Kids, you have a lot of questions.
Is a crocodile a dinosaur?
Why do people vote?
How does your food turn into your poop?
But why?
A podcast for curious kids has answers.
I'm Jane Lindholm.
Join me as we dig deep into everything from science to history nature, emotions and sometimes even the weird.
Why are jellyfishes made of jelly?
Or are they made out of jelly?
Find But Why wherever you get your podcasts.
And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Psst.
Hey.
Smarty pants.
I am so excited.
And so is my tummy.
It all has to do with a certain delicious delicacy that's only sold during a certain time of year by a certain group of girls.
In fact, my niece, Gia, belongs to the local chapter.
I put my ordering with her a few months ago and she just called to let me know she's on her way over.
Of course, she'll be dressed in her green and white uniform, which includes a sash, a vest and a beret.
Smarty Pants, have you figured out what group my niece belongs to and what sweet treat she's bringing me?
I bet a lot of you have.
Oh boy, here she is.
Hi, Gia.
Am I ever glad to see you.
Hi, Uncle Trusty.
On behalf of the Girl Scouts of America, I present to you one box of Tagalongs, one box of Do-Si-Dos, two boxes of Thin Mints and two boxes of Samoas.
All right, Smarty Pants, I know you know what I'm so excited for now.
Let's all say it together on three.
One, two, three.
Girl Scout cookies!
Gee, Uncle Trusty, they're just cookies.
Just cookies?
Just cookies?
You don't understand.
Girl Scout cookie season is one of my favorite times of the year.
Right up there with National Pizza Day, Pack Your Lunch Day, and World Food Day.
Yeah, you're not alone.
People sure do love getting Girl Scout cookies.
Well, enjoy your snack.
I'd stay, but I have more deliveries to make.
Oh, okay.
Good luck with your deliveries.
It's funny.
I've been enjoying Girl Scout cookies as long as I can remember, but there's a lot I don't know about them.
Oh well, I guess I'll just enjoy what I do know, that Thin Mints are delicious!
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Excuse me, trusty narrator.
Did I ever hear you say there's a lot you don't know about Girl Scout cookies?
Maybe I can help.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Huh?
Who said that?
Ahem, down here.
I wanted the Thin Mint cookies.
The name is Merriment.
Merriment?
Cute.
Thanks, but more importantly, I know all about Girl Scout cookies.
Oh, well, in that case, when were the first Girl Scout cookies sold?
Which flavors are most popular?
And what Girl Scout cookies are no longer available?
It's time for another whiff of science, history, and mint on...
Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science?
Or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who Smarted?
I'm here with my new friend, Merriment, who is an expert on Girl Scout cookies because she is one.
Just curious, do any of the other Thin Mints talk?
Nope, just me.
Good.
Okay, Merman.
My first question that I'm sure the smarty pants want to know too is how and when did Girl Scouts start selling cookies?
Was it A, 1917, B, 1939, or C, 1969?
If you said A, good job.
The first Girl Scout cookies were sold in 1917.
Wow, that is a long time ago.
Was it like it is today, where Girl Scout troops all over the USA sell a variety of cookie flavors?
Nope.
The original Girl Scout cookies were sold in 1917 by a single troop of Girl Scouts in Muskogee Oklahoma, to help fund their troop activities.
They sold their cookies in the high school cafeteria.
Ooh, let's do a quick historical recreation starring my niece and the meatcake lady.
Hi, would you like to buy some cookies to support my Girl Scout troop?
Hey, everybody's buying cookies instead of my mystery meatcake.
Not fair.
I can see why they'd be a big hit.
But how did cookie sales go from one Girl Scout troop to the nationwide fundraising event we know today?
Well, in July of 1922 the Girl Scouts National Headquarters published an edition of American Girl Magazine featuring a cookie recipe that all Girl Scouts were encouraged to make themselves and sell locally.
Wow, so the Girl Scouts baked their own cookies.
Smarty Pants, what kind of cookies do you think they were?
