Girl Scout cookie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Girl Scout cookie is one of several varieties of cookie sold on neighborhood tours by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) as a fundraiser for their organization. Members of the GSUSA have been selling cookies since 1917 to raise funds for their units. Top-selling girls can earn prizes for their efforts. There are also unit incentives if the unit as a whole does well.
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[edit] History
Individual troops began organizing cookie sales as early as 1917, to fund the troop's activities. The first record of such a sale was by the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, OK, in December of 1917. In 1922, the Girl Scout magazine The American Girl suggested cookie sales as a fund-raiser and provided recipes. In 1933, Girl Scouts in Philadelphia organized the first official "Girl Scout Cookie" sale, selling homemade cookies in the windows of local utility companies. The first Girl Scout cookie recipe was a sugar cookie. In 1936 the national organization began licensing commercial bakers to produce them.
[edit] Overview
Most Girl Scouts sell cookies to their relatives, friends, neighbors, and to others in their town or city. Customers place an order for the number of boxes of each cookie type (Thin Mints, Samoas, etc.), and Girl Scouts tally the boxes and total for each customer on a paper chart. Parents of Girl Scouts sometimes assist their daughters and their troops by selling to co-workers and friends. In recent years, due to safety concerns, an increased emphasis has been placed on cookie booths, where girls make sales from tables in well-frequented public areas, under the supervision of adult troop leaders.
As an incentive to sell, Scouts are sometimes offered prizes (stuffed animals, trinkets, coupons, credits toward Girl Scout camp, activities, or uniforms, etc.). These incentives vary from Girl Scout council to council, but girls generally earn incentives of successively higher value for the number of boxes they sell. The accumulation of prizes is usually cumulative, so that a girl who has won the prize for selling 100 boxes of cookies will still also get the 75-box prize, the 50-box prize, the 25-box prize, the 20-box prize, the 15-box prize and the 10-box prize. In some councils, girls may choose to earn more money for their troop instead of prizes, if they are working toward a troop goal such as a trip or other expensive activities.
Exact cost details vary from Girl Scout council to council, as each council negotiates with the baker and sets their own prices. A 2006 article in the Boston Globe, noted that "cost is hardly ever a factor, until buyers find out that the same box of cookies is selling for less in the next town over:" $3.50 in Rockland and $4.00 in neighboring Norwell, reflecting different decisions by the Girl Scout Council of Southeastern Massachusetts and the Patriots' Trail Council, respectively.[1]
After cookies are paid for (upon delivery), the majority of the additional profit goes to the Girl Scout Council, and is used to pay for events and activities for the Girl Scouts, maintenance of the council's Girl Scout camps and other properties, cookie sale incentives, and Council administration costs. Each council can provide a breakdown showing how cookie money is used in that council (this information is usually printed on the back of the girl's Cookie Order Form).
[edit] Varieties of cookies
Girl Scout cookies are made by large national commercial bakeries under license from Girl Scouts of the USA. The bakers that the organization licenses change from year to year; as of 2005 they are ABC/Interbake Foods and Little Brownie Bakers. Licensed bakers can offer up to eight varieties of Girl Scout cookies. The national Girl Scout organization reviews and approves all varieties proposed by the bakers, but requires only three types: Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos and Shortbread/Trefoils. The other kinds can be changed every year. Each bakery names its own cookies. Thus the exact kinds, names, and composition of the cookies varies.
Some examples of Girl Scout cookie varieties include:
- Thin Mints: The most enduring and universally familiar Girl Scout cookie. These round, mint-flavored cookies covered with dark chocolate perennially sell the most boxes of any cookie. Thin Mints have never changed their name. These cookies come in a dark green box. Both Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers make Thin Mints.
- Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwiches or Savannahs: A sandwich cookie. The round, bumpy perforated oatmeal cookie top and bottom surround a peanut butter-flavored layer inside. Savannahs were made by Burry (now out of business) and were named after Savannah, Georgia, where founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting in 1912. These cookies come in an orange box. Little Brownie Bakers calls them Do-si-dos while ABC Bakers calls them Peanut Butter Sandwiches.
