diff --git a/Lib/test/test_types.py b/Lib/test/test_types.py
index 106d0a5b3b7..1b6f3acd8f2 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_types.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_types.py
@@ -566,9 +566,9 @@ from UserDict import UserDict
 class mydict(dict):
     def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
         return UserDict(*args, **kwargs)
-try: mydict.fromkeys('a b c'.split())
-except TypeError: pass
-else: raise TestFailed, 'dict.fromkeys() failed to detect non-dict class.'
+ud = mydict.fromkeys('ab')
+if ud != {'a':None, 'b':None} or not isinstance(ud,UserDict):
+    raise TestFailed, 'fromkeys did not instantiate using  __new__'
 # dict.copy()
 d = {1:1, 2:2, 3:3}
 if d.copy() != {1:1, 2:2, 3:3}: raise TestFailed, 'dict copy'
diff --git a/Objects/dictobject.c b/Objects/dictobject.c
index d3603f00458..69adc503019 100644
--- a/Objects/dictobject.c
+++ b/Objects/dictobject.c
@@ -979,12 +979,6 @@ dict_fromkeys(PyObject *mp, PyObject *args)
 	d = PyObject_CallObject(cls, NULL);
 	if (d == NULL)
 		return NULL;
-	if (!PyDict_Check(d)) {
-		Py_DECREF(d);
-		PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
-			"class constructor must return a subclass of dict");
-		return NULL;
-	}
 
 	it = PyObject_GetIter(seq);
 	if (it == NULL){
@@ -999,7 +993,7 @@ dict_fromkeys(PyObject *mp, PyObject *args)
 				goto Fail;
 			break;
 		}
-		status = PyDict_SetItem(d, key, value);
+		status = PyObject_SetItem(d, key, value);
 		Py_DECREF(key);
 		if (status < 0)
 			goto Fail;