diff --git a/Lib/test/test_array.py b/Lib/test/test_array.py
index 0d4c219..9b11edf 100755
--- a/Lib/test/test_array.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_array.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
         array.array.__init__(typecode)
 
 tests = [] # list to accumulate all tests
-typecodes = "cubBhHiIlLfd"
+typecodes = "ubBhHiIlLfd"
 
 class BadConstructorTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
@@ -676,7 +676,7 @@
 
     def test_buffer(self):
         a = array.array(self.typecode, self.example)
-        b = buffer(a)
+        b = bytes(buffer(a))
         self.assertEqual(b[0], a.tostring()[0])
 
     def test_weakref(self):
@@ -708,44 +708,6 @@
         a = array.array(self.typecode, self.example)
         self.assertRaises(TypeError, a.__setitem__, 0, self.example[:2])
 
-class CharacterTest(StringTest):
-    typecode = 'c'
-    example = '\x01azAZ\x00\xfe'
-    smallerexample = '\x01azAY\x00\xfe'
-    biggerexample = '\x01azAZ\x00\xff'
-    outside = '\x33'
-    minitemsize = 1
-
-    def test_subbclassing(self):
-        class EditableString(array.array):
-            def __new__(cls, s, *args, **kwargs):
-                return array.array.__new__(cls, 'c', s)
-
-            def __init__(self, s, color='blue'):
-                self.color = color
-
-            def strip(self):
-                self[:] = array.array('c', self.tostring().strip())
-
-            def __repr__(self):
-                return 'EditableString(%r)' % self.tostring()
-
-        s = EditableString("\ttest\r\n")
-        s.strip()
-        self.assertEqual(s.tostring(), "test")
-
-        self.assertEqual(s.color, "blue")
-        s.color = "red"
-        self.assertEqual(s.color, "red")
-        self.assertEqual(list(s.__dict__.keys()), ["color"])
-
-    def test_nounicode(self):
-        a = array.array(self.typecode, self.example)
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, a.fromunicode, str(''))
-        self.assertRaises(ValueError, a.tounicode)
-
-tests.append(CharacterTest)
-
 class UnicodeTest(StringTest):
     typecode = 'u'
     example = '\x01\u263a\x00\ufeff'
diff --git a/Modules/arraymodule.c b/Modules/arraymodule.c
index 8d66b13..1936da0 100644
--- a/Modules/arraymodule.c
+++ b/Modules/arraymodule.c
@@ -102,25 +102,6 @@
 ****************************************************************************/
 
 static PyObject *
-c_getitem(arrayobject *ap, Py_ssize_t i)
-{
-	Py_UNICODE buf[1];
-	buf[0] = ((unsigned char *)ap->ob_item)[i];
-	return PyUnicode_FromUnicode(buf, 1);
-}
-
-static int
-c_setitem(arrayobject *ap, Py_ssize_t i, PyObject *v)
-{
-	char x;
-	if (!PyArg_Parse(v, "c;array item must be char", &x))
-		return -1;
-	if (i >= 0)
-		((char *)ap->ob_item)[i] = x;
-	return 0;
-}
-
-static PyObject *
 b_getitem(arrayobject *ap, Py_ssize_t i)
 {
 	long x = ((char *)ap->ob_item)[i];
@@ -391,7 +372,6 @@
 
 /* Description of types */
 static struct arraydescr descriptors[] = {
-	{'c', sizeof(char), c_getitem, c_setitem},
 	{'b', sizeof(char), b_getitem, b_setitem},
 	{'B', sizeof(char), BB_getitem, BB_setitem},
 	{'u', sizeof(Py_UNICODE), u_getitem, u_setitem},
@@ -1403,8 +1383,8 @@
 static PyObject *
 array_tostring(arrayobject *self, PyObject *unused)
 {
-	return PyString_FromStringAndSize(self->ob_item,
-				    self->ob_size * self->ob_descr->itemsize);
+	return PyBytes_FromStringAndSize(self->ob_item,
+                                         self->ob_size * self->ob_descr->itemsize);
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(tostring_doc,
@@ -1562,9 +1542,7 @@
 	if (len == 0) {
 		return PyUnicode_FromFormat("array('%c')", typecode);
 	}
-	if (typecode == 'c')
-		v = array_tostring(a, NULL);
-	else if (typecode == 'u')
+        if (typecode == 'u')
 		v = array_tounicode(a, NULL);
 	else
 		v = array_tolist(a, NULL);
@@ -1899,7 +1877,7 @@
 		}
 	}
 	PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
-		"bad typecode (must be c, b, B, u, h, H, i, I, l, L, f or d)");
+		"bad typecode (must be b, B, u, h, H, i, I, l, L, f or d)");
 	return NULL;
 }
 
@@ -1913,7 +1891,6 @@
 is a single character.  The following type codes are defined:\n\
 \n\
     Type code   C Type             Minimum size in bytes \n\
-    'c'         character          1 \n\
     'b'         signed integer     1 \n\
     'B'         unsigned integer   1 \n\
     'u'         Unicode character  2 \n\