diff --git a/spec/Observable-spec.ts b/spec/Observable-spec.ts
index 5e8f2c5d61..f82251b694 100644
--- a/spec/Observable-spec.ts
+++ b/spec/Observable-spec.ts
@@ -653,6 +653,41 @@ describe('Observable.create', () => {
       }
     });
   });
+
+  describe('pipe', () => {
+    it('should exist', () => {
+      expect(Observable.prototype.pipe).to.exist;
+    });
+
+    it('should pipe through multiple functions', () => {
+      const ob1 = Observable.of(1);
+      const ob2 = Observable.of(2);
+      const ob3 = Observable.of(3);
+      const ob4 = Observable.of(4);
+      const results = [];
+
+      const piped = ob1.pipe(
+        s => {
+          expect(s).to.equal(ob1);
+          return ob2;
+        },
+        s => {
+          expect(s).to.equal(ob2);
+          return ob3;
+        },
+        s => {
+          expect(s).to.equal(ob3);
+          return ob4;
+        },
+      );
+
+      expect(piped).to.equal(ob4);
+
+      piped.subscribe(x => results.push(x), null, () => results.push('done'));
+
+      expect(results).to.deep.equal([4, 'done']);
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 /** @test {Observable} */
diff --git a/spec/Subject-spec.ts b/spec/Subject-spec.ts
index 0a4b57776d..1b2cbbbace 100644
--- a/spec/Subject-spec.ts
+++ b/spec/Subject-spec.ts
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ describe('Subject', () => {
     it('should handle subject never emits', () => {
       const observable = hot('-').asObservable();
 
-      expectObservable(observable).toBe(<any>[]);
+      expectObservable(observable).toBe('-');
     });
 
     it('should handle subject completes without emits', () => {
diff --git a/spec/pipe/map-spec.ts b/spec/pipe/map-spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a354602204
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/pipe/map-spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+
+import * as Rx from '../../dist/cjs/Rx';
+import marbleTestingSignature = require('../helpers/marble-testing'); // tslint:disable-line:no-require-imports
+
+declare const { asDiagram };
+declare const hot: typeof marbleTestingSignature.hot;
+declare const cold: typeof marbleTestingSignature.cold;
+declare const expectObservable: typeof marbleTestingSignature.expectObservable;
+declare const expectSubscriptions: typeof marbleTestingSignature.expectSubscriptions;
+
+describe('map-pipe', () => {
+  it('should pipe through the map operator', () => {
+    const s1 = cold( '---a--b--c--|');
+    const project = x => x + x;
+    expectObservable(Rx.Pipe.map(project)(s1)).toBe(s1.map(project));
+  });
+
+  it('should work with Observable.prototype.pipe', () => {
+    const values = {
+      a: 1,
+      b: 2,
+      c: 3,
+      x: 1,
+      y: 1.5,
+      z: 2
+    };
+
+    const s1 = cold( '---a---b---c---|', values);
+    const expected = '---x---y---z---|';
+    const { map } = Rx.Pipe;
+
+    const t1 = s1.pipe(
+      map((x: number) => x + 1),
+      map((x: number) => x / 2)
+    );
+
+    expectObservable(t1).toBe(expected, values);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/spec/util/compose-spec.ts b/spec/util/compose-spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9a5f512f9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/util/compose-spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { expect } from 'chai';
+import { compose } from '../../dist/cjs/util/compose';
+
+describe('compose', () => {
+  it('should exist', () => {
+    expect(compose).to.be.a('function');
+  });
+
+  it('should compose functions together', () => {
+    const addOne = x => x + 1;
+    const double = x => x + x;
+    const square = x => x * x;
+
+    const composed = compose(
+      addOne,
+      double,
+      square
+    );
+
+    const result = composed(2);
+
+    expect(result).to.equal(square(double(addOne(2))));
+  });
+
+  it('should handle type switching', () => {
+    const toString = (x: number) => '' + x;
+    const toInt = (x: string) => parseInt(x);
+    const toObject = (x: number) => ({ value: x });
+
+    const composed = compose(
+      toString,
+      toInt,
+      toObject
+    );
+
+    const result = composed(2.0);
+
+    expect(result).to.deep.equal({ value: 2 });
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Observable.ts b/src/Observable.ts
index 73dc054351..53c337778c 100644
--- a/src/Observable.ts
+++ b/src/Observable.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { root } from './util/root';
 import { toSubscriber } from './util/toSubscriber';
 import { IfObservable } from './observable/IfObservable';
 import { ErrorObservable } from './observable/ErrorObservable';
+import { compose } from './util/compose';
 import { observable as Symbol_observable } from './symbol/observable';
 
 export interface Subscribable<T> {
@@ -167,6 +168,11 @@ export class Observable<T> implements Subscribable<T> {
     });
   }
 
