diff --git a/demos/mbrot.c b/demos/mbrot.c
index 37b45ba2..e249c378 100644
--- a/demos/mbrot.c
+++ b/demos/mbrot.c
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ int main( const int argc, const char **argv)
     int results[5], rval;
 #endif
 
-    setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+    setlocale(LC_ALL, ".utf8");
     for( i = 1; i < argc; i++)
         if( argv[i][0] == '-')
             switch( argv[i][1])
diff --git a/demos/newtest.c b/demos/newtest.c
index 6f947e29..d5ca7fd0 100644
--- a/demos/newtest.c
+++ b/demos/newtest.c
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ int main( int argc, char **argv)
     unsigned unicode_offset = 0x80;
 #endif
 
-    setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+    setlocale(LC_ALL, ".utf8");
     ttytype[0] = 25;   ttytype[1] = 90;         /* Allow 25 to 90 lines... */
     ttytype[2] = 80;   ttytype[3] = (char)127;  /* ...and 80 to 127 columns */
          /* (This program gets weird artifacts when smaller than 25x80.) */
diff --git a/demos/picsview.c b/demos/picsview.c
index 0c790f14..d807db47 100644
--- a/demos/picsview.c
+++ b/demos/picsview.c
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ int main( const int argc, const char *argv[])
    bool show_help = TRUE;
    SCREEN *screen_pointer;
 
-   setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+   setlocale(LC_ALL, ".utf8");
    for( i = 1; i < argc; i++)
       if( argv[i][0] == '-')
          switch( argv[i][1])
diff --git a/demos/testcurs.c b/demos/testcurs.c
index a2038877..b9f2088b 100644
--- a/demos/testcurs.c
+++ b/demos/testcurs.c
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
     int key, old_option = -1, new_option = 0, i;
     bool quit = FALSE;
 
-    setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+    setlocale(LC_ALL, ".utf8");
 
 #ifdef __PDCURSESMOD__
 #ifdef PDC_VER_MAJOR   /* so far only seen in 4.0+ */
diff --git a/demos/widetest.c b/demos/widetest.c
index bead1b2b..cd2801ab 100644
--- a/demos/widetest.c
+++ b/demos/widetest.c
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ int main( const int argc, const char *argv[])
 
     INTENTIONALLY_UNUSED_PARAMETER( argc);
     INTENTIONALLY_UNUSED_PARAMETER( argv);
-    setlocale(LC_ALL, "");
+    setlocale(LC_ALL, ".utf8");
     screen_pointer = newterm(NULL, stdout, stdin);
     mvaddwstr( 1, 1, precomposed_string);
     mvaddwstr( 2, 1, combining_string);