Monday, March 12, 2012

Girls Scouts Celebrate 100 Years!

Today marks the centennial of the Girl Scouts organization. 

The following text is from the official Girl Scouts web site:

Juliette Gordon Low spent several years searching for something useful to do with her life. Her search ended in 1911, when she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, and became interested in the new youth movement. Afterwards, she channeled all her considerable energies into the fledgling movement.

Less than a year later, she returned to the United States and made her historic telephone call to a friend (a distant cousin), saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!" On March 12, 1912, Juliette Low gathered 18 girls to register the first troop of American Girl Guides. Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon, her niece and namesake, was the first registered member. The name of the organization was changed to Girl Scouts the following year.

The first troop for African American girls was formed in 1917.  Forty-eight years later, I became a Girl Scout.  Although I only spent a year in the organization, I enjoyed being part of a girl group that pledged to try to do its best and to serve God and country. 

A variety of scout dolls and paper dolls have been made throughout the years. The dolls shown below are the few I own. 

Blue Bird (1963), Brownie and Girl Scout dolls (1965) by Effanbee and Avon (the tallest doll) (1995)

Below are links to other Girl Scout (GS) dolls, past and present, a noteworthy GS article:

Dorsey's Dollectibles (a variety of Terri Lee, Effanbee, and other scout dolls from the past)
On My Honor paper doll book includes one AA paper doll depicting the uniform worn in 1918
Barbara Wilborn


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7 comments:

  1. So cute! Now I want some Girl Scout cookies. :0)

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    1. A Girl Scout shortbread cookie or two would be great with my coffee this morning, Hugs!

      dbg

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  2. I wanted the Girl Scout dolls desperately when I was a kid. I was in Brownies for two years and then Girl Scouts for one year. Unfortunately I could never save up enough money to get the dolls. I picked up a lot of crafting skills from scouting but I thought selling cookies was pure torture which probably has a lot to do with why I hate selling things to this day.

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    1. Limbe Dolls,

      I'm sorry you were not able to buy the Girl Scout dolls as a child. On the secondary market, some 30 years after the Effanbee dolls were manufactured when I purchased my first one, the black Brownie and Girl Scout dolls sold on average for $35 each and usually still sell for that amount today. After I received the Blue Bird this past Christmas as a gift from a friend, I researched the doll and was told by a GS doll enthusiast that the AA Blue Bird is valued at $100 today. I would like to know their original retail cost.

      I'm not good at selling things person-to-person either, unless it's something that I would use myself.

      dbg

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  3. Apparently they have a Girl Scouts bear at Build a Bear this year. Our troop is going in a few weeks to spend the money we made off of cookie sales.

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    1. The GS build a bear sounds cute! Enjoy your upcoming trip Miss_Lola_77.

      How many girls are in your troop?

      dbg

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    2. Call to see if they have the bears. The stores are out in our area until May.

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