Scouting in popular culture

Smokey Bear with members of the Boy Scouts of America and the Camp Fire Girls celebrating the 50th anniversary of their founding in 1910.

Since Scouting began in 1907, it has entered into many elements of popular culture, including movies, TV and books.

As a facet of culture throughout most of the 20th century, Scouting has been portrayed in numerous films and artwork. It is especially prevalent in the United States, where Scouting is tied closely to the ideal of Americana. The works of painters Norman Rockwell and Joseph Csatari and the 1966 film Follow Me, Boys! are prime examples of this idealized American ethos. One of the earliest depictions of Scouting in the entertainment media is a 1908 British silent film Scouts to the Rescue, shown in nickelodeons. Produced by Williamson Kinematograph, it depicted Boy Scouts tracking a gang of kidnappers through the woods to rescue an abducted baby.

Scouting is often dealt with in a humorous manner, as in the 1989 film Troop Beverly Hills, and is often fictionalized so that the audience knows the topic is Scouting without there being any mention of Scouting by name.

Film

• Scouts to the Rescue (1908) UK; Boy Scouts track a gang of kidnappers through the woods and rescue an abducted baby
• Charley Smiler Joins the Boy Scouts (1911) UK
• Remise du drapeau aux boy-scouts au Cinquantenaire (1914) Belgium
• Boy Scouts Be Prepared (1917) US
• The Little Boy Scout (1917); Justina disguises herself as a Boy Scout and joins the troop to escape her evil uncle.
• Drum Taps (1933) US; Ken and his brother Earl's Boy Scout troop go after a gang of rustlers. With Los Angeles Boy Scout Troop 107
• Good Scouts (1938) US; Donald Duck becomes Scoutmaster of the Junior Woodchucks and goes camping
• Joy Scouts (1939) US; Boy Scouts go camping but the kids from Our Gang aren't old enough.
• Scouts to the Rescue (1939) US; "Adventure! Thrill! Suspense! Action!..as Eagle Scout Jackie Cooper leads his hardy troop through breath-taking exploits!"
• Sea Scouts (1939) US; Donald Duck goes to sea with the Junior Woodchucks
• I Love You Again (1940) US; William Powell plays a leader in the Boy Rangers where Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer is trying to achieve his First Class Ranger.

Beginning his life of adventure: Young Indiana Jones (River Phoenix) finding the "Cross of Coronado" in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as a Life Scout in the scene when he "discovers his life's mission", said film critic Roger Ebert

• Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout (1944) US; The teenage Henry Aldrich, played by Jimmy Lydon, is the irrepressible Senior Patrol Leader of his Boy Scout troop as they compete in a Council camporee while coping with a troublemaking Tenderfoot who learns the meaning of Scout's honor the hard way. This picture had the official support of the BSA, which supplied a technical advisor to Paramount Pictures during filming.
• The Great Lover (1949) US; Bob Hope is a "Scoutmaster" to a group of "Boy Foresters". The "Boy Foresters" are more mean than helpful, courteous or kind, although they do ensure that lover-boy Hope walks the straight-and-narrow in the face of many temptations.
• Room for One More (1952) US; Cary Grant adopts a handicapped boy whose life is changed by family and Scouting, becoming an Eagle Scout. Also called "The Easy Way".
• Mister Scoutmaster (1953) US; TV star Clifton Webb worries that he is out of touch with the younger generation and becomes a Boy Scout leader.
• Scoutmaster Magoo (1958) US; Mr. Magoo
• It Happened to Jane (1959) US; Stars Doris Day as a Cub Scout den mother trying to save her local business during hard times.
• Follow Me, Boys! (1966) US; Lem Siddons (Fred MacMurray) decides to put down roots and ends up starting a Boy Scout troop
• Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966) US;stars Bob Hope, Phyllis Diller and Elke Sommer. Hope is a real estate agent who gets in trouble trying to hide an actress (Sommer) from the studio who wants her to film a bubble-bath scene she refuses to do. Some Boy Scouts stumble upon their cabin hideout in the woods; hilarity ensues.
• Destroy All Planets (Gamera Vs. Viras) (1968) At a world scout jamboree in tokyo two young scouts get mixed up in Gamera's battle with world conquering aliens.
• Scout's Honor (1980) US, TV; Gary Coleman as a Cub Scout
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) US; in this top-grossing film, the beginning of the fictional Indiana Jones' career as an adventurer is depicted as a teenage Boy Scout in the early 20th century. The Life Scout is trying to save the Cross of Coronado from the villainous graverobbers.
• The Wrong Guys (1988) US; Five former Cub Scouts have a reunion and go camping on the mountain they never conquered. Stars Louie Anderson, Richard Lewis, Richard Belzer, Tim Thomerson, and John Goodman
• Troop Beverly Hills (1989) US; Shelley Long leads a troop of Wilderness Girls.
• Edge of Honor (1991) US; Stars Corey Feldman about "Northwest Wilderness Explorers" who stumble upon some stolen weapons hidden in a shack in the woods of the Olympic peninsula in Washington. The movie follows the boys as they try to escape from the bad guys, and how they finally deal with them, with a little help from an unexpected source.
• This Boy's Life (1993) US; Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) is forced into the Boy Scouts by his stepfather (Robert De Niro); a recurring real-life issue with the BSA is the admittance of homosexuals as an obviously flamboyant boy (Jonah Blechman) is one as well.
• Father and Scout (1994) US; Stars Bob Saget in a made-for-TV movie about a wimpy dad and his son on a camping trip as part of a Scout-like group.
• Bushwhacked (1995) US; Stars Daniel Stern as a deliveryman framed for murder; he hides out by pretending to be a Scoutmaster to a group of "Ranger Scouts"; PG-13 due to some off-color jokes.
• Arlington Road (1999) US; Thriller starring Tim Robbins. Anti-government terrorists are also leaders of a scouting organization which indoctrinates children and facilitates the carrying out of terrorist attacks.
• Christmas With the Kranks (2004) US; Stars Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. Cub Scouts selling Christmas trees are very unsympathetic characters in a movie with characters we mostly don't care for.
• 14 Hours (2005) US; Stars Rick Schroder; Boy Scouts assist in the evacuation of Memorial Hermann Hospital during Tropical Storm Allison.
• Down and Derby (2005) US; Cub Scouts and their dads compete in a pinewood derby.
• The Pacifier (2005) US; The younger daughter Lulu is a member of the Fireflies. She and her fellow Fireflies attempt to sell cookies in the Costco parking lot and get tormented by the boys from the Grizzlies troop.
• Outlaw Trail: The Treasure of Butch Cassidy (2006) US; 16-year old Life Scout Roy Parker (Ryan Kelley) and other members of Circleville, Utah, Boy Scout troop 14 seek the infamous western outlaw's treasure.
• Up (2009) US; One of the main characters, Russell, is an eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer, which are clearly modeled after Scouts.
• Scout Camp (2009) US; The Fire Dragon patrol, with their ever-supportive scoutmaster (Kirby Heyborne, Saints and Soldiers) is headed to Camp Rakhouta for what might be the best week of their lives. But when the legendary "Spirit Stick" of the prestigious camp goes missing, the entire tradition of the camp is threatened. Now the Fire Dragons, led by York Hayes (Shawn Carter, High School Musical 1, 2, 3) must do whatever it takes to find the stick, return, and restore the legacy of the camp. Writer/Director Garrett Batty.
• Lucky Christmas (2011) US; Hallmark made-for-TV movie about single mom (Elizabeth Berkley) whose son is building a PWD car; Cub Scout theme is minor subplot.

