Girl Scout Cookies

Girl Scout Cookies is the consumer-facing product brand and annual fundraising program operated by Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). It is not a conventional standalone packaged-food company: GSUSA owns and manages the program, while licensed commercial bakers manufacture the cookies under agreements with the organization. Girl Scouts sell the products through local councils and participating girls, with proceeds supporting council services, troop activities, educational experiences, camps, and other Girl Scout programming. The program developed from early Girl Scout efforts to raise money through homemade baked goods. In 1917, Girl Scouts in Muskogee, Oklahoma, reportedly sold cookies as a service-project fundraiser. During the 1920s and 1930s, local councils used standardized recipes and packaging, and commercial baking arrangements gradually replaced home production. The national program later became associated with a limited group of licensed bakers, primarily Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers. Because councils may work with different bakers, some cookies have different names, recipes, packaging, or availability in different parts of the country. The best-known products include Thin Mints, Samoas or Caramel deLites, Tagalongs or Peanut Butter Patties, Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwiches, and Trefoils or Shortbread. These naming differences are a visible consequence of the two-baker system rather than separate national brands. Product portfolios have changed over time in response to consumer preferences, dietary requirements, supply conditions, and seasonal innovation. Newer or limited products have included gluten-free, vegan, and reduced-allergen options in selected periods and markets, although availability varies by baker and council. Girl Scout Cookies are sold during a seasonal campaign rather than through a permanent nationwide retail distribution system. Traditional sales take place through personal networks, booths, and council-organized events. GSUSA also introduced Digital Cookie, an online selling and marketing platform that allows participating girls to reach customers digitally while retaining the educational focus of the program. In some arrangements, customers can order for shipment or choose local delivery or pickup, depending on council and baker capabilities. The brand’s central positioning is youth development. Selling cookies is presented as a practical way for girls to learn goal setting, customer communication, money management, decision-making, teamwork, and business planning. The purchase therefore carries both a consumer proposition and a mission proposition: customers receive a familiar seasonal snack while supporting Girl Scout activities. GSUSA describes the program as the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the United States. The brand remains active nationwide, with product assortment, price, ordering methods, and season timing determined partly by local councils and licensed-baker arrangements.

The Girl Scout cookie program grew out of the organization’s early use of practical projects to teach girls self-reliance, service, and leadership. In 1917, Girl Scouts in Muskogee, Oklahoma, are credited with selling homemade cookies as a fundraising activity. Other troops and councils adopted similar projects, often baking cookies themselves and selling them within their communities. During the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scout councils increasingly used common recipes and packaging to make the activity more consistent. A 1922 Girl Scout publication included a recipe intended for troop use, and local groups packaged cookies in wax-paper bags or other simple containers. The program was interrupted or constrained during periods when ingredients and packaging were difficult to obtain, including the Second World War, when some councils substituted other fundraising products. Commercial production became more important after the postwar period. Instead of relying principally on troop baking, Girl Scout organizations arranged for commercial bakers to produce cookies to approved specifications. Over time, the national system consolidated around licensed baker relationships. The two principal bakers associated with the modern program are ABC Bakers, a division of Interbake Foods, and Little Brownie Bakers, associated with Ferrero. Girl Scouts of the USA sets program standards and manages the national brand relationship, while local councils select or work within the applicable baker arrangement. The two-baker structure explains why the same product can have different names or slightly different formulations across the United States. For example, the chocolate-and-caramel coconut cookie is commonly sold as Samoas in Little Brownie Bakers territories and Caramel deLites in ABC Bakers territories. Similar variations occur with Tagalongs and Peanut Butter Patties, and with Do-si-dos and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Product availability, ingredients, nutrition information, and packaging must therefore be checked against the local council or baker’s information rather than assumed to be identical nationwide. For decades, the principal sales channel was face-to-face selling by girls through family contacts, neighborhoods, and organized booths. The activity became a nationally recognizable seasonal ritual and one of the largest recurring youth fundraising programs in the United States. Revenue is distributed through the local council system rather than treated as a conventional corporate product sale; councils and troops use their share to fund Girl Scout services and activities, while the program also supports the cost of cookies, logistics, and national administration. Technology changed the selling model in the 2010s. GSUSA introduced Digital Cookie, enabling participating girls to use personalized online storefronts, digital marketing, and online ordering alongside traditional booths. The platform became especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person interactions were restricted and councils adapted sales methods. The digital channel did not eliminate the local nature of the program: participation, delivery options, and ordering rules remained dependent on councils, baker infrastructure, and seasonal availability. The assortment has continued to evolve. Thin Mints and the peanut-butter and caramel products have remained the most recognizable lines, while newer introductions have addressed changing tastes and dietary expectations. Toast-Yay! was introduced for the 2021 season, and Raspberry Rally was introduced for the 2023 season as an online-focused offering. Such launches have demonstrated the program’s ability to generate national attention, but they have also exposed the operational challenge of forecasting demand for a short seasonal window. Today, Girl Scout Cookies remains an active GSUSA program rather than an independent public company. Its significance comes from the combination of product familiarity, local participation, and the educational purpose of the sale. The program’s present form is shaped by the licensed-baker model, local council administration, seasonal inventory, digital commerce, and the continuing goal of giving girls direct experience with entrepreneurship and community leadership.

