diff --git a/src/yaml/SConscript b/src/yaml/SConscript
index c38096b..e7aeeb2 100644
--- a/src/yaml/SConscript
+++ b/src/yaml/SConscript
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Import('env')
 files = [
     'parsers.cc',
     'object_parser.cc',
+    'scalarMappingParser.cc',
     'scene_parser.cc',
 ]
 
diff --git a/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.cc b/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9e8c05f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/* scalarMappingParser.cc
+ * vim: set tw=80:
+ * Eryn Wells <eryn@erynwells.me>
+ */
+/**
+ * Implementation of ScalarMappingParser.
+ */
+
+#include <cassert>
+#include <cstdio>
+
+#include "scalarMappingParser.hh"
+
+
+namespace yaml {
+
+ScalarMappingParser::ScalarMappingParser(Scene& scene,
+                                         ParserStack& parsers)
+    : Parser(scene, parsers),
+      mShouldExpectKey(true)
+{ }
+
+
+ScalarMappingParser::~ScalarMappingParser()
+{ }
+
+
+void
+ScalarMappingParser::HandleEvent(yaml_event_t& event)
+{
+    if (mShouldExpectKey && event.type == YAML_SCALAR_EVENT) {
+        HandleKeyEvent(std::string((char*)event.data.scalar.value,
+                                   event.data.scalar.length));
+    }
+    else {
+        HandleValueEvent(event);
+    }
+}
+
+#pragma mark key/value handling
+
+void
+ScalarMappingParser::HandleKeyEvent(const std::string& key)
+{
+    printf("%s: key = %s\n", __PRETTY_FUNCTION__, key.c_str());
+    assert(false);
+}
+
+
+#pragma clang diagnostic push
+#pragma clang diagnostic ignored "-Wunused-parameter"
+
+void
+ScalarMappingParser::HandleValueEvent(yaml_event_t& event)
+{
+    assert(false);
+}
+
+#pragma clang diagnostic pop
+
+
+void
+ScalarMappingParser::SetShouldExpectKey(bool shouldExpectKey)
+{
+    mShouldExpectKey = shouldExpectKey;
+}
+
+
+bool
+ScalarMappingParser::GetShouldExpectKey()
+    const
+{
+    return mShouldExpectKey;
+}
+
+} /* namespace yaml */
diff --git a/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.hh b/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.hh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb4771d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/yaml/scalarMappingParser.hh
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/* scalarMappingParser.hh
+ * vim: set tw=80:
+ * Eryn Wells <eryn@erynwells.me>
+ */
+/**
+ * Declares a yaml::ScalarMappingParser.
+ */
+
+
+#ifndef __YAML_SCALARMAPPINGPARSER_HH__
+#define __YAML_SCALARMAPPINGPARSER_HH__
+
+#include <functional>
+#include <map>
+#include <string>
+
+#include "yaml/parsers.hh"
+
+
+namespace yaml {
+
+struct ScalarMappingParser
+    : public Parser
+{
+    ScalarMappingParser(Scene& scene, ParserStack& parsers);
+    virtual ~ScalarMappingParser();
+
+    void HandleEvent(yaml_event_t& event);
+
+protected:
+    virtual void HandleKeyEvent(const std::string& key);
+    virtual void HandleValueEvent(yaml_event_t& event);
+
+    void SetShouldExpectKey(bool shouldExpectKey);
+    bool GetShouldExpectKey() const;
+
+private:
+	/** Subclasses set this to `true` when they're finished parsing the value. */
+	bool mShouldExpectKey;
+};
+
+} /* namespace yaml */
+
+#endif /* __YAML_SCALARMAPPINGPARSER_HH__ */