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January. You've gained 6 lbs. from one-too-many servings of mashed potatoes, your excitement at the first snowfall has transformed into cursing at the 37th day of this God-forsaken slushy crap, and the dreaded February reminder of your really, really long period of singledom is right around the corner. Worry not -- there's a bright spot on the horizon.It's GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SEASON. Just when things were looking downright bleak, those cute, cheery, matching-outfitted purveyors of boxed humanity appear outside your local grocery store to restore meaning to your life. (And, yes -- cookies = humanity around these parts.)
In celebration of our 10th anniversary of binge eating Samoas, we got in touch with the people over at Girl Scouts for some fun facts about those delicious baked goods.
Get your Girl Scout cookie trivia on, after the jump.
Did you know?
Girl Scout cookie sales began in 1917 in Muskogee, Okla., when the Mistletoe troop began baking and selling cookies in its high school cafeteria as a service project. 
In 1942, Girl Scouts sold calendars in lieu of cookies due to sugar, flour and butter shortages during World War II.
Cookie variety was limited to the Sandwich, Shortbread and Chocolate Mints in 1951 (now renamed the Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos, Shortbread/Trefoils and Thin Mints, respectively). 
Thin Mints are the biggest seller, making up 25 percent of all sales, followed by Samoas/Caramel deLites at 19 percent.
As of 2005, 71.5 percent of women in the U.S. Senate and 67.1 percent of women in the House of Representatives are Girl Scouts alumnae. 
Jennifer Sharpe, age 15, of Dearborn, Mich., holds the record for most cookies ever sold, with 17,328 boxes in 2008. Of the $21,000 her troop raised to go on a 10-day tour of Europe, $14,000 was due to Sharpe.
Different types of cookies are sold in different regions at varying prices set by individual Girl Scout councils. And sometimes even the same cookies have different names.
For example, Do-Si-Dos, formerly called Gauchos, are also called Peanut Butter Sandwiches in other areas. Confusing, right? This is because there are two licensed bakers, ABC and Little Brownie, that get to propose and name the cookies that they bake. 
About 200 million boxes are sold every cookie season; the Girl Scout cookie program has generated about $700 million per year since 1999.
New cookies pop up every once in awhile and are continued based on their success. 2010's newest addition is Thank U Berry Munch, described as "hearty cookies with real premium cranberries, sweetened with creamy, white fudge chips." Want to try the original Girl Scout cookie?
The following sugar cookie recipe was published in The American Girl magazine in July 1922 by a Chicago director named Florence E. Neil. The recipe was given to 2,000 Girl Scouts, and girls across America began to sell their homemade cookie packages from door to door for about a quarter a dozen.
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375 degrees) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.
Tell us! Were you a Girl Scout back in the day? What years did you sell cookies, what kinds of cookies did you sell, and where?Also: Find out when your local troop is selling here.
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Wednesday 27 January
By Lora Anderson
I was a Girl Scout in 1966-1968. Our troop meet at Juarez Elementary School in San Diego, California. Our troop leader was Mrs. Duel. We sold Gauchos, Thin Mints, Scot Tees. I was only a Girl Scout for two years because Mrs. Duel decided she didn't want to be troop leader anymore. I will always have fond memories of my time in girl scouts.
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Tuesday 26 January
By Kristy
I sold Girl Scout cookies when they were $.50 a box. Our troop also had a booth at MGM studios in Culver City. We sold cookies to Robert Vaughn, (when Man from U.N.C.L.E. was big) and John Saxon to name a few.
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Thursday 28 January
By Naomi S. Bailey
Hi Kristy, when I sold GIrl Scout cookies they where $.40 a box. I don't care for the new names, the new taste or how small they have become, yet the price keeps going up, not that it is any different from any other product. What a big disappoinment. I don't even care for the real reson for the purpose of their sales. As a consumer I am so tired of being taken advantage of.
Thursday 28 January
By Debby
I wondered how many replies I would have to read before someone was insulting or negative - only TWO! Naomi, if the cookies cost .40 a box when you sold them (which had to be a long time age), how much did sugar, butter, eggs, etc. cost? For that matter, how much were wages?? It's a charity, for heaven's sake. It's little girls learning to organize, budget, speak politely to people....and to fund their troops. Either buy them or don't. Nobody is "taking advantage" of you!
Tuesday 26 January
By DAYATRA WHITE
I was a Girl Scout until I was 14 years old. ( my mother was the troop leader and got pneumonia after camping out in the snow for a week while earning my outdoor pioneer badge) when I was finally allowed out. We lived on the base at Aberdeen Proving Gounds , my mother was the cookie chairlady and my sister won the award for the most cookies sold every year. Her method was to park herself at a table with young non coms and their dates and remain there until they asked her what she wanted. She would then tell them she would leave if they would buy some cookies. The cookies were 45 cents a box. She never had any change. They would give her a dollar and tell her to get lost. She use the dimes accumulated to pay for the cookies my brother ate surreptitiously ( they were stored in our basement) so my Mom didnt have to pay for them.
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Thursday 28 January
By Elisa
Now that was cool.
Tuesday 26 January
By Jean Kolmas
I sold cookies in the 50's when they were 25 cents a box. We walked door to door selling them. There was only one type, the big sugar cookie shaped like a flower petal. They were the best.
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Tuesday 26 January
By Cheri
When I sold them they were $2.00 a box. I might be wrong but it seemed there use to be a fudge stripped cookie when I sold them back in the 80's
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Wednesday 27 January
By KVB
No, you are right. I sold them during that time as well and I remember one like that. I can't remember what it was called though. I had to go from house to house though. None of that selling in front of stores or in the walmart parking lots like today. ha!
