Fond du Lac gets different Girl Scout Cookies than the rest of Wisconsin's. Here's why, and what sets them apart.

It's Girl Scout Cookie season, and Fond du Lac customers will be sold Samoas, Lemon-Ups and Tagalongs.

But elsewhere in the state, Wisconsin customers get Caramel deLites, Lemonades and Peanut Butter Patties.

The 4,000 troops of the Girls Scouts of Manitou, based in Sheboygan, use a different baker than the rest of the state. So their Thin Mints are crafted from a chocolate-ier recipe, the Caramel deLites are called Samoas, and Thanks-A-Lot don't exist.

And the differences don't stop there.

Wait, *why* are Girl Scout Cookies different in different parts of Wisconsin?

There are two national distributors of Girl Scout Cookies: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. Each Girl Scouts council chooses which bakery to get its cookies from.

Some states have just one Girl Scouts council, so the entire state gets the same batch of cookies. Wisconsin is almost entirely dominated by ABC Bakers, which is used by five of the state's six councils.

Only the Girl Scouts of Manitou — which encompasses all of Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Fond du Lac counties, and reaches parts of Calumet, Dodge, Ozaukee and Washington counties — sell cookies from Little Brownie Bakers.

"Two years ago, we did a months-long study with a task group where we reviewed just about everything with the different vendors and their success rate," said Cassie Sterwald, communications director for the Girl Scouts of Manitou. "They decided to go with Little Brownie Bakers."

Wisconsin isn't unique in having both cookie bakers in the state, according to a 2017 map from the Los Angeles Times, but people in the eastern part of the state are in the lucky position of having all 17 cookie varieties within easy driving distance.

Here are all the cookies, and how they are described by each vendor.

Samoas vs. Caramel deLites

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Samoas: Crisp cookies with caramel, coconut and dark chocolaty stripes.

Rest of Wisconsin, Caramel deLites: Crispy cookies topped with caramel, toasted coconut and fudge stripes.

Thin Mints vs. Thin Mints

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Thin Mints: Crisp, chocolaty cookies made with natural oil of peppermint

Rest of Wisconsin, Thin Mints: Crispy chocolate wafers dipped in a mint fudge coating

Lemon-Ups vs. Lemonades

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Lemon-Ups: Crispy lemon cookies baked with inspiring messages to lift your spirits.

Rest of Wisconsin, Lemonades: Naturally and artificially flavored savory slices of shortbread with a refreshingly tangy lemon-flavored icing

Tagalongs vs. Peanut Butter Patties

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Tagalongs: Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a chocolaty coating.

Rest of Wisconsin, Peanut Butter Patties: Crispy cookies layered with peanut butter and covered with a fudge coating.

Peanut Butter Sandwich vs. Do-si-dos

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Peanut Butter Sandwich: Crisp and crunchy oatmeal cookies with creamy peanut butter filling.

Rest of Wisconsin, Do-si-dos: Oatmeal sandwich cookies with peanut butter filling.

Girl Scout S'mores vs. Girl Scout S'mores

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Girl Scout S'mores: Graham sandwich cookies with chocolate and marshmallowy filling

Rest of Wisconsin, Girl Scout S'mores: Crispy graham cookies double-dipped in creme icing and coated in delicious fudge

Trefoils vs. Shortbread

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Trefoils: Delicate-tasting shortbread that is delightfully simple and satisfying.

Rest of Wisconsin, Shortbread: Traditional shortbread cookies.

Toffee-tastic vs. Caramel Chocolate Chip

The Girl Scouts of Manitou, Toffee-tastic: Rich, buttery cookies with sweet crunchy toffee bits (also advertised as gluten-free).

Rest of Wisconsin, Caramel Chocolate Chip: Rich caramel, semi-sweet chocolate chips and a hint of sea salt in a chewy, gluten-free cookie.

Bonus cookie: Thanks-A-Lot

The Girl Scouts of Manitou do not sell Thanks-A-Lot cookies. Girl Scouts in the rest of Wisconsin sell the large shortbread cookie, which is dipped in rich fudge and topped with an embossed thank-you message in one of five languages.

Where to get the Girl Scout Cookies you want

Individual Girl Scouts are selling door-to-door and at parents' workplaces until Jan. 26. Those who live north of Milwaukee County might encounter troops selling Little Brownie Baker Cookies.

Booth sales at grocery stores and other venues begin in mid-February and last until mid-March.

If you don't live in the areas covered by the Girl Scouts of Manitou and want to try Toffee-tastic, the sandwich version of the Girl Scout S'mores or other cookies from Little Brownie Bakers, visit GSManitou.org and type ZIP code 53081 into the cookie finder to see a list of sale booths in the area.

Caramel Chocolate Chip, chocolate-covered Girl Scout S'mores and other cookies from ABC Bakers will be sold across the state. Visit GirlScouts.org to find out more.

Map source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel analysis, Girl Scouts of the United States of America

Jordyn Noennig covers pop culture and entertainment in Milwaukee. Follow her on Instagram @JordynTaylor_n. Find her on Twitter @JordynTNoennig. Call her at 262-446-6601 or email Jordyn.Noennig@jrn.com.