- Trefoils or Classic Shortbread: These shortbread cookies are shaped like the Girl Scout Trefoil design. Scot Teas were a similar, lighter sugar cookie made by the now defunct Burry. These cookies come in a blue box. Little Brownie Bakers calls them Trefoils while ABC Bakers calls them Classic Shortbread.
- Tagalongs, Peanut Butter Patties, or Hoedowns: These round cookies with a cookie center are covered with chocolate, having under their swollen chocolate surface an inner layer of peanut butter, much like the marshmallow under the chocolate surface in Mallomars. These cookies come in a red box. Little Brownie Bakers calls them Tagalongs while ABC Bakers calls them Peanut Butter Patties.
- Samoas or Caramel deLites: These consist of a circular vanilla cookie about 2 inches in diameter with a small hole in the center, covered in caramel and toasted coconut and then striped with chocolate. This is one of the few cookies in the group that has differences depending on the bakery. The reason there are two names is because while similar, the cookies have some differences. Samoas are made by Little Brownie Bakers. They are circular, with an orange color and are thicker from top to bottom; usually they also contain more caramel per coconut. The Caramel deLites, made by ABC Bakers, are actually hexagonal, with a more yellowish tinge, and more of the cookie comes through in the flavor because of the lower caramel content. Overall they are both very popular, and most people never notice the differences. Both varieties come in purple boxes.
- Golden Yangles: A sugar-free cookie. These yellow, triangular cookies taste more like cheese puffs than traditional cookies. They are a favorite among diabetic and dieting Girl Scout cookie customers.
- Lemon Coolers: A reduced-fat cookie. These round, yellow, lemon-flavored cookies are an option geared toward dieting and diabetic customers. These cookies come in a yellow box. Lemon Coolers are made by Little Brownie Bakers.
- Lemon Pastry Cremes: Pastry style sandwich cookies with lemon creme in the middle. These cookies also come in a yellow box. Lemon Pastry Cremes are made by ABC Bakers.
- Thanks-a-Lots: Crunchy fudge coated treats, these cookies are circular and are about 3.5 in (8.9 cm) in diameter. The main part of the cookie is basically a sugar cookie, and it has the words "Thank you" written through the middle in various languages. The bottom of the cookie has a fudge coating as well. These cookies boast that they contain "Zero Grams of Trans Fat Per Serving" in response to criticism from parents that Girl Scout cookies contained too much trans fat and that they were bad for the heart. These cookies come in an aqua box. Thanks-a-Lots are made by ABC Bakers.
- All Abouts: A shortbread cookie with a layer of chocolate on the bottom and featuring Girl Scout related sayings on the top. These cookies come in a pink box. All Abouts are made by Little Brownie Bakers.
- Cartwheels: A cinnamon-oatmeal reduced-fat variety. These cookies come in a light green box. Cartwheels are made by ABC Bakers.
- Café Cookies: A gourmet style cookie, coated with cinnamon. These cookies come in a light brown box. Café Cookies are made by Little Brownie Bakers.
- Classic Cremes: Traditional chocolate and vanilla sandwich cookies.
- Double Dutch: A chocolate cookie with chocolate chips. Made by the Little Brownie Bakers, they were retired in 2005 to be replaced by the Café Cookies.
- Little Brownies: Introduced in 2006, these sugar-free cookies resemble small pieces of chocolate brownie and contain real chocolate chips. As one might expect, they are made by Little Brownie Bakers.
