diff --git a/src/serialization/sb2.js b/src/serialization/sb2.js
index 2e5a556af..42a612b4c 100644
--- a/src/serialization/sb2.js
+++ b/src/serialization/sb2.js
@@ -391,47 +391,28 @@ const parseMonitorObject = (object, runtime, targets, extensions) => {
 };
 
 /**
- * Parse a single "Scratch object" and create all its in-memory VM objects.
- * TODO: parse the "info" section, especially "savedExtensions"
+ * Parse the assets of a single "Scratch object" and load them. This
+ * preprocesses objects to support loading the data for those assets over a
+ * network while the objects are further processed into Blocks, Sprites, and a
+ * list of needed Extensions.
  * @param {!object} object - From-JSON "Scratch object:" sprite, stage, watcher.
  * @param {!Runtime} runtime - Runtime object to load all structures into.
- * @param {ImportedExtensionsInfo} extensions - (in/out) parsed extension information will be stored here.
  * @param {boolean} topLevel - Whether this is the top-level object (stage).
  * @param {?object} zip - Optional zipped assets for local file import
- * @return {!Promise.<Array.<Target>>} Promise for the loaded targets when ready, or null for unsupported objects.
+ * @return {?{costumePromises:Array.<Promise>,soundPromises:Array.<Promise>,children:object}}
+ *   Object of arrays of promises and child objects for asset objects used in
+ *   Sprites. null for unsupported objects.
  */
-const parseScratchObject = function (object, runtime, extensions, topLevel, zip) {
+const parseScratchAssets = function (object, runtime, topLevel, zip) {
     if (!object.hasOwnProperty('objName')) {
-        if (object.hasOwnProperty('listName')) {
-            // Shim these objects so they can be processed as monitors
-            object.cmd = 'contentsOfList:';
-            object.param = object.listName;
-            object.mode = 'list';
-        }
-        // Defer parsing monitors until targets are all parsed
-        object.deferredMonitor = true;
-        return Promise.resolve(object);
+        // Skip parsing monitors. Or any other objects missing objName.
+        return null;
     }
 
-    // Blocks container for this object.
-    const blocks = new Blocks(runtime);
-    // @todo: For now, load all Scratch objects (stage/sprites) as a Sprite.
-    const sprite = new Sprite(blocks, runtime);
-    // Sprite/stage name from JSON.
-    if (object.hasOwnProperty('objName')) {
-        if (topLevel && object.objName !== 'Stage') {
-            for (const child of object.children) {
-                if (!child.hasOwnProperty('objName') && child.target === object.objName) {
-                    child.target = 'Stage';
-                }
-            }
-            object.objName = 'Stage';
-        }
+    const assets = {costumePromises: [], soundPromises: [], children: []};
 
-        sprite.name = object.objName;
-    }
     // Costumes from JSON.
-    const costumePromises = [];
+    const costumePromises = assets.costumePromises;
     if (object.hasOwnProperty('costumes')) {
         for (let i = 0; i < object.costumes.length; i++) {
             const costumeSource = object.costumes[i];
@@ -476,7 +457,7 @@ const parseScratchObject = function (object, runtime, extensions, topLevel, zip)
         }
     }
     // Sounds from JSON
-    const soundPromises = [];
+    const soundPromises = assets.soundPromises;
     if (object.hasOwnProperty('sounds')) {
         for (let s = 0; s < object.sounds.length; s++) {
             const soundSource = object.sounds[s];
@@ -505,12 +486,72 @@ const parseScratchObject = function (object, runtime, extensions, topLevel, zip)
             // the file name of the sound should be the soundID (provided from the project.json)
             // followed by the file ext
             const assetFileName = `${soundSource.soundID}.${ext}`;
-            soundPromises.push(deserializeSound(sound, runtime, zip, assetFileName)
-                .then(() => loadSound(sound, runtime, sprite))
-            );
+            soundPromises.push(deserializeSound(sound, runtime, zip, assetFileName).then(() => sound));
         }
     }
 
