Well, it's that time again where little girls come knocking on your door asking if you would like to buy some cookies. Lord knows how many we've bought! I love the thin mints myself, but just a few minutes ago, while I was indulging myself, I wondered how long selling girl scout cookies has been around for. To be quite honest I never got in to the whole thing. I mean, I did sell them, but when I got older I didn't. Even saying that I still wondered about it, and here is what I found.
Girl Scout Cookies had their earliest beginnings in the kitchens and ovens of our girl members, with mothers volunteering as technical advisors. The sale
of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, 5 years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouting in the United States.
The earliest mention of a cookie sale found to date was that of the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, which baked cookies and sold them in its high
school cafeteria as a service project in December, 1917. The 1920's are most often cited as the earliest years for home-baked Girl Scout cookie sales to
the public. Cookies were packaged in wax paper, sealed with a sticker, and sold door to door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen. Many councils, however, have
their own sale history which began later. Councils in New York, Illinois, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania were holding cookie sales in the
1930's. 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. In 1934, Greater Philadelphia became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies. In 1935, the Girl Scout
Federation of Greater New York bought its own cookie die in the shape of a trefoil and used the words Girl Scout cookies. 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 post-war era, however, brought increasing cookie sale revenues, which supported the capital development of Girl Scout council camps
and provided campership funds.
During the 1960's, volume increased significantly. In 1961, 14 licensed bakers with 19 plants were mixing batter for thousands upon thousands of cookies.
The bakers began wrapping their product in aluminum foil or cellophane to protect the cookies and preserve their freshness. 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.
The 1970's brought financial struggles for the country as a whole. As a result, organizations such as Community Chest and 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. In 1978, the number of bakeries
was streamlined to four to ensure lower prices and uniform quality, packaging and distribution. GSUSA began supplying bakers with a standard cookie package
layout and pictures. For the first time in history, all Girl Scout cookie boxes features the same designs and depicted scenes of Girl Scouts in action-
including hiking and canoeing. Commercial bakers supported the sale with imaginative marketing strategies, volume discounts, and other initiatives.
During the 1980's, 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.
Health of the 1990's 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.
Hmmm, maybe it's not the most interesting thing you ever read, but knowing useless facts can be appealing to others. They can say, "Weird, I didn't know that." lol, I guess knowledge is knowledge whether it is useful or not.
Well, I just thought I would share that. I've been doing alright. Nothing new or exciting has happened. I'm pretty tired so I'll write soon. Everybody take lots of care, and all my love I send.
Current Music: The voice in my head telling me to go to bed.
Current Mood: 
sleepy
sad
relaxed