The Most Amazing Experiences Start with Cookies!

Ever since the very first sale in 1917, cookies have been the engine that powers awesome, life-enhancing experiences for Girl Scouts of all ages.

Whether it’s raising money for community service projects, breaking down racial barriers, helping girls experience the outdoors, giving back to troops overseas, or taking the stage at the Academy Awards, the Girl Scout Cookie Program helps make it happen!

Check out these breakthroughs, fun facts, and inspiring milestones from Girl Scout Cookie history compiled in celebration of 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies!

  • 1917: First Recorded Cookie Sale—Innovative Girl Scouts of the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, bake and sell cookies to support service projects in the first known cookie sale.
  • 1922: A Recipe and a Business Plan—The Girl Scout “Sugar Cookie” recipe and a business plan for cookie sales are first published in The American Girl magazine.
  • 1924: Babe Ruth Pitches In to Sell Cookies—Girl Scouts hold “Million Cookie Drive” with baseball legend Babe Ruth's participation during the World Series.
  • 1925: A Tasty Campfire Tradition Is Born—The Girl Scout recipe for the yummy treat known as “Some Mores” (or s’mores) is first published in an issue of The Girl Scout Leader.
  • 1933: It’s Official: Cookies Power New Skills—Girl Scouts in Philadelphia bake cookies and sell them in the city’s gas & electric company windows—and gain essential life skills in the process.
  • 1935: I’ll Take a Box of Trefoils, Please!—The Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York first sells commercially baked cookies—buying its own industrial cookie cutter in the shape of a trefoil and using the name “Girl Scout Cookies” on the box.
  • 1936: Increasing Demand Drives Changes—When Girl Scouts can no longer meet dramatically increasing demand, commercial bakers are enlisted—and more consistent packaging is developed.
  • 1937: Momentum Builds Nationwide—Girl Scout Cookie sales reach a record-breaking milestone when 125 councils hold their own cookie sales—and launch a nationwide movement in the process.
  • 1939: Mmm… Chocolatey, Minty Goodness—Chocolate mint cookies named Cooky-Mints are first sold by Girl Scouts.
  • 1944: No Cookie Ingredients? No Problem!—Girl Scouts are unstoppable: when shortages during World War II made it impossible to bake and sell cookies, Girl Scouts sell calendars instead!
  • 1951: Let's Go to the Mall!—As the American population becomes less urban, Girl Scouts add suburban shopping malls to traditional door-to-door cookie sales. Talk about finding your market!
  • 1952: Cookies Help Break Down Racial Barriers—Ebony magazine reports that even in the South, "…[Girl] Scouts were making slow and steady progress toward surmounting the racial barriers of the region.”
  • 1961: First Cookies, then Camp—The slogan “Cookie money is camping money” emphasizes how Girl Scouts increasingly use cookie earnings to experience and embrace the outdoors.
  • 1962: A Stamp of Appreciation—The U.S. Postal Service introduces the four-cent first-class Girl Scout stamp in honor of the 50th anniversary of Girl Scouting.
  • 1969: 3…2…1…Blast Off!—More than 100 Girl Scouts are special guests of NASA at the launch of Apollo 12 at Cape Kennedy (Cape Canaveral), Florida.
  • 1970: A Big Hug for Mother Nature—Girl Scouts celebrate the first Earth Day—and launch environmental action programs and new cookie packaging featuring outdoor activities.
  • 1975: Another Cookie Record Crumbles—Girl Scouts reach a new milestone and sell 123 million boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Way to go, girls!
  • 1978: It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s…—Girl Scouts are “rescued” in a scene from Superman: The Movie. The scene didn’t make the final cut—after all, in real life, the Girl Scouts would probably be doing the rescuing!
  • 1984: Thinking Outside the Box—Special “gift samplings” of select Girl Scout Cookies are sold in unique decorative tins and, for the first time, Girl Scout flavors are licensed to commercial enterprises.
  • 1992: Cookies in Orbit—Still Yummy!—Girl Scout alumna Jan Davis, the first woman to be a space shuttle commander, takes Girl Scout Cookies into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
  • 1994: More Cookie Choices—Girl Scout product innovation keeps pace with consumer trends, with the introduction of new low-fat and sugar-free cookie varieties.
  • 1996: Going for the Gold—Hard work really pays off when Girl Scouts from Maryland use their cookie earnings to travel to the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
  • 1997: Got Cookies?—Girl Scouts in California give new meaning to “milk and cookies”—and learn the business of advertising—by joining the popular “Got Milk?” advertising campaign.
  • 2001: Giving Back to Those Who Keep Us Safe—Troops launch Cookie Donation projects to send Girl Scout Cookies to United States military personnel around the world.
  • 2005: Cookies, Cookies Everywhere!—Girl Scout Cookie licensing expands, and cookie flavors start making their way into ice cream—and eventually items like coffee creamer, cereal bars, and other products—as a way to help fuel new adventures for girls.
  • 2010: It’s Not Just About Cookies!—GSUSA formalizes “the 5 Skills” girls gain when they participate in the annual Girl Scout Cookie sale: goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics.
  • 2010: Making the World a Better Place—After a devastating earthquake hits the island of Haiti, Girl Scouts do their part in the relief effort by sending care packages to survivors.
  • 2011: Helping Others Comes Naturally—Girl Scouts from Iowa use their cookie earnings and their awesome STEM skills to create a prosthetic hand device for a three-year-old in their community.
  • 2012: A Silver Lining to Disaster—Girl Scouts use proceeds from cookie sales to give back after Hurricane Sandy. From Brooklyn to New Hampshire to southwest Texas, girls pitch in to help those in need. What an inspiration!
  • 2013: Hurray! It’s Girl Scout Cookie Day!—The first National Girl Scout Cookie Day engages girls and consumers nationwide. What a great way to share the fun and excitement of the Girl Scout Cookie Program with everyone!
  • 2014: Cookies with A Click—The revolutionary Digital Cookie platform launches as the largest multichannel business run by girls, allowing consumers to buy Girl Scout Cookies online for the first time.
  • 2015: Now That’s an Awesome Campout!—Girl Scouts camp out, go rock climbing on the White House lawn, stargaze with NASA astronauts, and sing campfire songs with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Whoa!
  • 2016: And the Winner Is…—Girl Scout Cookies make a surprise appearance at the Oscars® ceremony and get a boost when an image of Leonardo DiCaprio enjoying a cookie at the ceremony goes viral.
  • 2017: OMG! New Girl Scout Cookies!—America celebrates 100 years of Girl Scouts selling cookies with two new s’mores cookies. Marshmallowy. chocolatey, graham-crackery cookie goodness in every bite!

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