diff --git a/direct/src/showbase/Messenger.py b/direct/src/showbase/Messenger.py
index f62dfa021d..d6651bc2ff 100644
--- a/direct/src/showbase/Messenger.py
+++ b/direct/src/showbase/Messenger.py
@@ -5,9 +5,72 @@ __all__ = ['Messenger']
 
 from PythonUtil import *
 from direct.directnotify import DirectNotifyGlobal
-from direct.stdpy.threading import Lock
 import types
 
+# This one line will replace the cheesy hack below, when we remove the
+# hack.
+#from direct.stdpy.threading import Lock
+
+class Lock:
+    """ This is a cheesy delayed implementation of Lock, designed to
+    support the Toontown ActiveX launch, which must import Messenger
+    before it has downloaded the rest of Panda.  This is a TEMPORARY
+    HACK, to be removed when the ActiveX launch is retired. """
+
+    notify = DirectNotifyGlobal.directNotify.newCategory("Messenger.Lock")
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.locked = 0
+
+    def acquire(self):
+        # Before we download Panda, we can't use any threading
+        # interfaces.  So don't, until we observe that we have some
+        # actual contention on the lock.
+
+        if self.locked:
+            # We have contention.
+            return self.__getLock()
+        
+        # This relies on the fact that any individual Python statement
+        # is atomic.
+        self.locked += 1
+        if self.locked > 1:
+            # Whoops, we have contention.
+            self.locked -= 1
+            return self.__getLock()
+
+    def release(self):
+        if self.locked:
+            # Still using the old, cheesy lock.
+            self.locked -= 1
+            return
+
+        # The new lock must have been put in place.
+        self.release = self.lock.release
+        return self.lock.release()
+
+    def __getLock(self):
+        # Now that we've started Panda, it's safe to import the Mutex
+        # class, which becomes our actual lock.
+        # From now on, this lock will be used.
+
+        self.notify.info("Acquiring Panda lock for the first time.")
+
+        from pandac.PandaModules import Thread, Mutex
+        self.__dict__.setdefault('lock', Mutex('Messenger'))
+        self.lock.acquire()
+        
+        self.acquire = self.lock.acquire
+
+        # Wait for the cheesy lock to be released before we return.
+        self.notify.info("Waiting for cheesy lock to be released.")
+        while self.locked:
+            Thread.forceYield()
+        self.notify.info("Got cheesy lock.")
+
+        # We return with the lock acquired.
+            
+
 class Messenger:
 
     notify = DirectNotifyGlobal.directNotify.newCategory("Messenger")