diff --git a/objects/builtin_json.go b/objects/builtin_json.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..60bc548
--- /dev/null
+++ b/objects/builtin_json.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package objects
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+)
+
+func builtinToJSON(args ...Object) (Object, error) {
+	if len(args) != 1 {
+		return nil, ErrWrongNumArguments
+	}
+
+	res, err := json.Marshal(objectToInterface(args[0]))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &Bytes{Value: res}, nil
+}
+
+func builtinFromJSON(args ...Object) (Object, error) {
+	if len(args) != 1 {
+		return nil, ErrWrongNumArguments
+	}
+
+	var target interface{}
+
+	switch o := args[0].(type) {
+	case *Bytes:
+		err := json.Unmarshal(o.Value, &target)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	case *String:
+		err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(o.Value), &target)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	default:
+		return nil, ErrInvalidTypeConversion
+	}
+
+	res, err := FromInterface(target)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return res, nil
+}
diff --git a/objects/builtins.go b/objects/builtins.go
index fe7085e..a55d41d 100644
--- a/objects/builtins.go
+++ b/objects/builtins.go
@@ -80,4 +80,12 @@ var Builtins = []NamedBuiltinFunc{
 		Name: "is_undefined",
 		Func: builtinIsUndefined,
 	},
+	{
+		Name: "to_json",
+		Func: builtinToJSON,
+	},
+	{
+		Name: "from_json",
+		Func: builtinFromJSON,
+	},
 }
diff --git a/objects/conversion.go b/objects/conversion.go
index 99996bb..6b762a3 100644
--- a/objects/conversion.go
+++ b/objects/conversion.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package objects
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"strconv"
 )
 
@@ -138,3 +139,90 @@ func ToByteSlice(o Object) (v []byte, ok bool) {
 	//ok = false
 	return
 }
+
+// objectToInterface attempts to convert an object o to an interface{} value
+func objectToInterface(o Object) (res interface{}) {
+	switch o := o.(type) {
+	case *Int:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *String:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *Float:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *Bool:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *Char:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *Bytes:
+		res = o.Value
+	case *Array:
+		res = make([]interface{}, len(o.Value))
+		for i, val := range o.Value {
+			res.([]interface{})[i] = objectToInterface(val)
+		}
+	case *Map:
+		res = make(map[string]interface{})
+		for key, v := range o.Value {
+			res.(map[string]interface{})[key] = objectToInterface(v)
+		}
+	case Object:
+		return o
+	}
+
+	return
+}
+
+// FromInterface will attempt to convert an interface{} v to a Tengo Object
+func FromInterface(v interface{}) (Object, error) {
+	switch v := v.(type) {
+	case nil:
+		return &Undefined{}, nil
+	case string:
+		return &String{Value: v}, nil
+	case int64:
+		return &Int{Value: v}, nil
+	case int:
+		return &Int{Value: int64(v)}, nil
+	case bool:
+		return &Bool{Value: v}, nil
+	case rune:
+		return &Char{Value: v}, nil
+	case byte:
+		return &Char{Value: rune(v)}, nil
+	case float64:
+		return &Float{Value: v}, nil
+	case []byte:
+		return &Bytes{Value: v}, nil
+	case error:
+		return &Error{Value: &String{Value: v.Error()}}, nil
+	case map[string]Object:
+		return &Map{Value: v}, nil
+	case map[string]interface{}:
+		kv := make(map[string]Object)
+		for vk, vv := range v {
+			vo, err := FromInterface(vv)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			kv[vk] = vo
+		}
+		return &Map{Value: kv}, nil
+	case []Object:
+		return &Array{Value: v}, nil
+	case []interface{}:
+		arr := make([]Object, len(v), len(v))
+		for i, e := range v {
+			vo, err := FromInterface(e)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+
+			arr[i] = vo
+		}
+		return &Array{Value: arr}, nil
+	case Object:
+		return v, nil
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported value type: %T", v)
+}
diff --git a/runtime/vm_builtin_test.go b/runtime/vm_builtin_test.go
index 587269e..f6481a3 100644
--- a/runtime/vm_builtin_test.go
+++ b/runtime/vm_builtin_test.go
@@ -113,4 +113,31 @@ func TestBuiltinFunction(t *testing.T) {
 
