Massive Cookie Push

One lunatic Girl Scout sold 17,328 boxes of the group's signature cookies this year, shattering her troop's old mark and probably setting a national record. What does it take to get a little parental approval?

By setting up shop on a street corner (insert mother joke here), 15 year old Jennifer Sharpe generated a sizable chunk of Troop 813's $21,000 in cookie sales, which pays for its 10-day trip to Europe this winter.

"It's always been one of those goals I wanted to accomplish," Sharpe said. What's next, getting a job at the mall Mrs. Fields kiosk?

The two bakeries that make the cookies said Sharpe sold more than anyone this year, and I'm guessing by a longshot. The national office called the figure "amazing" but said there's no national record on the books.

Sharpe sold cookies every day on a street corner with help from her mother and troop leader (gee, what a coincidence), Pam Sharpe. "We were always there; we never closed," she said. "At one point, Jenny got really sick and we did shut down early, and we heard about it the next day." From who? Child Protective Services? Or cookie junkies who couldn't get their fix?

The cookie program has helped push Jennifer out of her shell, Pam Sharpe said. "It's made her really confident. I remember when she first started selling, she was very shy and quiet and you had to push her out to talk to customers, but now she's right out there, first to the door." Yes, push her out there. Force her to overcome her fear of being a slave to selling cookies.

One thing that hasn't changed, despite selling thousands of boxes for the past few years (and the constant threat of making her cookie kingpin mother unhappy), is Jennifer Sharpe's feelings about the cookies. "I love them," she said.