diff --git a/src/foreign/foreign.c b/src/foreign/foreign.c
index 53692af8ae..80f4ad7a13 100644
--- a/src/foreign/foreign.c
+++ b/src/foreign/foreign.c
@@ -2796,12 +2796,13 @@ void free_fficall_data(void *ignored, void *p)
   free(p);
 }
 
+static Scheme_Object *ffi_name_prefix = NULL;
+
 /* (ffi-call ffi-obj in-types out-type [abi save-errno? orig-place?]) -> (in-types -> out-value) */
 /* the real work is done by ffi_do_call above */
 #define MYNAME "ffi-call"
 static Scheme_Object *foreign_ffi_call(int argc, Scheme_Object *argv[])
 {
-    static Scheme_Object *ffi_name_prefix = NULL;
     Scheme_Object *itypes = argv[1];
     Scheme_Object *otype  = argv[2];
     Scheme_Object *obj, *data, *p, *base;
@@ -2816,9 +2817,6 @@ static Scheme_Object *foreign_ffi_call(int argc, Scheme_Object *argv[])
   #else
   # define FFI_CALL_VEC_SIZE 7
   #endif
-    MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(ffi_name_prefix);
-    if (!ffi_name_prefix)
-      ffi_name_prefix = scheme_make_byte_string_without_copying("ffi:");
     if (!SCHEME_FFIANYPTRP(argv[0]))
       scheme_wrong_type(MYNAME, "ffi-obj-or-cpointer", 0, argc, argv);
     obj = SCHEME_FFIANYPTR_VAL(argv[0]);
@@ -3403,6 +3401,9 @@ void scheme_init_foreign_globals()
   fail_ok_sym = scheme_intern_symbol("fail-ok");
   MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(abs_sym);
   abs_sym = scheme_intern_symbol("abs");
+
+  MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(ffi_name_prefix);
+  ffi_name_prefix = scheme_make_byte_string_without_copying("ffi:");
 }
 
 void scheme_init_foreign_places() {
diff --git a/src/foreign/foreign.rktc b/src/foreign/foreign.rktc
index 0944b08e46..f59704d55c 100755
--- a/src/foreign/foreign.rktc
+++ b/src/foreign/foreign.rktc
@@ -2151,10 +2151,11 @@ void free_fficall_data(void *ignored, void *p)
   free(p);
 }
 
+static Scheme_Object *ffi_name_prefix = NULL;
+
 /* (ffi-call ffi-obj in-types out-type [abi save-errno? orig-place?]) -> (in-types -> out-value) */
 /* the real work is done by ffi_do_call above */
 @cdefine[ffi-call 3 6]{
-  static Scheme_Object *ffi_name_prefix = NULL;
   Scheme_Object *itypes = argv[1];
   Scheme_Object *otype  = argv[2];
   Scheme_Object *obj, *data, *p, *base;
@@ -2169,9 +2170,6 @@ void free_fficall_data(void *ignored, void *p)
 #else
 # define FFI_CALL_VEC_SIZE 7
 #endif
-  MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(ffi_name_prefix);
-  if (!ffi_name_prefix)
-    ffi_name_prefix = scheme_make_byte_string_without_copying("ffi:");
   if (!SCHEME_FFIANYPTRP(argv[0]))
     scheme_wrong_type(MYNAME, "ffi-obj-or-cpointer", 0, argc, argv);
   obj = SCHEME_FFIANYPTR_VAL(argv[0]);
@@ -2717,6 +2715,9 @@ void scheme_init_foreign_globals()
                @list{MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(@(cadr sym));
                      @(cadr sym) = scheme_intern_symbol("@(car sym)")})
              (reverse (symbols)))
+
+  MZ_REGISTER_STATIC(ffi_name_prefix);
+  ffi_name_prefix = scheme_make_byte_string_without_copying("ffi:");
 }
 
 void scheme_init_foreign_places() {