Girl Scout Thanks Badge

From the beginning until until 1987, the Thanks Badge was the highest honor one could receive from Girl Scouting.

1917 Price List shows the Thanks Badge was offered in Bronze and Sterling.

Who received the 1st Thanks Badge? According to this 1937 newspaper clipping, Professor W. J. Hoxie did. He's a familiar name in Girl Scouting history.

Early on, as shown below, two styles of the Thanks Badge were offered; one style as a traditional medal with ribbon, the second as a pin.

By this time, green enameled pins were for people outside of Girl Scouting, but who had made a great contribution to further Girl Scouting.

Blue enameled pins were for people inside of Girl Scouting.

By 1932, only one design of the Thanks Badge was offered, the medal on a ribbon style. However, it could be worn also as a pin or as a necklace due to changes on the backside.

Example of an early Thanks Badge.

Note the outer blue circle appears painted rather than enameled. Also note the heavy clasp on the back. Date of this Thanks Badge is unknown.

Reverse of Thanks Badge

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Lions Bros. Hallmark

Ouch!

The green version of the Thanks Badge is difficult to find. This appears to be more modern version. The green Thanks Badge was discontinued in 1956.

You can learn a lot from a little article in the newspaper. Not only do we learn that The New York Girl Scouts gave a Thanks Badge to songwriter Kent Cooper, who wrote "American Needs You" and donate all the royalties from the sale of the music to Girl Scouting, we also learn that John D. Rockefeller Jr (1931) and Irving Berlin (1941) have also received Thanks Badges from the New York Girl Scouts.