Gidget returns to TV and movies. Groovy.

Image Credit: Everett CollectionAs we learned from, say, Transformers and Scooby-Doo, everything we thought was cool when we were kids will inevitably find a way back into contemporary pop culture. (Well, maybe the time has officially passed for a pogs resurgence.) The latest popular character from the past headed back into our lives? Variety reports that groovy 1950s and ’60s surfing icon Gidget is coming back to film and television, courtesy of Pterodactyl Prods., and 300 producer Mark Canton. I suppose that means we’ll see plenty of slow-motion shots of the gal on a surfboard, but also a sporty role model for the young TV-viewing public. Says Canton of their plans to revive the character: “Gidget has always been such a strong symbol of girl power…. With female surfing exploding across the globe, the time is right to bring her back in a major way.” (Let’s hope that Gidget chooses to wear pants, unlike Sandra Dee’s late-’50s version of the character, pictured.)

This modern Gidget will “tackle contemporary issues and will be aimed at teens, tweens, and pre-tweens,” we’re told. This leads me to believe it will mimic Frederick Kohner’s 1957 novel Gidget: The Little Girl with Big Ideas, which dabbled in serious themes like counter-culture and early feminism. (The book surrounds Gidget’s desire to participate in surfing, a sport usually reserved for boys at the time.) Yet, if the 1959 Sandra Dee movie and cheesy 1965 Sally Field TV series is any indication, it’s hard to believe an updated Gidget would be the second coming of Degrassi. The second coming of Blue Crush — now, that I can see.

You excited to hear this news, PopWatchers? Is Gidget a better role model than, say, Hannah Montana or iCarly?