+  pipe(...fns: ((x: Observable<T>) => Observable<T>)[]): Observable<T> {
+    const composed = compose.apply(this, fns);
+    return composed(this);
+  }
+
   protected _subscribe(subscriber: Subscriber<any>): TeardownLogic {
     return this.source.subscribe(subscriber);
   }
diff --git a/src/Rx.ts b/src/Rx.ts
index 3bebef958c..fc255d3b5e 100644
--- a/src/Rx.ts
+++ b/src/Rx.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 // definition
 export {Subject, AnonymousSubject} from './Subject';
 /* tslint:enable:no-unused-variable */
-export {Observable} from './Observable';
+import {Observable} from './Observable';
 
 // statics
 /* tslint:disable:no-use-before-declare */
@@ -174,6 +174,17 @@ import { iterator } from './symbol/iterator';
 import { observable } from './symbol/observable';
 
 /* tslint:enable:no-unused-variable */
+export { compose } from './util/compose';
+
+// pull in pipe definitions
+import { map as mapPipe } from './pipe/map';
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {Object} Rx.Pipe
+ */
+let Pipe = {
+  map: mapPipe
+};
 
 /**
  * @typedef {Object} Rx.Scheduler
@@ -216,5 +227,7 @@ let Symbol = {
 
 export {
     Scheduler,
-    Symbol
+    Symbol,
+    Pipe,
+    Observable
 };
diff --git a/src/pipe/map.ts b/src/pipe/map.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e44aa5b39f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pipe/map.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import { map as mapProto } from '../operator/map';
+import { Observable } from '../Observable';
+
+export function map<T, R>(
+  project: (value: T, index: number) => R,
+  thisArg?: any
+): (source: Observable<T>) => Observable<R> {
+  return (source: Observable<T>) => mapProto.call(source, project);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/testing/TestScheduler.ts b/src/testing/TestScheduler.ts
index 8c7985529d..4265c86916 100644
--- a/src/testing/TestScheduler.ts
+++ b/src/testing/TestScheduler.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ interface FlushableTest {
   expected?: any[];
 }
 
-export type observableToBeFn = (marbles: string, values?: any, errorValue?: any) => void;
+export type observableToBeFn = (marbles: string|Observable<any>, values?: any, errorValue?: any) => void;
 export type subscriptionLogsToBeFn = (marbles: string | string[]) => void;
 
 export class TestScheduler extends VirtualTimeScheduler {
@@ -100,10 +100,23 @@ export class TestScheduler extends VirtualTimeScheduler {
 
     this.flushTests.push(flushTest);
 
+    const compareMarbles = (marbles: string, values?: any, errorValue?: any) => {
+      flushTest.ready = true;
+      flushTest.expected = TestScheduler.parseMarbles(marbles, values, errorValue, true);
+    };
+
+    const compareObservables = (expectedObservable: Observable<any>) => {
+      flushTest.ready = true;
+      flushTest.expected = this.materializeInnerObservable(expectedObservable, 0);
+    };
+
     return {
-      toBe(marbles: string, values?: any, errorValue?: any) {
-        flushTest.ready = true;
-        flushTest.expected = TestScheduler.parseMarbles(marbles, values, errorValue, true);
+      toBe(marbles: string|Observable<any>, values?: any, errorValue?: any) {
+        if (typeof marbles === 'string') {
+          compareMarbles(marbles, values, errorValue);
+        } else {
+          compareObservables(marbles);
+        }
       }
     };
   }
diff --git a/src/util/compose.ts b/src/util/compose.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8cbcd9c18e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/compose.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+export function compose<A, B, C>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C): (a: A) => C;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D): (a: A) => D;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D): (a: A) => D;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E): (a: A) => E;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E, F>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E, fnE: (e: E) => F): (a: A) => F;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E, F, G>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E, fnE: (e: E) => F, fnF: (f: F) => G): (a: A) => G;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E, fnE: (e: E) => F, fnF: (f: F) => G,
+  fnG: (g: G) => H): (a: A) => H;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E, fnE: (e: E) => F, fnF: (f: F) => G,
+  fnG: (g: G) => H, fnH: (h: H) => I): (a: A) => I;
+export function compose<A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J>(
+  fnA: (a: A) => B, fnB: (b: B) => C, fnC: (c: C) => D,
+  fnD: (d: D) => E, fnE: (e: E) => F, fnF: (f: F) => G,
+  fnG: (g: G) => H, fnH: (h: H) => I, fnJ: (i: I) => J): (a: A) => J;
+
+export function compose(...fns: any[]): any {
+    return (t: any) => fns.reduce((prev, fn) => fn(prev), t);
+}
\ No newline at end of file