• 2023

  Raspberry Rally launched

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  Raspberry Rally, a chocolate-coated raspberry cookie, was introduced as an online-focused seasonal product.

• 2021

  Toast-Yay! launched

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  Toast-Yay!, a French-toast-inspired cookie, entered the portfolio through the Girl Scout licensed-baker program.

• 2014

  Digital Cookie introduced

  [2]Girl Scouts of the USA: Digital Cookiegirlscouts.org

  GSUSA introduced a digital platform to help girls market cookies and accept orders online alongside traditional selling.

• 1944

  War-era product substitution

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  Ingredient and packaging shortages during the Second World War led some councils to use alternative fundraising products rather than normal cookie sales.

• 1934

  Commercial baking begins to expand

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  Some Girl Scout councils began arranging commercial production, reducing reliance on troop members baking all cookies themselves.

• 1922

  Standardized cookie recipe published

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  A Girl Scout publication provided a cookie recipe and selling guidance, helping other troops adopt a more consistent fundraising activity.

• 1917

  Early Girl Scout cookie fundraising

  [1]Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org

  Girl Scouts in Muskogee, Oklahoma, are associated with an early cookie sale used to raise money for troop activities and service work.

A seasonal, mission-led cookie program positioned around Girl Scout entrepreneurship, community fundraising, and recognizable cookie products.

• Chocolate and mint cookie

  Thin Mints

  A thin, crisp chocolate cookie covered with a mint-flavored chocolate coating. Thin Mints are the most widely recognized Girl Scout Cookie product and are sold through the licensed-baker system, with formulation and packaging varying by baker.

• Caramel, coconut, and chocolate cookie

  Samoas or Caramel deLites

  A ring-shaped or rounded cookie combining caramel, toasted coconut, and chocolate. It is sold under the name Samoas in some licensed-baker territories and Caramel deLites in others, with differences in shape and specification possible between bakers.

• Peanut butter and chocolate cookie

  Tagalongs or Peanut Butter Patties

  A cookie featuring a peanut-butter layer covered in chocolate. The product is called Tagalongs in some territories and Peanut Butter Patties in others, reflecting the national program’s two-baker structure.

• Peanut butter sandwich cookie

  Do-si-dos or Peanut Butter Sandwiches

  A sandwich-style oatmeal cookie with a peanut-butter filling. Local product naming and specifications vary between the two licensed bakers.

• Shortbread cookie

  Trefoils or Shortbread

  A classic shortbread-style cookie, commonly presented in a trefoil shape associated with Girl Scout identity and heritage.

• French-toast-inspired cookie · 2021

  Toast-Yay!

  A cookie introduced for the 2021 season with a French-toast-inspired flavor profile. It was developed as a seasonal addition to the established core assortment.

• Raspberry and chocolate cookie · 2023

  Raspberry Rally

  A thin, crisp raspberry-flavored cookie covered in chocolate. It was introduced for the 2023 season with an online-focused sales approach and experienced limited availability in some areas.

• 2014Digital Cookie

  United States

  GSUSA added a digital sales and marketing platform so girls could use online storefronts and digital tools in combination with traditional cookie selling.

  Outcome. Digital selling became a continuing part of the program and an important alternative during periods when in-person sales were restricted.

  Source
• 1917Early troop cookie sales

  United States

  Girl Scouts in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sold homemade cookies as a fundraising and service activity, an early model for the national cookie program.

  Outcome. The activity was adopted by other troops and councils and evolved into a standardized commercial program.

  Source

• 2023

  Launch Raspberry RallyProduct launch

  Background

  GSUSA sought to create a new seasonal product and use digital ordering to extend the program’s reach.

  Action taken

  Raspberry Rally was introduced as a chocolate-coated raspberry cookie with an online-focused sales model.

  Aftermath

  High demand and constrained seasonal supply contributed to limited availability and fulfillment complaints in some markets.

  Source

• 2021

  Launch Toast-Yay!Product launch

  Background

  The cookie portfolio periodically adds new flavors and formats to maintain customer interest and address changing preferences.

  Action taken

  GSUSA introduced Toast-Yay!, a French-toast-inspired cookie, through the licensed-baker system.

  Aftermath

  Toast-Yay! became part of the seasonal assortment, subject to baker and council availability.

  Source

• 2014

  Adopt a national digital cookie-selling platformStrategy

  Background

  The traditional program depended heavily on face-to-face sales, while consumers were increasingly shopping and communicating online.

  Action taken

  GSUSA introduced Digital Cookie to let participating girls market products and manage online orders within the Girl Scout program.

  Aftermath

  Online selling became a regular complement to booths and personal-network sales, with local councils continuing to control participation and fulfillment arrangements.

  Source

1. 1Girl Scouts of the USA: Our Cookiesgirlscouts.org
2. 2Girl Scouts of the USA: Digital Cookiegirlscouts.org
3. 3Girl Scouts of the USA: Cookie Historygirlscouts.org