Girl Scout Cookies® History
1940s

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Girl Scout Cookies were sold annually by local councils around the country until World War II, when sugar, flour, and butter shortages led Girl Scouts to begin selling Girl Scout calendars to raise money for their activities.

Cookie sales continued annually, with the national organization licensing local bakers to produce and package the cookies sold by girls in councils. By 1948, a total of 29 bakers throughout the nation were licensed to bake Girl Scout Cookies.