It’s that time of year again, the time where tables are drawn, signs are made, and young girls go door to door in the pursuit of selling one thing: Girl Scout Cookies. The cookies are a long standing tradition of the Girl Scouts, dating back decades.

Sold once a year, the cookies help raise money for the Girl Scouts. Delectable cookies are a trademark of the Scouts and an amazing way to kick start any new year. The cookies are sold by weight of the amount purchased. They help Scouts fund for resources and Scout activities, also helping to pay off the cookie bakers.

The tradition of the Girl Scout cookie began in 1917 in the homes of the scouts. With Scout mothers overseeing the process, the cookies were concocted as a means to raise Girl Scout funding. The Scout headquarters soon published an eye-catching article, advertising the new cookies and their purpose. Attached was also a cookie recipe: a simple sugar cookie.

In the 1930s, the Scouts continued making their now popular cookies. The treats were sold to electric and gas companies for cheap prices. The Scouts also enlisted their first commercial baking company who would ship cookies to Scouts across the U.S. The tradition continued in the flurries as the baker number was increased.

The Scouts began to increase the flavor options in the 1950s. As demands for cookies rose, they added flavors such as Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Thin Mints, and Shortbread; the cookies were also beginning to be sold to customers in shopping areas.

In the spirit of Girl Scout cookies, sophomore David Tapscott said, “The mint ones [Thin Mints are his favorite] because they taste really good and they’re the only ones I like.”

As cookie demands rose in following decades, so did the variety of cookie flavors. The Girl Scouts began designing cookie boxes for each cookie. The number of widespread bakers was also reduced to a smaller number, going from four to two licensed bakers.

Discussing her new favorite flavor added to the cookies, junior Kristy Hilton said, “The Lemonade cookies [are her favorite]. They’re sweet and there’s a little bit of sour to them.”

Girl Scout Cookie selling will be celebrated in the upcoming month of March, as  a great custom for girls to participate in, around America.

Sophomore Aundraya Wilson stated, “I think its [Scout cookie selling] is good. It teaches girls responsibility and leadership.”

In the present, there are eight different flavors of cookies. The Scouts continue to keep the tradition by selling cookies to profit the Girl Scout organization.