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Girl Scout Shoes Part 2
1937 brought changes to Girl Scout shoes. No longer were brand names relegated to the end of the Girl Scout catalogs in the paid advertisements BUT neither were they highlighted in those same ads. (All paid advertisements were dropped from the GS catalog starting in spring of 1937)
Everyday wear Girl Scout shoes and athletic shoes were safely ensconced in the catalog pages. No longer were these shoes sold only through approved shoe retailers, but were now available in other shoe stores (and maybe even department stores?)
Only 3 manufacturers were offering official shoes; Keds (new in 1937, replacing the Firestone Footwear brand), Brown Shoe Company (also known as Buster Brown) and Melanson.
Girl Scout shoe styles were regulated, who manufactured them was less important (unless you were the manufacturer!)
Styles were slowly changing, adjusting to the modern girls needs and likes.
1937 - the new Girl Scout Keds replaced the Firestone Footwear brand. 2 styles were offered, the "high" model (shown above) and the standard "Oxford" style. No longer available in green, the all white versions were not only for athletic use, but official for Mariner Girl Scout.
The item # shown right are for the Girl Scout socks, not for the shoes.
1937
The trademark on the left debut in the 1938 catalog. By 1939 it had a slight alteration. The bottom line changed. It's not known if the left example was just an error in the catalog or if it was ever used on the shoes.
1938 - the two-tone Girl Scout shoe, manufacturer unknown.
1943
From 1937 through 1943 the group page of Girl Scout shoes continues with the addition of the two-tone shoe style and the unforgettable saddle shoe style (1940).
In 1940 the list of shoe companies no longer contains the Melanson Shoe Company brand. Now the list is the Brown Shoe Company (Buster Brown) and the Curtis - Stephens - Embry Company.
1940 launched the official saddle-shoe, but it disappeared in 1943 (don't fret - they reappear after the war).
All shoes are dropped from the Spring 1944 catalog, except for a camp moccasin (not identified as being official),but notes that it is a restricted item. The shoe "page" returns in the Fall catalog.
An example of the 1944 trademark
This Curtis-Stephens-Embry shoe box end shows the 1944 trademark.
The new trademark for Official Girl Scout shoes appeared in the Fall 1944 Girl Scout catalog.
In 1949 "Brownie sizes" are offered are first offered, later listed as "Brownie Scout."
Also in 1949 Avonite soles are mentioned for the first time in the GS catalog.
These soles are marked Avonite, a sole product not trademarked until 1945, and not noted in GS shoes until 1949, so these shoes date from 1945 to around 1952, when GSUSA changed their own trademark, dropping the slogan "None Genuine Without This Trademark."
The GS trademark (spelled as one word on this sole) seems to date from 1951 era, the tag line "None Genuine Without This Trademark" disappears in the 1952 catalog, and the phrase "By Girl Scouts" is in the upper right corner also changed in 1952.
1951 also brings the Official Brownie Scout Shoe in the Brownie catalog.
This trademark style is first seen in the 1952 catalog. Girl Scouting is listed as G.S. of U.S.A., there is a box around the re-designed trefoil and the tag line "None Genuine Without This Trade Mark" is gone.
The shoe box end shows:
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the company name of Curtis-Stephens-Embry, Co., Inc.,
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the trefoil from the old trademark of 1944
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the full trademark of 1952
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"Not Genuine Without This Trade Mark" tagline used.
Although the Brownie Scout Shoe was first mentioned in the 1951 Brownie catalog, by 1952 they had a half-page layout and a trademark logo all their own.
1954 brings subtle changes to Girl Scout shoes:
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some styles are noted as "For casual use only", meaning they are no longer for uniformed wear.
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The International Shoe Company added to the list of manufacturers.
This Curtis-Stephens-Embry sign for Official Girl Scout and Brownie Scout shoes is a rare find!
These ads from a 1956 Girl Scout Leader magazine highlight the shoes available.
Poll-Parrot Shoes were a division of the International Shoe Company, as was Red Goose Shoes. The designs were regulated, manufacturers could only offer the correct styles - but they tied them to their other divisions and well known brand names.
In 1958 this ad was found in the Girl Scout Leader magazine noting the Official Girl Scout Canvas Shoe.
It wasn't really official in that you could wear it with your uniform - just officially sanctioned by GSUSA.
The image shows that 1952 trademark - a new one was launched in 1959.
The manufacturer was Beacon Falls Rubber Footwear, a division of United States Rubber Co., who also made the Girl Scout Keds back in 1937.
1959 - the shoe section is down to a half-page in the catalog and the selection is down to 3, with the addition of a canvas oxford (sneaker) and a rainboot.
Both the Canvas Oxford (sneaker) and the rainboots were made by Beacon Falls Rubber footwear. Not shown left, but elsewhere, was the new Brownie Canvas Oxford in brown or white.
A new manufacturer, General Shoe Corp., replaced the International Shoe Company for the regular shoes.
The Girl Scout & Brownie rainboots were manufactured by Beacon Falls Rubber Footwear, Beacon Falls, CT.
Image: Merana
The 1959 Official Girl Scout Grips Canvas Oxfords (sneakers) carried a new GS trademark on the tongue of the shoe and on the heels.
This trademark may only have been used in these shoes, as the 1952 trademark is shown in the item below that dates to the 1960's.
The Girl Scout version came in green or white, and the Brownie version came in brown or white.
1962 is the last time an image of a Girl Scout shoe appears in the GS catalog. Starting in 1963, with the publication of the separate Official Dress Uniforms for Girl Scouts catalog, a small mention of GS shoes is noted. Also in 1963, the General Shoe Corp., is no longer listed.
This little note disappeared in 1969. Infrequent shoe ads also disappeared from the Girl Scout Leader magazine in 1969.
Girl Scout shoes were gone until the 1980's!
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