By SUE ELLEN ROSS

Staff Reporter

RIVER PARISHES – The official 2005 Girl Scout Cookie Sale starts today.

Individual Daisies, Brownies and Girl Scouts will line up their order sheets as they again offer the favorite treats.

Cookies will be delivered beginning February 26 and will also be sold at various locations throughout the 13 parishes served by the Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana.

According to Marianne Burdette, Director of Communications, the traditional sale is conducted at this time of year for various reasons.

“This gives the girls and their troops the opportunity to plan their fundraising goals in the fall,” she said. “They then have a better handle on their activities for the next year.”

Burdette also mentioned that the annual Cookie Sale is kicked off in the middle of January so it doesn’t coincide with Mardi Gras season.

This year, the Girl Scouts’ motivational Cookie Sale theme is “Mission: Possible,” which allows participating Scouts to become part of a special girl force called, “Cookie Action Team.” They bring positive attitudes, unlimited energy and possibility into the project.

All Cookie Sale proceeds stay within the local Girl Scout Council, a portion of which goes to Scout troops to fund their activities; and also to the Council to fund training of adult volunteers, recruitment, maintain camp grounds and support initiatives of the Council.

Call the Cookie Hotline to order your favorite boxes at (504) 733-8220 or (800) 644-7571.

A Cookie

History

1920s – This is when it all began. Girl Scouts baked their own (sugar) cookies and sold them for 25-30 cents per dozen. The goodies were put into wax paper bags, sealed with stickers and sold at neighborhood bake sales. The event was used as a fundraiser for the Girl Scout Troop activities and service projects.

1930s – The first nationally-franchised Girl Scout Cookie Sale was held in 1936. The Girl Scouts of the USA organization licensed bakers across America to use the Girl Scout name and insignia to bake sugar cookies with the Girl Scout trefoil design. This time period marked the birth of the “World’s Largest and Longest-running Bake Sale.”

1940s – During World War II, Scouts stopped the cookies sales, as supplies of flour, sugar and butter were limited. Instead, they designed calendars to sell. By 1947, bakers were back in business, but the calendars continued to sell and are still popular today.

1950s – Individual Girl Scout Councils began making more of their own decisions regarding the Cookie Sales. They were able to tailor their prices and sales dates to fit their needs.

1960s – Almost 55 million boxes of Girl Scout cookies were consumed by the American public each year during this time. Bestsellers were the Chocolate Mint, the Shortbread, and the Peanut Butter Sandwich cookies.

In 1969, the Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana held it’s first Council-sponsored Cookie Sale. Proceeds from this event assisted in the building of Camp Whispering Pines, a 600-acre camp near Independence.

1970s – This decade brought financial struggles for the country as a whole. Increased cookie volume and a rise in prices helped Councils surmount the loss of outside funding. The Girl Scouts USA organization re-affirmed its commitment to the positive development of girls. As part of this new initiative, Brownie Girl Scouts were allowed to sell cookies for the first time.

1980s – The Girl Scouts USA organization began supplying each baker with a standard cookie package layout. The bakers could provide a maximum of seven varieties of cookies to the Councils. Three types were mandatory, and the other four were the option of the bakery. None were to include additives in the recipes, and bakers were encouraged to use honey instead of sugar. They were also asked to offer one kosher cookie.

1990s – During the middle of this decade, the public was looking for healthier snacks. The Girl Scouts obliged, introducing a low-fat cookie. This brought the total number of cookie types to eight.

2000 – Cookie boxes were redesigned to show real-life Scouts participating in contemporary activities. Also, the depiction emphasized the investment consumers were making in a girl’s future by buying the cookies.

2001 -The Southeast Louisiana Council began to carry out the, “Gift of Caring” community service project in conjunction with the Cookies Sales. Scouts encouraged customers to purchase cookies for donation to a non-profit organization selected by their respective Scout Troop.

2004 – A total of 763,464 boxes of Girl Scout cookies were sold in the 13-Parish area served by the Girl Scout Council of Southeast Louisiana. Fifty-nine girls entered the Council’s Cookie Hall of Fame, each one of them selling at least 500 boxes of cookies.

2005 – While there is no new cookie debut this year, the line-up includes many old-time favorites such as the Thin Mint, Trefoil and Samoa; they all celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.