How to Place Your Insignia on Your Uniform

How to Choose a Troop Crest

What is a crest, and who uses them?
Used by Junior, Cadette and Senior level troops, troop crests are a symbol of a troop's goal or main interest. In the early days of Girl Scouting, they were used to identify a troop. The rapid growth of the movement soon made numbering necessary, but crests were kept as a symbol of a troop's interests. Today's Girl Scouts should choose a crest carefully and find one that has special meaning to them. Every member of the troop should know what their crest is and what it means.

How and when do you choose a crest?
Once chosen, a crest is used for the life of the troop. If a girl enters an established troop, then she takes that troop's crest. If a troop bridges to the next level and forms a new troop, they may choose to keep the previous crest or select a new one. If part of the troop bridges and forms a new troop, they can choose a new crest. The girls remaining behind should keep the old crest unless the focus of the troop has drastically changed from when the original was selected.

How many crests are there?
24 crests, including a blank for troops wanting to design their own.

What do these crests mean?

Blank design your own	Bluebird happiness and cheerfulness	Cardinal goodness, cheerfulness; at home in the city or in the wild
Clover leaf good luck; also the shape of the Girl Scout trefoil	Daffodil spring flower, sunny personality	Dogwood new life, rebirth; a spring flowering tree
Falling star good luck; makes wishes come true	Forget-me-not friendship and loyalty	Hawaiian lei circle of friendship
Lightning bolt power of nature	Lily of the Valley purity; in folklore, it is known as fairy bells	Morning Glory awakening of a new day and the glory of God
Musical notes music and song	Pine tree bold, loyal and stable	Purple pansy (also known as hearts ease) friendship and service
Purple violet clean earth and clean environment	Red rose all American, beauty and love	Sailboat adventure, journey and freedom
Seashell gift from the sea, promise of discovery	Star of Bethlehem guide, beacon, showing the way; a goal	Unicorn magic, mystery, and purity
Waterfall (first troop crest) loyalty and challenge	White rose faith, loyalty, and quest for truth	Wild rose perseverance, adaptability in adversity, beauty in strength, exploration of possibilities