When did girl scouts start selling cookies?

By the mid-1930s, commercial bakers were being approached to produce the cookies, and by 1951, the line included three varieties: a sandwich cookie, shortbread and a chocolate mint, now known as Thin Mint cookies, which currently account for 25 percent of all Girl Scout cookie sales. read more

Girl Scout Cookies were sold by local councils around the country until World War II, when sugar, flour, and butter shortages led Girl Scouts to pivot, selling the first Girl Scout calendars in 1944 as an alternative to raise money for activities. read more

In 1922, the Girl Scout magazine The American Girl suggested cookie sales as a fundraiser and provided a simple cookie recipe from a regional director for the Girl Scouts of Chicago. From 1933 to 1935, organized cookie sales grew, with troops in Philadelphia and New York City using the cookie selling model to develop the marketing and sales skills of their local troops. read more