Thursday 28 January
By Elisa
Thats when I sold them. There was. It was around in the 90's as well, I think it got it's name changed a few times.
Tuesday 26 January
By Linda Mull
I sold Girl Scout cookies in the late 50's. We received a case with handholds on the top of the box. We sold one variety. A sandwich cookie with chocolate on one side and vanilla on the other at 50 cents per box. It was very difficult to sell the cookies because there were so many scouts in the area. Six on my street alone. Girl Scouts are still a part of my life. I am a leader and both of my granddaughter are in Girl Scouts.
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Tuesday 26 January
By Peggy
I was a Girl Scout for several years in the 1950s, Troup 217, San Bernardino, Calif. Selling cookies at the Stater Bros. on Baseline Ave. was a yearly treat for all of us and our mothers. I still have my sash with all the badges I earned. Girls Scouts was an incredibly wonderful experience in my life.
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Tuesday 26 January
By james claypool
GOD BLESS THE GIRL SCOUTS
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Tuesday 26 January
By J. RIF
GIRL SCOUTS SELL COOKIES AND MAKE VERY LITTLE. IT'S THE BAKERY THAT MAKES THE REAL PROFIT. GIRL SCOUTS ARE THE SERFS OF THE LARGE MONEY GRUBBING BAKERY.
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Thursday 28 January
By Sharon
I was just waiting for the first few negative comments and RIF..you are wrong about the cookie company making the most profit. Each council has a board of directors that determines the price of the cookies. The price is different in each council depending on the area it is located in. More prosperous regions near large cities, tend to have a higher priced box of cookies. The cookie companies make 1 set amount. The rest is divided up between the trucking companies that ship them, the warehouses that store them, the prizes that the girls get, the councils, themselves, and finally the troops. EVERYBODY gets a slice of the pie. The COUNCIL gets the largest share! They have to maintain camps, retain vehicles, equipment, provide programs, and they also have money set aside for underprivileged girls to give them the opportunity to be in Girl Scouts. No one in their right mind would undetake selling Girl Scout cookies if the rewards weren't worth it. I am a long time volunteer and trainer with my council and I can tell you....it is hard work. We are often standing outside in freezing weather...and sometimes people aren't se nice. Girl Scouts have been robbed plenty of times. If you don't believe me..go watch Youtube.
And then you have the problem of parents and/or leaders who abscond with the money raised. It is a tough way to earn money...but it IS a fundraiser and hopefully people will remember that. The girls themselves nearly always donate to some type of charity with a portion of their money. I hope everyone will donate at least $1 if you don't really want the cookies. Not one penny is wasted. It makes me really sad to see someone say nasty things about this time-honored organization....just because they themselves happened to have a bad experience. It takes all types to live in a world.
Friday 29 January
By Rae
No, the bakers do not make that much money on the cookies. Let me explain it to you. Let's say a box costs $3.50. Cookie Cost is only $0.85. Girl Programs $1.20. Troop and Service Unit Profits $0.90. Camp Programs $0.25. Council Administration $0.10. Program & Technology Center $0.09. Training & Support to Volunteers $0.06. Financial Partnership for Girls $0.05. This was found on the Girl Scout Council closest to me website. It's seems the girls get the most of the money. That is the way it should be. This is a learning experience for the girls.
Thursday 25 February
By Crystal
Actually each council determines the cost to charge and then the split once the baker is paid. In the council where I am a leader it is actually split 3 ways. We are lucky here. Our troops receive 1/3 then the council (their 1/3 can only be used for programs directly for girls and can not be used for general council costs). Camp is one of the programs. The baker gets the other 1/3. Here in our council the cost is $3.25 per box and it is the first increase in our council since my daughter was in 1st grade and she is now in tenth. I sold as a girl when cookies were a $1.25 per box and we also just ordered and sold door to door and did not do booths like we do today. The thing I find most sad is that most people will not buy from our older girls but will from younger girls. Our older girls find that very hard to understand and it hurts their feelings. Some of the packaging has changed but the thin mint is the same minus I believe 4 cookies from when I sold back in the 70's and the trefoil (shortbread) is about the same and so are the Do-Si-Dos (peanut butter sandwich).The others have changed but not really by much. It is like buying the candy in the school fundraisers. But it is still for a good program with positive value for girls. It is no different than buying Boy Scout popcorn and I never hear anybody complain or have negative comments about the cost of that product. I purchase that as well because I believe that scouting offers moral and ethical programing for today's youth. To me the cost is well worth it even if I was not a leader and lifetime girl scout.
Tuesday 26 January
By Linda Gibbins
I was a Girl Scout in 1948 & 1949. The cookies were 25 cents a box. I remember how the people complained to me when the cost went up to 30 cents. Scouting was very important to me. Times were hard for my family and Girl Scouts helped me to feel important and worthy. Later in life, I sponsored a troop on a trip to Chicago. I am all for the Girl Scouts!
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Tuesday 26 January
By Kathy Hitzel
Started as a Brownie in 1954 and continued through high school in 1966. (We were Mariner Scouts in hgh school.) We sold Gauchos, Thin Mints and the sandwich cookies. First time I sold any they were 50 cents a box. Mostly sold them to neighbors and friends, and in front of our local market in high school. Loved being a Girl Scout!
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Tuesday 26 January
By kathy
i was a girl scout from 1966-1974, i was not a brownie, as they could not find a leader, bit i was a junior, cadette and senior scout, it looks good on you college application if you were a girl scout. i loved being a girl scout
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