diff --git a/dev-server/src/index.js b/dev-server/src/index.js
index 58e2699..9158e1f 100644
--- a/dev-server/src/index.js
+++ b/dev-server/src/index.js
@@ -180,6 +180,13 @@ ReactDom.render(
       }
       src={getExampleJson2()}
     />
+
+    {/* String with special escape sequences */}
+    <JsonViewer
+      theme='monokai'
+      name='String with special escape sequences'
+      src={getExampleWithStringEscapeSequences()}
+    />
   </div>,
   document.getElementById('app-container')
 )
@@ -294,3 +301,7 @@ function getExampleArray () {
     }
   ]
 }
+
+function getExampleWithStringEscapeSequences () {
+  return { '\\\n\t\r\f\\n': '\\\n\t\r\f\\n' }
+}
diff --git a/src/js/components/DataTypes/String.js b/src/js/components/DataTypes/String.js
index 29454e5..4faa1d8 100644
--- a/src/js/components/DataTypes/String.js
+++ b/src/js/components/DataTypes/String.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import DataTypeLabel from './DataTypeLabel'
-import { toType } from './../../helpers/util'
+import { toType, escapeString } from './../../helpers/util'
 
 // theme
 import Theme from './../../themes/getStyle'
@@ -46,6 +46,8 @@ export default class extends React.PureComponent {
     const collapsible = toType(collapseStringsAfterLength) === 'integer'
     const style = { style: { cursor: 'default' } }
 
+    value = escapeString(value)
+
     if (collapsible && value.length > collapseStringsAfterLength) {
       style.style.cursor = 'pointer'
       if (this.state.collapsed) {
diff --git a/src/js/components/VariableEditor.js b/src/js/components/VariableEditor.js
index 56cbb84..01b7cde 100644
--- a/src/js/components/VariableEditor.js
+++ b/src/js/components/VariableEditor.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import AutosizeTextarea from 'react-textarea-autosize'
 
-import { toType } from './../helpers/util'
+import { escapeString } from './../helpers/util'
 import dispatcher from './../helpers/dispatcher'
 import parseInput from './../helpers/parseInput'
 import stringifyVariable from './../helpers/stringifyVariable'
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class VariableEditor extends React.PureComponent {
                 {!!quotesOnKeys && (
                   <span style={{ verticalAlign: 'top' }}>"</span>
                 )}
-                <span style={{ display: 'inline-block' }}>{variable.name}</span>
+                <span style={{ display: 'inline-block' }}>{escapeString(variable.name)}</span>
                 {!!quotesOnKeys && (
                   <span style={{ verticalAlign: 'top' }}>"</span>
                 )}
diff --git a/src/js/helpers/util.js b/src/js/helpers/util.js
index a11ea83..6654f8a 100644
--- a/src/js/helpers/util.js
+++ b/src/js/helpers/util.js
@@ -23,6 +23,15 @@ function getType (obj) {
     .toLowerCase()
 }
 
+export function escapeString (value) {
+  return value
+    .replace(/\\/g, '\\\\')
+    .replace(/\n/g, '\\n')
+    .replace(/\t/g, '\\t')
+    .replace(/\r/g, '\\r')
+    .replace(/\f/g, '\\f')
+}
+
 // validation for base-16 themes
 export function isTheme (theme) {
   const theme_keys = [
diff --git a/test/tests/js/components/DataTypes/String-test.js b/test/tests/js/components/DataTypes/String-test.js
index 1ef0a47..26e851d 100644
--- a/test/tests/js/components/DataTypes/String-test.js
+++ b/test/tests/js/components/DataTypes/String-test.js
@@ -6,11 +6,9 @@ import JsonString from './../../../../../src/js/components/DataTypes/String'
 
 describe('<JsonString />', function () {
   it('string component should have a data type label', function () {
-    const rjvId = 1
     const wrapper = mount(
       <JsonString
         value='test'
-        rjvId={rjvId}
         displayDataTypes
         theme='rjv-default'
       />
@@ -19,10 +17,8 @@ describe('<JsonString />', function () {
   })
 
   it('string with hidden data type', function () {
-    const rjvId = 1
     const props = {
       value: 'test',
-      rjvId: 1,
       theme: 'rjv-default',
       displayDataTypes: false
     }
@@ -32,10 +28,8 @@ describe('<JsonString />', function () {
 
