History of Girl Scout Cookies

1920s/1940s

The 1920s are most often cited as the earliest years for home-baked Girl Scout cookie sales to the public. Many councils, however, have their own cookie sale history which began later. Councils in New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania were holding cookie sales in the early 1930s. In fall 1933, Girl Scouts baked and sold cookies in the windows of the Philadelphia Gas Company and the Philadelphia Electric Company to assist in building Girl Scout Camp Indian Run.

It wasn’t until 1936 that the first nationally franchised Girl Scout cookie sale was held. In subsequent years, over 50 baking companies and/or their subsidiaries produced cookies for the sale. During World War II, the cookie sale was discontinued to save sugar and other ingredients for the war effort. The sale of Girl Scout calendars was substituted in many areas. The postwar era, however, brought increasing cookie sale revenues, which supported the capital development of Girl Scout council camps and provided campership funds.

1960s

During the 1960s, volume increased significantly. In 1961, 14 licensed bakers with 19 plants were mixing batter for thousands upon thousands of cookies. By the middle of the decade, Girl Scout cookies represented 10 percent of all cookies manufactured in the United States. Cookie revenues represented about 40 percent of total income for all councils.

1970s

The 1970s brought financial struggles for the country as a whole. As a result, such organizations as Community Chest and the United Way decreased their funding to councils. Increased cookie volume and a rise in the cookie sale price helped councils surmount the loss of outside funding. Commercial bakers supported the sale with imaginative marketing strategies, volume discounts, and other initiatives.

1980s

During the 1980s GSUSA began supplying to each baker a standard cookie package layout and pictures. Each baker could provide a maximum of seven varieties of cookies for sale to councils; three varieties were mandatory, and the other four varieties were the option of the bakery.

1990s

Health concerns of the 1990s led bakers and their suppliers to substitute more healthful ingredients in cookies. In some cases, cookie recipes were revised. In 1995, a new variety was introduced, a low-fat cookie, bringing the number of cookie varieties to eight.

In 1996, Girl Scouting celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Girl Scout cookie sale with a public promotion that highlighted the many benefits girls have experienced through their participation in the sale. As part of the celebration, girls took a moment to remember their mothers and grandmothers who had sold cookies as Girl Scouts over the last six decades.

2000s

Today, the Girl Scout cookie sale is the premier program-related product sale in the United States and generates over 50 percent of the revenue necessary to provide Girl Scout Program. Girl Scouts today carry the legacy of generations of American women who have sold Girl Scout Cookies. Many women have favorably reflected on the value the cookie sale has brought to their lives. They are among the cookie sale’s best supporters.