Why Your Girl Scout Cookies May Have Different Names This Year at the Jersey Shore

Move over Christmas, the actual most wonderful time of the year is here...Girl Scout Cookie season has commenced!

I kid, I kid...kind of.

I spent 12 winters going door to door and standing outside of stores, like Hollywood Video (throwback), selling cookies to earn my way to go on some amazing trips. I was really lucky and went to the Grand Canyon, Quebec, swimming with manatees in Florida, an Alaskan cruise, and even to Australia all through Girl Scouts.

With that being said, you could call me a Girl Scout cookie expert.

If you're in Ocean and Monmouth counties and have been looking to order cookies, you may have noticed that something has changed.

Where did the Samoas go?

This isn't just limited to Samoas, but also Tagalongs and Do-Si-Dos.

What happened?

Don't worry those cookies still exist, but the names have changed.

There are only two companies that make Girl Scout Cookies, Little Brownie Bakers and ABC Smart Cookies.

Little Brownie Bakers has been owned by Ferrero SpA since 2019, previously owned by Keebler before Ferrero bought Kellog. ABC Smart Cookies is owned by Weston Foods.

In years past, the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore Council used Little Brownie Bakers to provide cookies to our area.

However, this year the council has switched to ABC Smart Cookies.

Little Brownie Bakers owns the trademarks for the names Samoas, Tagalongs, and Do-Si-Dos. Girls Scouts own the trademarks for Thin Mints, Trefoils, and Adventurefuls, which is why those names are the same.

Another difference you may notice is the shape of Thin Mints, ABC Smart Cookies have a bit more of a scalloped edge on the cookie.

If you're thinking right now, I've seen cookie names before in the area...you're not wrong. A few local New Jersey councils have used ABC Smart Cookies in the past.

If you're looking where to get Girl Scout Cookies near you, Girl Scouts have a great cookie finder on their website to help you out.

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Before I go I want to leave you with this little thought. In 2024 we are leaving behind comments complaining about the cost of Girl Scout Cookies and comments on how you can get knock-offs at the store.

As I said above, I got to go on many once-in-a-lifetime trips that I earned by selling cookies (yes, other fundraisers too). My parents didn't have to lay out a dime to send me on those trips.

I learned lifelong skills through selling cookies that are worth more than the $6 a box you spend to invest in a girl. ($3 when I started in the 90s).