Was it A, sugar cookies, B, chocolate chip cookies, or C, Thin Mints?
While the Thin Mints are definitely an iconic Girl Scout cookie, I'm afraid I was not the original.
The first Girl Scout cookies were simple sugar cookies.
The simplicity of the cookies was important, since Girl Scouts would be making them at home with adult supervision.
After baking the cookies, they would package a dozen in a wax paper bag and seal it with a Girl Scout sticker.
Then they would sell them for 25 to 35 cents a package.
Wow, that's only two or three cents per cookie.
So when did they start putting them in boxes?
In the 1930s, Girl Scout cookies began being packaged in boxes.
And by 1935 the Girl Scout Federation of Greater New York raised money by selling commercially baked cookies.
Oh, that means cookies made by a company in a factory, as opposed to Girl Scouts in their kitchens at home.
Yep, and these cookies caught on quickly.
By 1937, more than 125 Girl Scout councils reported holding cookie sales.
And they've been sold every year since, right?
Well, not quite.
Girl Scouts had to stop selling cookies during World War II due to sugar, flour and butter shortages.
Ah, no sugar, flour, no butter, no cookies.
How did Girl Scouts raise money for activities without selling cookies?
In 1944, the Girl Scouts sold calendars instead of cookies.
Hi, would you like to buy a calendar to support my Girl Scout troop?
Oh, we could rename it Meatcake March.
Yeah, I bet people were pretty excited to buy cookies again once the war was over.
They sure were.
After World War II, cookie sales went through the roof.
By 1948, there were 29 bakeries licensed to bake Girl Scout cookies.
That's a lot of bakeries.
Are there still that many making Girl Scout cookies today?
No, that number was reduced to help ensure cookies would have more consistent prices quality, packaging and distribution.
Smarty Pants, any guesses how many bakeries are licensed to make Girl Scout cookies today?
Is it A, 25, B, 15, or C, 2?
Believe it or not, it's only 2.
Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakers are licensed to bake all of the Girl Scout cookies in America.
Oh, and for the record, they don't use exactly the same recipes or even the same names.
For example, Samoas come from the Little Brownie Bakers, while the ABC Bakers call the same cookie a caramel delight.
Whoa.
Wow.
That's a lot of work and responsibility for just two bakeries.
So when did they start offering the flavors we know and love today?
In 1951, there were only three kinds of Girl Scout cookies.
The peanut butter sandwich, the shortbread cookie, and chocolate mints.
Chocolate mints?
Were they like thin mints?
Yep, Chocolate Mint was an earlier name.
However, the Thin Mints were actually first introduced in 1939 with the name Cookie Mints.
Honestly, it doesn't matter what they're called.
I'm still eating them.
By 1956, there were four basic types of Girl Scout cookies.
A vanilla-based filled cookie, a chocolate-based filled cookie, shortbread, and chocolate mint.
Then in the mid-60s and 70s, additional cookies were added to the roster.
But not all of them lasted.
But here's something interesting.
No matter what cookie flavors come and go, the Girl Scout licensed bakeries are required to make three types of Girl Scout cookies.
Hmm.
Smarty pants.
What do you think the three mandatory or required types of Girl Scout cookies are?
The answer is coming up right after this quick break.
It's the award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into your homeschool routine, covering math, language arts, science and social studies from pre-K through 12th grade.
What I love most about IXL is how it adapts to each child's pace.
We'll see you next time. actually feel good about learning.
For parents, the real-time progress tracking is a game changer.
You always know exactly where your child stands.
Plus, it makes learning fun, and you know I love that.
Over 15 million students use IXL, and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states.
So make an impact on your child's learning.
Who's Smarted listeners get an exclusive 20% off at ixl.com slash smarted.
That's ixl.com slash smarted for your 20% off.
Now back to Who Smarted?
Okay, Smarties.
Girl Scout cookies began with a simple sugar cookie baked in the kitchens and ovens of Girl Scout members, before expanding to be baked by professional bakeries.