 	expect(t, `out = is_undefined(undefined)`, true)
 	expect(t, `out = is_undefined(error(1))`, false)
+
+	// to_json
+	expect(t, `out = to_json(5)`, []byte("5"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: 5})`, []byte("{\"foo\":5}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: "bar"})`, []byte("{\"foo\":\"bar\"}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: 1.8})`, []byte("{\"foo\":1.8}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: true})`, []byte("{\"foo\":true}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: '8'})`, []byte("{\"foo\":56}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: bytes("foo")})`, []byte("{\"foo\":\"Zm9v\"}")) // json encoding returns []byte as base64 encoded string
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: ["bar", 1, 1.8, '8', true]})`, []byte("{\"foo\":[\"bar\",1,1.8,56,true]}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: [["bar", 1], ["bar", 1]]})`, []byte("{\"foo\":[[\"bar\",1],[\"bar\",1]]}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: {string: "bar", int: 1, float: 1.8, char: '8', bool: true}})`, []byte("{\"foo\":{\"bool\":true,\"char\":56,\"float\":1.8,\"int\":1,\"string\":\"bar\"}}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json({foo: {map1: {string: "bar"}, map2: {int: "1"}}})`, []byte("{\"foo\":{\"map1\":{\"string\":\"bar\"},\"map2\":{\"int\":\"1\"}}}"))
+	expect(t, `out = to_json([["bar", 1], ["bar", 1]])`, []byte("[[\"bar\",1],[\"bar\",1]]"))
+
+	// from_json
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":5}").foo`, 5.0)
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":\"bar\"}").foo`, "bar")
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":1.8}").foo`, 1.8)
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":true}").foo`, true)
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":[\"bar\",1,1.8,56,true]}").foo`, ARR{"bar", 1.0, 1.8, 56.0, true})
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":[[\"bar\",1],[\"bar\",1]]}").foo[0]`, ARR{"bar", 1.0})
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":{\"bool\":true,\"char\":56,\"float\":1.8,\"int\":1,\"string\":\"bar\"}}").foo.bool`, true)
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("{\"foo\":{\"map1\":{\"string\":\"bar\"},\"map2\":{\"int\":\"1\"}}}").foo.map1.string`, "bar")
+
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("5")`, 5.0)
+	expect(t, `out = from_json("[\"bar\",1,1.8,56,true]")`, ARR{"bar", 1.0, 1.8, 56.0, true})
 }
diff --git a/script/conversion.go b/script/conversion.go
index d1617ff..440ef9a 100644
--- a/script/conversion.go
+++ b/script/conversion.go
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package script
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
-
 	"github.com/d5/tengo/objects"
 )
 
@@ -30,58 +28,3 @@ func objectToInterface(o objects.Object) interface{} {
 
 	return o
 }
-
-func interfaceToObject(v interface{}) (objects.Object, error) {
-	switch v := v.(type) {
-	case nil:
-		return undefined, nil
-	case string:
-		return &objects.String{Value: v}, nil
-	case int64:
-		return &objects.Int{Value: v}, nil
-	case int:
-		return &objects.Int{Value: int64(v)}, nil
-	case bool:
-		return &objects.Bool{Value: v}, nil
-	case rune:
-		return &objects.Char{Value: v}, nil
-	case byte:
-		return &objects.Char{Value: rune(v)}, nil
-	case float64:
-		return &objects.Float{Value: v}, nil
-	case []byte:
-		return &objects.Bytes{Value: v}, nil
-	case error:
-		return &objects.Error{Value: &objects.String{Value: v.Error()}}, nil
-	case map[string]objects.Object:
-		return &objects.Map{Value: v}, nil
-	case map[string]interface{}:
-		kv := make(map[string]objects.Object)
-		for vk, vv := range v {
-			vo, err := interfaceToObject(vv)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-
-			kv[vk] = vo
-		}
-		return &objects.Map{Value: kv}, nil
-	case []objects.Object:
-		return &objects.Array{Value: v}, nil
-	case []interface{}:
-		arr := make([]objects.Object, len(v), len(v))
-		for _, e := range v {
-			vo, err := interfaceToObject(e)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-
-			arr = append(arr, vo)
-		}
-		return &objects.Array{Value: arr}, nil
-	case objects.Object:
-		return v, nil
-	}
-
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported value type: %T", v)
-}
diff --git a/script/script.go b/script/script.go
index 9f36530..5dab3c4 100644
--- a/script/script.go
+++ b/script/script.go
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ func New(input []byte) *Script {
 
 // Add adds a new variable or updates an existing variable to the script.
 func (s *Script) Add(name string, value interface{}) error {
-	obj, err := interfaceToObject(value)
+	obj, err := objects.FromInterface(value)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/script/variable.go b/script/variable.go
index bec167a..13aa210 100644
--- a/script/variable.go
+++ b/script/variable.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ type Variable struct {
 
 // NewVariable creates a Variable.
 func NewVariable(name string, value interface{}) (*Variable, error) {
-	obj, err := interfaceToObject(value)
+	obj, err := objects.FromInterface(value)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}