The History Of Girl Scout Cookies And How The Tradition Came To Be
April marks the end of Girl Scout cookie-selling season, and I’m sure some of you were diligent about picking up your annual boxes of Thin Mints or Tagalongs.
Perhaps you have a Girl Scout in the family you want to support by buying cookies or were once a Girl Scout yourself. But once you’re hooked on those tiny cookies, it’s hard to resist buying a box every year.
But do you know the history of Girl Scout cookies and how the tradition came to be?
If not, allow me, a retired Girl Scout, to explain.
The Girl Scouts were founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912. To read more about Juliette and her journey to creating the Girl Scouts, you can read our article about her here.
Five years after they were founded, Girl Scouts in America began selling their mothers’ homemade cookies to fund troop activities.
Specifically, a troop in Oklahoma was known for selling cookies in a high school cafeteria as a service project.
Then, in 1922, in American Girl magazine, the official magazine for Girl Scouts of America, Chicago director Florence E. Neil published an easy and affordable sugar cookie recipe that Girl Scouts could use for their cookie sales.
Back then, the Girl Scouts were encouraged to sell the cookies by the dozen for 30 to 25 cents a dozen.
KCULP – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Wouldn’t it be nice if those prices applied today? Since the recipe was published, Girl Scouts nationwide began selling the cookies to fund camping trips and other activities.
By the time the 1930s rolled around and cookie sales were rising in popularity, the Girl Scouts organization turned to commercial bakers to bake their signature cookies. The national council gave permission for every council in the country to work with local bakers.
In 1935, the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York used a local bakery to create their famous trefoil cookies and officially had them packaged as “Girl Scout Cookies.”
During World War II, with the rationing and shortage of ingredients like sugar and butter, Girl Scouts temporarily turned to selling calendars for fundraising. But when the war ended, cookie sales rose once again, and they were selling several types of cookies, including Thin Mints, by the early 1950s.
This was around when Girl Scouts began setting up tables and selling cookies in public places like shopping malls. Over the next few decades, Girl Scout cookies expanded in flavor, and the packaging underwent several transformations.
By the 1990s, only two commercial bakeries were used to bake Girl Scout cookies: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers.
The cookies became more accessible as time progressed, with sugar-free, low-fat, and, eventually, gluten-free recipes. When cookie sales remained successful, the organization introduced special awards that could be given to hardworking Girl Scouts who sold significant amounts of cookies.
The Girl Scout cookie-selling game changed significantly when the Digital Cookie platform was launched in 2014, allowing people to order cookies from specific Girl Scouts from any troop in America.
Today, Girl Scouts continue to sell their delicious cookies in-person and online, using the funds to plan activities, fund scholarships, and carry out community service projects.
Although some cookies have undergone name changes, like Samosas to Caramel deLites, they’re still delicious and enjoyed by many families nationwide.
What’s your favorite Girl Scout cookie?
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