diff --git a/__tests__/configurePlugins.test.js b/__tests__/configurePlugins.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a06ea79d6f7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/__tests__/configurePlugins.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+import configurePlugins from '../src/util/configurePlugins'
+
+test('setting a plugin to false removes it', () => {
+  const plugins = {
+    fontSize: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'fontSize',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    display: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'display',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    backgroundPosition: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'backgroundPosition',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+  }
+
+  const configuredPlugins = configurePlugins(plugins, {
+    fontSize: {},
+    display: false,
+    backgroundPosition: {},
+  })
+
+  expect(configuredPlugins).toEqual([
+    { plugin: 'fontSize', options: {} },
+    { plugin: 'backgroundPosition', options: {} },
+  ])
+})
+
+test('setting a plugin to an object configures that plugin', () => {
+  const plugins = {
+    fontSize: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'fontSize',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    display: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'display',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    backgroundPosition: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'backgroundPosition',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+  }
+
+  const configuredPlugins = configurePlugins(plugins, {
+    fontSize: {
+      variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+      values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+    },
+    display: { variants: ['responsive'] },
+    backgroundPosition: {},
+  })
+
+  expect(configuredPlugins).toEqual([
+    {
+      plugin: 'fontSize',
+      options: {
+        variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+        values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+      },
+    },
+    { plugin: 'display', options: { variants: ['responsive'] } },
+    { plugin: 'backgroundPosition', options: {} },
+  ])
+})
+
+test('plugins are configured with their default configuration if no custom config is provided', () => {
+  const plugins = {
+    fontSize: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'fontSize',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    display: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'display',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    backgroundPosition: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'backgroundPosition',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+  }
+
+  const configuredPlugins = configurePlugins(
+    plugins,
+    {
+      fontSize: {
+        variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+        values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+      },
+      backgroundPosition: {},
+    },
+    {
+      display: { variants: ['responsive'] },
+    }
+  )
+
+  expect(configuredPlugins).toEqual([
+    {
+      plugin: 'fontSize',
+      options: {
+        variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+        values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+      },
+    },
+    { plugin: 'display', options: { variants: ['responsive'] } },
+    { plugin: 'backgroundPosition', options: {} },
+  ])
+})
+
+test('custom plugin configuration overrides default plugin configuration', () => {
+  const plugins = {
+    fontSize: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'fontSize',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    display: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'display',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+    backgroundPosition: options => {
+      return {
+        plugin: 'backgroundPosition',
+        options,
+      }
+    },
+  }
+
+  const configuredPlugins = configurePlugins(
+    plugins,
+    {
+      fontSize: {
+        variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+        values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+      },
+      display: { variants: ['responsive'] },
+      backgroundPosition: {},
+    },
+    {
+      fontSize: {
+        variants: ['focus', 'active'],
+        values: { sm: '.75rem', md: '1rem', lg: '1.5rem' },
+      },
+    }
+  )
+
+  expect(configuredPlugins).toEqual([
+    {
+      plugin: 'fontSize',
+      options: {
+        variants: ['responsive', 'hover'],
+        values: { '12': '12px', '14': '14px', '16': '16px' },
+      },
+    },
+    { plugin: 'display', options: { variants: ['responsive'] } },
+    { plugin: 'backgroundPosition', options: {} },
+  ])
+})
diff --git a/src/corePlugins.js b/src/corePlugins.js
index 777ba80cf3b3..a27a56998b7d 100644
--- a/src/corePlugins.js
+++ b/src/corePlugins.js
@@ -49,15 +49,21 @@ import whitespace from './plugins/whitespace'
 import width from './plugins/width'
 import zIndex from './plugins/zIndex'
 
+import _ from 'lodash'
+import configurePlugins from './util/configurePlugins'
+
 function loadPlugins({ theme, variants, corePlugins }, plugins) {
-  return Object.keys(plugins)
-    .filter(plugin => corePlugins[plugin] !== false)
-    .map(plugin =>
-      plugins[plugin]({
+  const defaultCorePluginConfig = _.fromPairs(
+    Object.keys(plugins).map(plugin => [
+      plugin,
+      {
         values: theme[plugin],
         variants: variants[plugin],
-      })
-    )
+      },
+    ])
+  )
+
+  return configurePlugins(plugins, corePlugins, defaultCorePluginConfig)
 }
 
 export default function(config) {
diff --git a/src/util/configurePlugins.js b/src/util/configurePlugins.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0d9e1d225389
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/util/configurePlugins.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+import _ from 'lodash'
+
+export default function(plugins, pluginConfig, defaultPluginConfig = {}) {
+  return Object.keys(plugins)
+    .filter(pluginName => {
+      return pluginConfig[pluginName] !== false
+    })
+    .map(pluginName => {
+      return plugins[pluginName](_.get(pluginConfig, pluginName, defaultPluginConfig[pluginName]))
+    })
+}