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As American as apple pie, Girl Scouts have been selling cookies
for more than 85 years! The first cookie sale began as early as
1917, shortly after the founding of Girl Scouting by Juliette Gordon
Low. Girl Scout cookies were baked by girls at home with their mothers
as advisers.
The American Girl magazine in
July 1922, published by the Girl Scout national headquarters, featured
a cookie recipe. This article by Florence E. Neil yielded six to
seven dozen cookies with an estimated cost of 25 to 30 cents per
dozen.
In the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scouts continued to bake simple sugar
cookies, packaged in wax paper and sold door to door for 25 to 35
cents per dozen. In 1934, Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia Council
became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.
In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York bought
its own die in the shape of a trefoil for its commercial cookies.
The box used the words Girl Scout Cookies.
In 1936, the national organization began to license a commercial
baker. And in 1937, more than 125 councils reported holding cookie
sales.
The sale of cookies was disbanded during World War II when basic
ingredients were in short supply. Calendars were sold instead. After
the war, cookie sales began again. By 1948, a total of 29 bakers
throughout the nation were licensed to bake Girl Scout cookies.
Four basic types of cookies were sold in 1951. They were: a vanilla-based
filled cookie, a chocolate-based filled one, shortbread, and a chocolate
mint.
During the 1960s, membership expanded and the cookie sale volume
increased significantly. In 1961, 14 bakers were preparing cookies
for thousands of Girl Scouts annually. Cookies were wrapped in boxes
of printed aluminum foil or cellophane to protect the cookies and
preserve their freshness.
In 1978, four cookie bakeries were licensed to ensure lower prices
and uniform quality, packaging, and distribution. GSUSA supplied
the bakers with standard cookie package layout and pictures. For
the first time, all Girl Scout cookie boxes were the same featuring
girls hiking and canoeing.
In 1979, the new contemporary Girl Scout logo appeared on the
boxes and the packaging became more creative and began to tell about
the benefits of Girl Scouting.
The four bakers produced a maximum of seven varieties of cookies
- three mandatory (Thin Mint, Peanut Butter Sandwich, and Shortbread)
and four optional ones in 1982. Packaging changed again in 1984,
when some bakers produced gift samplings in special decorative tins.
In the early 1990s, low fat and sugar-free cookies were added
to the varieties.
In 1998, Girl Scouts of the USA licensed three bakers to produce
cookies. The national organization also introduced official cookie
proficiency awards for Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior Girl
Scouts, including an annual Girl Scout Cookie Activity Pin, with
requirements featured in an activity guide.
Today, the new cookie boxes capture the spirit of Girl Scouting.
These boxes show girls having fun and growing strong. The cookies
are kosher. Girl Scouts can earn the cookie proficiency awards and
the activity pins.
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