@@ -49,81 +50,85 @@ impl<'de, 'a> DeserializeSeed<'de> for JsonValue<'a> {
 }
 
 impl<'de, 'a> Visitor<'de> for JsonValue<'a> {
-    type Value = PyObject;
+    type Value = *mut pyo3::ffi::PyObject;
 
     fn expecting(&self, formatter: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
         formatter.write_str("JSON")
     }
 
     fn visit_unit<E>(self) -> Result<Self::Value, E> {
-        Ok(self.py.None())
+        Ok(unsafe { pyo3::ffi::Py_None() })
     }
 
     fn visit_bool<E>(self, value: bool) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(value.into_object(self.py).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_i64<E>(self, value: i64) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(value.into_object(self.py).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_u64<E>(self, value: u64) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(value.into_object(self.py).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_f64<E>(self, value: f64) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(PyFloat::new(self.py, value).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_borrowed_str<E>(self, value: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(PyString::new(self.py, value).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_str<E>(self, value: &str) -> Result<Self::Value, E>
     where
         E: de::Error,
     {
-        Ok(value.to_object(self.py))
+        Ok(PyString::new(self.py, value).into_ptr())
     }
 
     fn visit_seq<A>(self, mut seq: A) -> Result<Self::Value, A::Error>
     where
         A: SeqAccess<'de>,
     {
-        let mut elements: SmallVec<[PyObject; 8]> = SmallVec::new();
+        let mut elements: SmallVec<[*mut pyo3::ffi::PyObject; 8]> = SmallVec::new();
         while let Some(elem) = seq.next_element_seed(self.clone())? {
             elements.push(elem);
         }
-        Ok(elements.as_slice().to_object(self.py))
+        let ptr = unsafe { pyo3::ffi::PyList_New(elements.len() as pyo3::ffi::Py_ssize_t) };
+        for (i, obj) in elements.iter().enumerate() {
+            unsafe { pyo3::ffi::PyList_SetItem(ptr, i as pyo3::ffi::Py_ssize_t, *obj) };
+        }
+        Ok(ptr)
     }
 
     fn visit_map<A>(self, mut map: A) -> Result<Self::Value, A::Error>
     where
         A: MapAccess<'de>,
     {
-        let mut elements: SmallVec<[(PyObject, PyObject); 8]> = SmallVec::new();
+        let dict_ptr = PyDict::new(self.py).into_ptr();
         while let Some((key, value)) = map.next_entry_seed(PhantomData::<Cow<str>>, self.clone())? {
-            elements.push((key.to_object(self.py), value));
-        }
-        let dict = PyDict::new(self.py);
-        for (key, value) in elements.iter() {
-            dict.set_item(key, value).unwrap()
+            let _ = unsafe { pyo3::ffi::PyDict_SetItem(
+                dict_ptr,
+                PyString::new(self.py, &key).into_ptr(),
+                value,
+            ) };
         }
-        Ok(dict.into())
+        Ok(dict_ptr)
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/typeref.rs b/src/typeref.rs
index db22b702..68ca82ff 100644
--- a/src/typeref.rs
+++ b/src/typeref.rs
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ pub fn init_typerefs(py: Python) {
         LIST_PTR = PyList::empty(py).as_ref().get_type_ptr();
         TUPLE_PTR = PyTuple::empty(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
         NONE_PTR = py.None().as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
-        BOOL_PTR = true.to_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
-        INT_PTR = 1.to_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
-        FLOAT_PTR = 1.0.to_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
+        BOOL_PTR = true.into_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
+        INT_PTR = 1.into_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
+        FLOAT_PTR = 1.0.into_object(py).as_ref(py).get_type_ptr();
     });
 }
diff --git a/test/test_type.py b/test/test_type.py
index 672e3b78..5fee5d3c 100644
--- a/test/test_type.py
+++ b/test/test_type.py
@@ -31,15 +31,33 @@ def test_bool(self):
             self.assertEqual(orjson.dumps(obj), ref.encode('utf-8'))
             self.assertEqual(orjson.loads(ref), obj)
 
+    def test_bool_array(self):
+        """
+        bool array
+        """
+        obj = [True] * 256
+        ref = ('[' + ('true,' * 255) + 'true]').encode('utf-8')
+        self.assertEqual(orjson.dumps(obj), ref)
+        self.assertEqual(orjson.loads(ref), obj)
+
     def test_none(self):
         """
-        NoneType
+        null
         """
         obj = None
         ref = u'null'
         self.assertEqual(orjson.dumps(obj), ref.encode('utf-8'))
         self.assertEqual(orjson.loads(ref), obj)
 
+    def test_null_array(self):
+        """
+        null array
+        """
+        obj = [None] * 256
+        ref = ('[' + ('null,' * 255) + 'null]').encode('utf-8')
+        self.assertEqual(orjson.dumps(obj), ref)
+        self.assertEqual(orjson.loads(ref), obj)
+
     def test_int_64(self):
         """
         int  64-bit