   // test collapsed string and expand click
   it('string displaying data type', function () {
-    const rjvId = 1
     const props = {
       value: 'test',
-      rjvId: 1,
       displayDataTypes: false,
       theme: 'rjv-default'
     }
@@ -44,11 +38,9 @@ describe('<JsonString />', function () {
   })
 
   it('collapsed string content', function () {
-    const rjvId = 1
     const props = {
       value: '123456789',
       collapseStringsAfterLength: 3,
-      rjvId: 1,
       displayDataTypes: false,
       theme: 'rjv-default'
     }
@@ -61,4 +53,16 @@ describe('<JsonString />', function () {
       '"123456789"'
     )
   })
+
+  it('string with special escape sequences', function () {
+    const props = {
+      value: '\\\n\t\r\f\\n',
+      displayDataTypes: false,
+      theme: 'rjv-default'
+    }
+    const component = mount(<JsonString {...props} />).render()
+    expect(component.find('.string-value').text()).to.equal(
+      '"\\\\\\n\\t\\r\\f\\\\n"'
+    )
+  })
 })
diff --git a/test/tests/js/components/VariableEditor-test.js b/test/tests/js/components/VariableEditor-test.js
index fe5c100..9d1f57c 100644
--- a/test/tests/js/components/VariableEditor-test.js
+++ b/test/tests/js/components/VariableEditor-test.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         singleIndent={1}
         variable={{
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
       <VariableEditor
         src={{ test: true }}
         theme='rjv-default'
-        onEdit={edit => {}}
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
         rjvId={rjvId}
         variable={{
           name: 'test',
@@ -348,4 +348,28 @@ describe('<VariableEditor />', function () {
     expect(wrapper.state('editMode')).to.equal(true)
     expect(wrapper.find('.variable-editor').props().value).to.equal('5')
   })
+
+  it('VariableEditor renders escaped characters', function () {
+    const wrapper = shallow(
+      <VariableEditor
+        src={{ test: true }}
+        theme='rjv-default'
+        onEdit={edit => { }}
+        rjvId={rjvId}
+        variable={{
+          name: '\\\n\t\r\f\\n',
+          value: '\\\n\t\r\f\\n',
+          type: 'string'
+        }}
+      />
+    )
+    console.log(wrapper.debug())
+    expect(wrapper.find('.object-key').text()).to.equal('\\\\\\n\\t\\r\\f\\\\n')
+    expect(wrapper.find('.click-to-edit-icon').length).to.equal(1)
+    wrapper.find('.click-to-edit-icon').simulate('click')
+    expect(wrapper.state('editMode')).to.equal(true)
+    expect(wrapper.find('.variable-editor').props().value).to.equal(
+      '\\\n\t\r\f\\n'
+    )
+  })
 })
diff --git a/test/tests/js/helpers/Util-test.js b/test/tests/js/helpers/Util-test.js
index fce258d..19d51ba 100644
--- a/test/tests/js/helpers/Util-test.js
+++ b/test/tests/js/helpers/Util-test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import { expect } from 'chai'
 
-import { toType, isTheme } from './../../../../src/js/helpers/util'
+import { toType, isTheme, escapeString } from './../../../../src/js/helpers/util'
 
 describe('toType', function () {
   it('toType object', function () {
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ describe('toType', function () {
   })
 
   it('toType function', function () {
-    const test = () => {}
+    const test = () => { }
     expect(toType(test)).to.equal('function')
   })
 
@@ -60,6 +60,33 @@ describe('toType', function () {
   })
 })
 
+describe('escapeString', function () {
+  it('escape \\\\', function () {
+    const test = '\\'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\\\')
+  })
+  it('escape \\n', function () {
+    const test = '\n'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\n')
+  })
+  it('escape \\t', function () {
+    const test = '\t'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\t')
+  })
+  it('escape \\r', function () {
+    const test = '\r'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\r')
+  })
+  it('escape \\f', function () {
+    const test = '\f'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\f')
+  })
+  it('escape \\\\n', function () {
+    const test = '\\n'
+    expect(escapeString(test)).to.equal('\\\\n')
+  })
+})
+
 describe('isTheme', function () {
   it('isTheme valid theme', function () {
     const test = {