And while many flavors of cookies have come and gone, three cookie flavors are mandatory or required to be made by the Girl Scout cookie bakeries every year.
Are they A, Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, and Tree Foils?
B, Thin Mints, Samoas, and Adventure Foils?
Or C, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs, and Lemon Ups?
The answer is... A, Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, and Tree Foils.
Ooh!
Remember, the original three mass-produced cookies were chocolate mints, peanut butter sandwiches and shortbread cookies.
Well, those became thin mints, do-si-dos and truffles, and none of those flavors can be eliminated from the lineup.
Sweet.
Literally.
But now I'm wondering which of those mandatory cookies is the best seller.
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
Is it Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos, or Tree Foils?
The answer is...
In fact, Thin Mints are the best-selling Girl Scout cookie by far.
However, in recent polls, Samoa seemed to be more people's favorite.
Yeah, I like them all.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
So what do Girl Scouts get out of selling all these cookies?
Not only do Girl Scouts gain valuable life skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and business ethics, they can also win awards.
In the 1990s, Girl Scouts USA introduced official awards, including the cookie activity pin for participating in the cookie sale.
Girl Scouts can also earn rewards for meeting cookie selling goals.
Nice, but where does all the money go?
All proceeds from Girl Scout cookie sales stay with local councils and troops to fund activities for Girl Scouts year-round.
Great.
I'm glad my money is going to a good cause.
Plus, I get to eat cookies.
Yep, but I've got a special offer only available to trusty narrators in possession of a time travel app.
Oh, I'm listening.
How would you like to join me in a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sample Girl Scout cookies that are no longer available?
In the word of my niece.
Whoa.
Yes, please.
Where should we go first, Merriment?
Let's start at the 2010s.
I think you might like some thanks-a-lots.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Mm, tastes like a tree foil, but with chocolate.
Yep, it's a shortbread cookie coated with fudge.
But did you read the message on the front?
Oops, I ate it.
Thanksalots have a thank you carved on the front in English, French, Spanish, Swahili, and Mandarin.
Nice, but thank you, cookie.
Okay, now set it for the 2000s.
There are two cookies to try there.
First up, the Double Dutch Cookie.
Super chocolatey.
It's a double chocolate chip cookie with milk and semi-sweet chocolate.
It hasn't been available since the mid-2000s.
Next up, a Lemon Chalet Cookie.
It looks like a sandwich cookie, but the cream in the middle tastes like lemon.
I also noticed a building on the cookie.
That's the Girl Scout International World Center, located in Switzerland.
International.
Nice.
What's next?
Let's hit the 1980s.
Behold, the Golden Yangles.
They're triangle shapes.
I wonder what they taste like.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Hmm, this has a strange flavor.
What is it?
Cheese.
Cheese cookies?
Yeah, they were only sold a few years.
Smarty pants, any guess how many flavors of Girl Scout cookies have been discontinued?
I'm guessing about 10 or 15 maybe.
Try 51.
51?
That's right.
Dozens of Girl Scout cookies have come and gone, including iced berry pinatas, upside-down frosted oatmeal, fruity mango cremes and low-fat ole-ole's.
Wow, those sound a little weird.
I'm just glad Thin Mints are here to stay.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Except now they're gone.
Except one.
Trusty, you wouldn't.
Nah.
Besides, it's Samoa time.
Nom nom nom nom nom.
A super sweet shout out to Emma, Jack, and Ava in Baltimore, Maryland.
We love that.
You love smarting to who smarted in the mornings when you wake up and, of course, smarting while you're in the car.
We're so glad you enjoyed learning about anything and everything with the Smarty Pantses, and we hear your aunt, a special educator, loves the background knowledge that you're gaining too.
Now that is beyond awesome.
This episode, Girl Scout Cookies, was written by Sarah Samoa Swetek and voiced by Gabby Thin Mint Mayfield, Gia Dosido Davis, Adam Thanksalot Davis, and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Adventurefuls-Hahn.
Who Smarted? is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Tagalongs Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Smores Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Too smart and...