+    // The stage will have child objects; recursively process them.
+    const childrenAssets = assets.children;
+    if (object.children) {
+        for (let m = 0; m < object.children.length; m++) {
+            childrenAssets.push(parseScratchAssets(object.children[m], runtime, false, zip));
+        }
+    }
+
+    return assets;
+};
+
+/**
+ * Parse a single "Scratch object" and create all its in-memory VM objects.
+ * TODO: parse the "info" section, especially "savedExtensions"
+ * @param {!object} object - From-JSON "Scratch object:" sprite, stage, watcher.
+ * @param {!Runtime} runtime - Runtime object to load all structures into.
+ * @param {ImportedExtensionsInfo} extensions - (in/out) parsed extension information will be stored here.
+ * @param {boolean} topLevel - Whether this is the top-level object (stage).
+ * @param {?object} zip - Optional zipped assets for local file import
+ * @param {object} assets - Promises for assets of this scratch object grouped
+ *   into costumes and sounds
+ * @return {!Promise.<Array.<Target>>} Promise for the loaded targets when ready, or null for unsupported objects.
+ */
+const parseScratchObject = function (object, runtime, extensions, topLevel, zip, assets) {
+    if (!object.hasOwnProperty('objName')) {
+        if (object.hasOwnProperty('listName')) {
+            // Shim these objects so they can be processed as monitors
+            object.cmd = 'contentsOfList:';
+            object.param = object.listName;
+            object.mode = 'list';
+        }
+        // Defer parsing monitors until targets are all parsed
+        object.deferredMonitor = true;
+        return Promise.resolve(object);
+    }
+
+    // Blocks container for this object.
+    const blocks = new Blocks(runtime);
+    // @todo: For now, load all Scratch objects (stage/sprites) as a Sprite.
+    const sprite = new Sprite(blocks, runtime);
+    // Sprite/stage name from JSON.
+    if (object.hasOwnProperty('objName')) {
+        if (topLevel && object.objName !== 'Stage') {
+            for (const child of object.children) {
+                if (!child.hasOwnProperty('objName') && child.target === object.objName) {
+                    child.target = 'Stage';
+                }
+            }
+            object.objName = 'Stage';
+        }
+
+        sprite.name = object.objName;
+    }
+    // Costumes from JSON.
+    const costumePromises = assets.costumePromises;
+    // Sounds from JSON
+    const soundPromises = assets.soundPromises;
+    for (let s = 0; s < soundPromises.length; s++) {
+        soundPromises[s] = soundPromises[s]
+            .then(sound => loadSound(sound, runtime, sprite));
+    }
+
     // Create the first clone, and load its run-state from JSON.
     const target = sprite.createClone(topLevel ? StageLayering.BACKGROUND_LAYER : StageLayering.SPRITE_LAYER);
 
@@ -703,7 +744,9 @@ const parseScratchObject = function (object, runtime, extensions, topLevel, zip)
     const childrenPromises = [];
     if (object.children) {
         for (let m = 0; m < object.children.length; m++) {
-            childrenPromises.push(parseScratchObject(object.children[m], runtime, extensions, false, zip));
+            childrenPromises.push(
+                parseScratchObject(object.children[m], runtime, extensions, false, zip, assets.children[m])
+            );
         }
     }
 
@@ -810,7 +853,13 @@ const sb2import = function (json, runtime, optForceSprite, zip) {
         extensionIDs: new Set(),
         extensionURLs: new Map()
     };
-    return parseScratchObject(json, runtime, extensions, !optForceSprite, zip)
+    return Promise.resolve(parseScratchAssets(json, runtime, !optForceSprite, zip))
+        // Force this promise to wait for the next loop in the js tick. Let
+        // storage have some time to send off asset requests.
+        .then(assets => Promise.resolve(assets))
+        .then(assets => (
+            parseScratchObject(json, runtime, extensions, !optForceSprite, zip, assets)
+        ))
         .then(reorderParsedTargets)
         .then(targets => ({
             targets,