As of 2004, the best selling Girl Scout cookies are:
- Thin Mints (25% of total sales)*
- Samoas/Caramel deLites (19%)*
- Tagalongs/Peanut Butter Patties (13%)*
- Do-si-dos/Peanut Butter Sandwich (11%)*
- Trefoils/Shortbread (9%)*
[edit] Criticism
[edit] Trans fat content
As of 2005, Girl Scout cookies, like many other commercially baked cookies, contain trans fat—one gram per serving in the case of Thin Mints (four cookies), with two grams in every three Do-Si-Dos. Federal guidelines issued in early 2005 call for people to minimize their consumption of trans fat, which is now widely understood to be unhealthy for the heart. Concerned parents have urged the Girl Scouts to address this and other health concerns about the cookies, suggesting that the cookie program is at odds with the Girl Scouts' forthcoming "healthy living" initiative. The Girl Scout organization has replied that the cookies are a treat which "shouldn't be a big part of somebody's diet," and say that they are "encouraging" the companies that bake the cookies to find alternative oils..[2]
For the 2006 season, U.S. federal nutrition labeling requirements now mandate listing transfat content. Many of the cookies have been reformulated to be trans fat free. In 2007, all Girl Scout cookies will have zero trans fat. Although packaging states the cookies are Trans Fat Free, various hydrogenated oils are still listed in the ingredients. [citation needed]
[edit] Pricing
The price of Girl Scout Cookies is set by each regional council, to be followed by all local troops, and therefore varies by region.
The profit from sales is divided amongst three levels within the Girl Scouts organization: the national Girl Scouts of the USA, the regional council, and the local troop of girls. Depending on the price of the box of cookies, the local troop typically receives between 45¢ and $1.
[edit] In Popular Culture
Parodies or satires of Scouting cookie sales are often used to give a flavor of Americana or Utopian suburban culture to scenes in films and TV shows. These references are sometimes intended to give the audience a feeling of postmodern irony.
- The Addams Family (1991) (US); while running a lemonade stand of sorts, Wednesday and Pugsley have an encounter with a Girl Scout who is attempting to sell Girl Scout cookies. The Girl Scout asks about the lemonade, "Is it made from real lemons?" Regarding the cookies, Wednesday responds, "Are they made from real Girl Scouts?"
- Over the Hedge (2006) (US); the foraging animals steal cookies from two "Trail Guide Gals"; the cookies are so good and so popular, RJ claims, "they are hand-delivered by uniformed officers." Several parody names were mentioned in the scene, and more were included in the DVD release's image gallery: Skinny Mints, Love Handles, Neener Neeners, Piggy Backs, Red Rovers, Smackeroons, and Too-Da-Loos.
- Lawn Dogs (1998) (UK); a savage satire on middle-class American culture. The young girl heroine sets out in a Girl Scout-like uniform to sell cookies, but dumps them instead. Her parents are horrified that she might not win the cookie selling competition.
- The Pacifier (2005) (US); The younger daughter Lulu is a member of the Fireflies. She and her fellow Fireflies attempt to sell cookies in the Costco parking lot and get tormented by the boys from the Grizzlies troop.
- Troop Beverly Hills (1989) (US); when two troops compete at selling the most cookies, one troop gives a street performance of a pop song, complete with backup dancers.
- 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001) (US); in the episode "I Enjoy Being a Dick", Tommy mentions that his girlfriend August was a Girl Scout, but that she left Scouting because she felt the cookie selling verged on racketeering.
- Full House (1987–1995) (US); DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle are all members of the Honey Bees at various times. The Honey Bees wear bee costumes, complete with stinger. The honey bee salute is performed by moving one's body in such a manner as to make the stinger move back-and-forth. They sell jars of honey instead of cookies.
- Friends (1994&ndash2004) (US); in the episode "The One where Rachel Quits," after Ross accidentally breaks a young girl's leg, he offers to make it up to her by selling her Girl Scouts-esque cookies. The girl has to sell at least 400 boxes to go to Space Camp, mocking both the prizes offered by troops for selling the cookies, and the rising prices of the boxes in recent times.
- Kim Possible (2002&ndash2005, 2007) (US); "Pixie Scouts" are mentioned to sell both Pixie muffins and cookies. Kim Possible herself was once a Pixie Scout as a young girl.
- The Man Show (1999&ndash2003) (US) [3]; The Man Show Boy dresses like a Girl Scout and attempts to sell cookies.
[edit] References
- ^ McConville, Christine (2006), "Thin Mints can be Cheaper by the Troop", The Boston Globe, April 2, 2006, p. 14
- ^ Scout News, LLC (2005). Eat Lots of Girl Scout Cookies? Be Prepared to Gain Weight. Retrieved on 2006-03-14.
- ^ Girl Scout Cookies. Funny and Extreme. Retrieved on March 23, 2006.
