diff --git a/config/cc/gcc.in.2 b/config/cc/gcc.in.2
index d6827697..cfef3f1b 100644
--- a/config/cc/gcc.in.2
+++ b/config/cc/gcc.in.2
@@ -7,6 +7,18 @@ config CC_GCC_ENABLE_TARGET_OPTSPACE
       
       This will compile crossgcc's libs with -Os.
 
+config CC_STATIC_LIBSTDCXX
+    bool
+    prompt "Link libstdc++ statically into the gcc binary"
+    default y
+    depends on CC_GCC_4_4_or_later
+    help
+      Newer gcc versions use the PPL library which is C++ code.  Statically
+      linking libstdc++ increases the likeliness that the gcc binary will
+      run on machines other than the one which it was built on, without
+      having to worry about distributing the matching version of libstdc++
+      along with it.
+
 comment "Misc. obscure options."
 
 config CC_CXA_ATEXIT
diff --git a/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh b/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
index f11517c7..0b40d71d 100644
--- a/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
+++ b/scripts/build/cc/gcc.sh
@@ -347,10 +347,16 @@ do_cc() {
         extra_config+=(--disable-libmudflap)
     fi
 
-    # When companion libraries are build static (eg !shared),
-    # the libstdc++ is not pulled automatically, although it
-    # is needed. Shoe-horn it in our LDFLAGS
-    if [ "${CT_COMPLIBS_SHARED}" != "y" ]; then
+    if [ "${CT_CC_STATIC_LIBSTDCXX}" = "y" ]; then
+        # this is from CodeSourcery arm-2010q1-202-arm-none-linux-gnueabi.src.tar.bz2
+        # build script
+        # FIXME: if the host gcc is gcc-4.5 then presumably we could use -static-libstdc++,
+        # see http://gcc.gnu.org/ml/gcc-patches/2009-06/msg01635.html
+        extra_config+=("--with-host-libstdcxx=-static-libgcc -Wl,-Bstatic,-lstdc++,-Bdynamic -lm")
+    elif [ "${CT_COMPLIBS_SHARED}" != "y" ]; then
+        # When companion libraries are build static (eg !shared),
+        # the libstdc++ is not pulled automatically, although it
+        # is needed. Shoe-horn it in our LDFLAGS
         final_LDFLAGS='-lstdc++'
     fi
     if [ "${CT_CC_GCC_USE_GMP_MPFR}" = "y" ]; then