Don't miss these fun facts about Girl Scout cookies, America's favorite treat
10 Surprising Secrets About Girl Scout Cookies
The Girl Scouts have just as big a business as Oreo
About 1 million Girl Scouts in the U.S. sell about 200 million boxes of cookies each year, bringing in about $800 million. To put that fact in perspective, Oreo does similar numbers by some accounts—and they’re the biggest-selling cookie in the world! What’s more, all the money earned by a Girl Scout troop stays in the area, meaning if you buy a kid’s cookies, you really are helping them out.
Unsold cookies go to a worthy cause
Here’s a Girl Scout cookie fact that’ll warm your heart: When the Girl Scouts had a surplus of 15 million boxes of cookies due to the coronavirus pandemic, it made a point to donate some of the treats to food banks and the military. Because we all deserve one of the best snacks ever—especially in trying times.
Americans love themselves some Thin Mints
The Girl Scouts say the Thin Mint is their most popular flavor, with Caramel deLites (also called Samoas) coming in second. When the news site Patch hosted an informal poll of the best flavors in 2024, they found that 36% of readers preferred Thin Mints, 27% voted for Peanut Butter Patties (also called Tagalongs) and 22% opted for Caramel deLites.
Just two companies make every Girl Scout cookie
That’s why some of the cookies go by two names! The honor of whipping up these cookies went to ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. ABC Bakers has been making Girl Scout Cookies since 1937, and Little Brownie Bakers started in 1970. Discerning fans can determine the difference in taste (although you can also just check the box).
Girl Scout cookie recipes are keeping with the times
Lemonades and Caramel deLites are made without preservatives, and Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Patties, Lemonades and Toast-Yay! are even vegan. Toffee-tastic and Caramel Chocolate Chip are gluten-free.
The box might be a little lighter than you remember
In 2009, the cost of baking Girl Scout cookies rose, but rather than opt for a price spike, the organization packed fewer cookies in boxes of Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Do-si-dos. They also shrunk the size of the Lemon Chalet Creme cookies.
The first cookies were home-baked
In the 1910s, ’20s and early ’30s, before the business exploded, Girl Scouts around America baked their own cookies and sold them to raise money for their activities. A 1922 article published in The American Girl magazine claimed that the cost of ingredients for six to seven dozen cookies was 26 to 36 cents. It wouldn’t take much of an upcharge to make a serious profit!
Cookie sales were put on hold during World War II
This was because of the sugar, flour and butter shortages caused by the war. However, the industrious Girl Scouts continued to earn their coin: In 1944, they sold calendars in lieu of cookies. Once the war ended, the Girl Scouts went back into the baking business, and their sales increased!
Girl Scout cookies got a uniform look in the 1970s
Before 1978, Girl Scout cookie boxes were all over the map! Then the organization decided to tidy things up and give all the boxes a similar look. Each box featured a scene of Girl Scouts doing outdoorsy activities like camping, hiking and canoeing. By 1979, the boxes also included the newly minted Girl Scout logo.
Cookie sales aside, Girl Scouts are leaders
An estimated 71% of women in the U.S. Senate and 56% of women in Congress are Girl Scouts alums (there are also a few famous former Boy Scouts in these roles). And here’s a shocking Girl Scout fact: Every female secretary of state in our country’s history is a Girl Scout or Girl Guide alumna. That includes Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton.
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Sources:
- USA Today: “Girl Scout Cookie sales start today. The most popular cookie is…”
- Guinness World Records: “Biggest selling cookie”
- Associated Press: “Thinner Mints: Girl Scouts have millions of unsold cookies”
- NPR: “Inflation hitting where it hurts: The price of Girl Scout cookies is going up”
- Girl Scouts of the United States of America: “Cookie Flavors – Meet the Cookies”
- Los Angeles Times: “Girl Scout cookies: Now fewer and smaller”
- Girl Scouts of the United States of America: “Girl Scout Cookie History”
- Girl Scouts of the United States of America: “2021 Girl Scout Alum Facts”
