Just going over a few of the ones that have gone away since my own daughter started selling GS Cookies; Ole Oles were great. One of the better cookies and were great with coffee. Unfortunately the people who market these things think everyone likes the gooey ones like samoas (ewww) when actually if people buy more of them it's only because there are so few cookies per box. The absolute worst ever were the apple cinnamon ones. When my daughter was selling them I think the whole troop sold one or two boxes. They didn't last long, and for good reason. Aloha Chips were very popular, I'm surprised they didn't last longer.

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The lemon pastry creams were one of my favorites. I am sad that they are no longer selling them. My second favorite is the Samoa, I hope they don't retire that one for a long time.

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The lemon pastry creams were one of my favorites. I am sad that they are no longer selling them. My second favorite is the Samoa, I hope they don't retire that one for a long time.

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Animal Treasures were originally pushed to the preschool crowd. However, parents complained that they were "just too big." I like the "thanks-a-lot" better, anyway. They are the perfect size and shape for making s'mores (insert large marshmallow and microwave briefly).
A big reason cookie are retired is because of poor sales. Iced berry pinatas sold very poorly, therefore they were retired. The #1 seller is thin mints, followed by shortbread. Carmel delights sell very well too (and peanut butter sandwich, depending on your part of the country). You will probably always find these cookies on the list.
People have to remember that the primary reason Girl Scouts sell cookies is to make money for their troop and council. In our area (Houston), the troop gets $0.56 per box, and the coucil (which provides camps and programs for girls) gets $1.84 (about 70%). At $3.50 per box, that does not leave much profit for the bakery. With the exception of the thin mints and the caramel delights, people can find a comparable (and probably cheaper) alternative at a local grocery store. It is primarily a fundraiser, but a worthwhile one. Selling cookies provides girls with a means to earn money to participate in many great programs.

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This brought me down memory lane! I started selling cookies as a brownie in 1962. The cookies sold for 50 cents a box. We only had a few varieties. The peanut butter cookies were called Savanahs then. The thin mints have always been thin mints. The shortbread cookies were called Scotch teas and then trefoils. They were dipped in sugar back then so were much sweeter. As a leader, my girls graduated seniors in 1997. We got 35 cents a box and they sold for $2.25 a box then. I'm trying to cut down now that middle age spread is hitting, so I buy several boxes and donate them to our local children's shelter. Thanks for the memories!

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Lori,
The sales are based on popularity (you can't raise money on a no-seller) and that's why I'm surprised the Aloha Chips didn't make the cut for longer. When our troop sold them they were our 2nd best seller (Thin Mints always lead the sales, people buy them by the case!) especially at booths when people who'd bought one box "to try" during the presales relized they had to have more. I remember going back to the warehouse and picking up additional cases of Alohas for our booth sales. They sold out every time. I think they might have been a regional cookie though. Did they sell them all over the US? They weren't my favorite, but wow, the girls sold a lot of them.

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i loved that they came out with lemon coolers, since they are no longer available in the market. but now to see that once again they have been taken away from me... i'm heartbroken. they are one of the only cookies that i really like. oh well, i'll keep searching for a recepie for something similar

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Think for a minute. If this is really a fund raiser, just donate what you would have spent directly to the troop instead of buying cookies. I donated $10.00 to the troop when my daughter was in scouts 30 years ago.

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I loved lemon coolers too and they were low fat. I don't like all the super sweet stuff. I ordered shortbread this year, but I'm thinking about not buying the cookies any more. If I'm going to eat fat, it's going to be in something that I like to eat.

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In re: to Jill's comment on Aloha Chips
I think that one might have been a regional offering. Aloha Chips was made by the Little Brownie Bakers bakery (from about 2000-2003). Two bakeries are licenced by the Girl Scout Organization to produce cookies--Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Bakery. In Houston, our council uses the ABC bakery, so we never had the Alohas. Not sure of how well the Alohas did overall. There is a chance they did well, but the bakery did not want to make them anymore (price of macadamias went up???).
According to Girl Scouts USA, only 3 varieties are mandatory: thin mints, peanut butter sandwich, and shortbread. The bakeries come up with new ideas each year, and Girl Scouts organization votes on them.
Here is the official sales ranking from the Girl Scout website:
25% Thin Mints
19% Samoas®/Caramel deLites™
13% Peanut Butter Patties®/Tagalongs®
11% Peanut Butter Sandwich/Do-si-dos™
9% Shortbread/Trefoils
The other varieties combined account for the remaining 23%

**Little Brownie Bakers is conducting a poll on which retired cookie people would like to see brought back. Here is your chance to speak out and cast your vote. http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/cookies/history.html

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I loved the lemon coolers! The fact that they were low-fat and tasted good was even better. I like the Somoas and of course the thin mints are great but when I start with the Do-si-Do's I just can't stop!

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As Susan suggests, I donate directly to the troops and council. I don't need what I consider to be an only average cookie -- fundraiser, or not. I'll give the funds, every time I'm asked. They can keep the grocery store quality cookies.

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I was anxiously awaiting "Girl Scout Cookie Time" so that I could order my Lemon Coolers. I too was very disappointed that they are no longer available. I cast my vote at www.littlebrowniebakers.com to bring them back!

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Hi! As a current GS Leader, we do appreciate the donations, but the girls really do enjoy selling the cookies, and it provides them with good experience with responsibility etc.
Also the reason the Lemon Pastry Cremes were discontinued was not that they changed bakers, there are different bakers for different parts of the country, but that the equptment that ABC used to make those was obsolete, and they only used it for that one cookie, so it wasn't cost effective to replace it for just that one.

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My family loved the lemon pastry cremes so much that I would buy a dozen boxes at a time and even bought some on ebay when I ran out. I just stumbled on this webside telling me they were retired because I was hoping to purchase some on the web because I thought it was just the girl scouts in my area that weren't selling them. I'm so disappointed they are retired. I hope the appropriate people in the girl scouts sees these postings and brings them back next year. The substitute lemonade cookies don't even compare to the lemon pastries. Hope they realize they made a mistake.

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HI- I have tons of Lemon Coolers leftover from 2006 if anyboard is interested. I will sell them for $3.50 a box plus shipping. They are nice and fresh. PLease email me if you have any questions or want some.

Thanks

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Hi- I have tons of lemon coolers left over if anyone is interested. Please email me and let me know if you are interested.

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I have alot of Lemon Coolers left over and if anyone is interested please email me at kicknitwithu@hotmail.com. They are nice and fresh and yummy.

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I am a retired GS Leader of 13 years. After experiencing selling cookies as a leader of an older GS troop, I now give the girls choices when I'm approached to buy. This works best for older girls, since they aren't as interested in the incentives and are often trying to raise money for a trip. As the girls get into High School, time is very limited. But, I'll also make my offer to the younger girls, as well. I give them the choice of keeping the total donation if they are needing $$ for the troop, buying cookies with the $$ to get credit for the boxes and donating the boxes to the food bank. Or to buy cookies for themselves to share. My girls really enjoyed this when someone bought them a box at a booth. Or any combination of donation and boxes. It gives them a chance to think it through, especially when you throw in helping others. But I do love to see their faces light up when I mention to buy a box for themselves.

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What were the kind that were like a vanilla sandwich cookie with a hollow center hole filled with strawberry jam? They might have also had a hint of lemon or cheesecake flavor in them. I remember them from the early-mid 1990's.

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