diff --git a/redbot/__init__.py b/redbot/__init__.py
index a429c2c37..edf21f713 100644
--- a/redbot/__init__.py
+++ b/redbot/__init__.py
@@ -4,10 +4,6 @@ import discord
 
 # Let's do all the dumb version checking in one place.
 
-
-if sys.version_info < (3, 5, 2):
-    typing.TYPE_CHECKING = False
-
 if discord.version_info.major < 1:
     print("You are not running the rewritten version of discord.py.\n\n"
           "In order to use Red v3 you MUST be running d.py version"
diff --git a/redbot/core/bot.py b/redbot/core/bot.py
index 6c5eb773d..2c3598278 100644
--- a/redbot/core/bot.py
+++ b/redbot/core/bot.py
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ from . import (
 )
 from .help_formatter import Help, help as help_
 
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+from .utils import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from aiohttp_json_rpc import JsonRpc
diff --git a/redbot/core/core_commands.py b/redbot/core/core_commands.py
index 97e60b1a4..0e84d6d4f 100644
--- a/redbot/core/core_commands.py
+++ b/redbot/core/core_commands.py
@@ -18,9 +18,8 @@ from redbot.core import rpc
 from redbot.core import __version__
 from redbot.core.context import RedContext
 
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
-
-from redbot.core.utils.chat_formatting import pagify, box
+from .utils import TYPE_CHECKING
+from .utils.chat_formatting import pagify, box
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from redbot.core.bot import Red
diff --git a/redbot/core/data_manager.py b/redbot/core/data_manager.py
index b8b2c5386..a3ee5db44 100644
--- a/redbot/core/data_manager.py
+++ b/redbot/core/data_manager.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, List
+from typing import List
 import hashlib
 import shutil
 import logging
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import logging
 import appdirs
 
 from .json_io import JsonIO
+from .utils import TYPE_CHECKING
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from . import Config
diff --git a/redbot/core/rpc.py b/redbot/core/rpc.py
index 8d4b0d0ab..2aeb7bc7f 100644
--- a/redbot/core/rpc.py
+++ b/redbot/core/rpc.py
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-from typing import NewType, TYPE_CHECKING
-
 import asyncio
 
 from aiohttp.web import Application
@@ -7,6 +5,8 @@ from aiohttp_json_rpc import JsonRpc
 
 import logging
 
+from .utils import TYPE_CHECKING, NewType
+
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from .bot import Red
 
diff --git a/redbot/core/utils/__init__.py b/redbot/core/utils/__init__.py
index e69de29bb..3b8197b8c 100644
--- a/redbot/core/utils/__init__.py
+++ b/redbot/core/utils/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+__all__ = ['TYPE_CHECKING', 'NewType']
+
+try:
+    from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+except ImportError:
+    TYPE_CHECKING = False
+
+try:
+    from typing import NewType
+except ImportError:
+    def NewType(name, tp):
+        return type(name, (tp,), {})