diff --git a/advection/simulation.py b/advection/simulation.py
index aa9c9bc3c..0c2038b8c 100644
--- a/advection/simulation.py
+++ b/advection/simulation.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 import importlib
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import advection.advective_fluxes as flx
diff --git a/advection_nonuniform/simulation.py b/advection_nonuniform/simulation.py
index b9d64088e..ebee09daf 100755
--- a/advection_nonuniform/simulation.py
+++ b/advection_nonuniform/simulation.py
@@ -3,7 +3,10 @@
 import importlib
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import advection_nonuniform.advective_fluxes as flx
diff --git a/compressible/simulation.py b/compressible/simulation.py
index 21718061d..c0e816e38 100644
--- a/compressible/simulation.py
+++ b/compressible/simulation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import compressible.BC as BC
diff --git a/compressible_react/simulation.py b/compressible_react/simulation.py
index 6a8cea182..8bd1bdf41 100644
--- a/compressible_react/simulation.py
+++ b/compressible_react/simulation.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 from __future__ import print_function
 
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 import numpy as np
 
diff --git a/compressible_sr/simulation.py b/compressible_sr/simulation.py
index 5298f9676..82d9926fe 100644
--- a/compressible_sr/simulation.py
+++ b/compressible_sr/simulation.py
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 
 import importlib
 import matplotlib 
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 import numpy as np
 
diff --git a/diffusion/simulation.py b/diffusion/simulation.py
index 3ccd56395..89f711a65 100644
--- a/diffusion/simulation.py
+++ b/diffusion/simulation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 import math
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import mesh.patch as patch
diff --git a/incompressible/simulation.py b/incompressible/simulation.py
index 9c03eec45..0293bd25b 100644
--- a/incompressible/simulation.py
+++ b/incompressible/simulation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import incompressible.incomp_interface as incomp_interface
diff --git a/lm_atm/simulation.py b/lm_atm/simulation.py
index c4c79d4c1..a2f06ed40 100644
--- a/lm_atm/simulation.py
+++ b/lm_atm/simulation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import lm_atm.LM_atm_interface as lm_interface
diff --git a/swe/simulation.py b/swe/simulation.py
index 086ff008b..9db526a3f 100644
--- a/swe/simulation.py
+++ b/swe/simulation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@
 
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib
-matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+try:
+    matplotlib.rcParams['mpl_toolkits.legacy_colorbar'] = False
+except KeyError:
+    pass
 import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
 
 import swe.derives as derives