Cookie Queens Movie Review

“Cookie Queens” starts by showing us a young Girl Scout by the name of Olive (who we learn later is a star seller for the company) asking her troop who knows the names of all the cookies they sell. Only one hand raises. It’s early in the season. ​
The more you watch this, you see that the girls featured here memorize not only the names of their product, but what makes each of them special, much like the girls themselves. They’re encouraged to upsell and create a personal goal for themselves. This youngster’s goal also becomes the goals of the parents who help. Upselling is taught and encouraged. They don’t want to fail, so they get very good at selling you more, talking you into buying more, whether you want to or not. These are children! The youngest is five!

Olive is twelve, and she’s a better salesperson than anyone in any store I’ve walked into. She cares about making her personal goals and believes in what has been pounded into her head from day one. Basically, she cares for the customers and takes care of their needs. It’s astonishing when you find out how much she has made for the company. Though she has won trophies and awards for selling the most, her real goal in life is to be a Supreme Court Justice. Could happen. The way she speaks, she’s well on her way. These are all fascinating individuals, but the movie does focus on Olive quite a lot, for a reason.

We’re given a peek at old footage of when the Girl Scouts first began. The girls march toward their boxes of cookies with enthusiasm. In those early years, they learned archery, how to make a campfire, and how to handle firearms. Some girls in scouts right now want what they had back then.

Nikki in Chino, California, is following in her two sisters’ footsteps. They were the best, winning trips to Europe! Can she be that good? They are still selling, and with their mothers’ help, they are all doing well, creating little jingles to get the attention of passersby. To make money, you may lose a lot. You have to purchase the product first and then make it back by selling your boxes, after giving the company their share, of course. The girls get $1.10 for each $6.00 box they sell. Olive wants to see this change, along with other things in the company. If she becomes CEO of the council, another goal, she’s planning on giving the girls a bigger say in matters since they are doing all the work.

We also meet Ara, the five-year-old. She and her parents are trying to make her goal of selling fifty-five boxes; needing to make their money back is important. Things aren’t going well, and watching them, hearing what they tell the filmmaker who’s asking questions about how it’s going, you worry. Ara has diabetes and wants a sugar-free option. Smart girl!

This is a well-produced film that will hold your interest the entire time. The girls’ personalities are fascinating and what they show of themselves appeals to anyone who loves a good documentary. Everything going on, everything these girls do to sell, how the parents get involved, (good or not), will interest you. It’ll be impossible not to root for them through the weeks they are followed.