TV

• 3rd Rock from the Sun episode "I Brake for Dick" (1997) US; Harry attempts to follow the ways of the Boy Scouts.
• All of Us episode "Crime and Maybe Some Punishment" (2006) US; Bobby goes to a Fireside Kids jamboree.
• American Dad! episode "Homeland Insecurity" (2005) US; Stan forces Steve to join the Scout Rangers to be prepared for the coming foreign invasion. However, the Scout clubhouse is a front for drinking and gambling by a bunch of partying delinquents.
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) US; Opie was shown as a Cub Scout in a few episodes and as a Boy Scout in at least one episode
• The Big Bang Theory episode "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency" (2009) US; After they run out of food, Leonard, Howard, and Raj go insane and develop a plan to raid a Cub Scout Troop to obtain more food.
• The Brady Bunch episode "The Liberation of Marcia Brady" (1971) US; Marcia joins Greg's Frontier Scouts to prove she is equal to the initiation tasks. Greg then tries to retaliate by joining Marcia's Sunflower Girls.
• Camp Lazlo (2005) US; An animated series about Bean Scouts at summer camp.
• Family Guy episode "The Son Also Draws" (1999) US; Chris gets kicked out of Scouts.
• The Flintstones episode "Cave Scout Jamboree" (1964) US; While camping, Fred and Barney stumble upon a Cave Scout jamboree, and Fred helps out as a Scoutmaster.
• Friends episode "The One where Rachel Quits" After Ross accidentally breaks a young girl's leg, he offers to make it up to her by selling her Girl Scouts-like cookies. The girl has to sell at least 400 boxes to go to Space Camp, mocking both the prizes offered by troops for selling the cookies, and the rising prices of the boxes in recent times.
• Full House (1987–1995) US; DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle are all members of the Honey Bees in various episodes. The Honey Bees wear bee costumes, complete with stinger. A girl does the honey bee salute by moving her body in such a manner as to make the stinger move back-and-forth. They sell jars of honey instead of cookies.
• Galactica 1980 episode "The Super Scouts (Parts 1 & 2)" (1980) US;
• The Golden Girls (1985–1992) US; In several episodes, Rose Nylund is the Cadet Master of a group of sunshine Cadets. Some members of the Sunshine Cadets are portrayed as committing mild acts of hooliganism.
• iCarly (2007–present) US; In Season 2, Spencer tries to help a Sunshine Girl sell the most fudgeballs to win a bicycle so he can date her mother. He ends up in direct competition with two other Sunshine Girls for the bike.
• It (1990) US; Young Stan uses the Scout Oath and Scout Law as mantras against fear.
• The Jetsons episode "Good Little Scouts" (1962) US; George goes camping on the moon with Elroy and Space Cub Troop 54.
• Jim'll Fix It (1980) UK; This was a series where viewers wrote in and each episode several of the wishes would be realized. In one episode, a pack of Cub Scouts requested having their lunch somewhere unusual. The program sent them on the Revolution at Pleasure Beach Blackpool. The clip became one of the most requested on British TV shows. The situation was repeated in 2007 with the same participants for Jim'll Fix it Strikes Again.
• Kim Possible (2002–2007) US; In several episodes, Pixie Scouts are shown; their motto is "Pixies Stick Together!" They are mentioned to sell both Pixie muffins and cookies. Pixies are either guided by a den mother or in Middleton's case, a Brigadier. Kim Possible herself was once a Pixie Scout as a young girl.
• King of the Hill US; In episode "The Order of the Straight Arrow" (1997) Hank and the guys take Bobby's troop camping, and induct them into the Order of the Straight Arrow, a parody of the Order of the Arrow. In "Straight as an Arrow" (2008), Bobby and his friends join the Order of the Straight Arrow; this time presented as a parody of a Boy Scout troop with no continuity to the 1997 episode.
• Leave It to Beaver episode "Lonesome Beaver" (1958) US; 12-year old Wally and Eddie Haskell join the Boy Scouts but Beaver at age "seven and three-quarters" learns he must wait until he is at least 11. When Wally's troop goes on a weekend campout, Beaver is forlorn.
• The Man Show US; The Man Show Boy dresses like a Girl Scout and attempts to sell cookies.
• The Mighty B! (2008) – the main character of this show is a badge-obsessed Honeybee Scout who wants to become a superhero, the other scout troops are the Butterflies, the Black Widows, the Beavers, The Junebugs, and the Dragonflies.
• Mork & Mindy (1978–1982): In an episode where Mork learns to say "No," a Girl Scout selling cookies bullies him into buying five boxes ("or else a sweet, little kid [namely me] doesn't get to go to camp.") She then drops the cookie boxes on the floor as she storms out of Mindy's apartment.
• Nickelodeon's 14th Annual Kid's Choice Awards (2001) US; Destiny's Child appeared wearing BSA uniforms
• Phineas and Ferb (2007) Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is the Fireside Girls troop leader.
• Recess (2000) Phil is a Wild Screaming Woodchuck Scout who is always seen in uniform. In the episode "Beyond a Reasonable Scout" Mikey and Gus attempt to join as well.
• The Replacements (2006) US; Riley is in the Jerky Girls.
• Scouting for Adventure, ongoing Outdoor Channel documentary series, US; about the values and activities of the Boy Scouts of America, showing outdoor Scouting activities such as rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, merit badges, and campfire cooking.
• The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" (1993) US; Bart joins the Junior Campers organization and has a series of misadventures.
• The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns" (1995) US; Barney Gumble mistakes a Girl Scout meeting for an AA meeting.
• The Simpsons episode "The Bart of War" (2003) US; Bart joins the Pre-Teen Braves while Milhouse joins the Calvary Kids.
• South Park episode "Cripple Fight" (2001) US; The boys join the Mountain Scouts with Big Gay Al as Scoutmaster.
• South Park episode "Jewbilee" (1999) US; Kyle, Kenny and Ike go to a Jew Scout camp where Moses appears.
• Squirrel Boy (2006) US; Andy and Rodney are in the Badger Scouts.
• WarioWare, Inc., Dr. Crygor is in The Mighty Bean Scouts. In the episode "The Big Surprise", Mona is a member of the Ultra Dog Scouts. In "The Diamond City 10", 9-Volt attempts to join The Mega Volt Scouts, but is not allowed to join because of his regular anger rushes.

Documentaries

• 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem (2009) US; Documentary about Boy Scout Troop 759, which meets in Harlem.
• Emmer Bereet (2007) Luxembourg; The story of Scouting in general and a group of Scouts in 2006 in Luxembourg.
• Ian Hislop's Scouting for Boys (2007) UK; The story of the book Scouting for Boys
• Jamboree (1954) US; The story of the 1953 National Scout Jamboree in Irvine, California; starring James Stewart, William Demarest, Bob Hope and Jane Powell.
• The Nuclear Boy Scout (2003) UK; A non-fiction TV special about a Boy Scout who built an actual plutonium reactor as part of his Atomic Energy Merit Badge.
• Our World: Scouting (2007) UK; A 30 minute BBC documentary following the story of two participants in the 21st World Scout Jamboree. One Scout is from Mafikeng, South Africa and the other from the UK.
• Scouting for Adventure, ongoing Outdoor Channel documentary series, US; about the values and activities of the Boy Scouts of America, showing outdoor Scouting activities such as rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, merit badges, and campfire cooking.
• Scout's Honor (2001) US; "In a town more familiar with agriculture than activism, an unexpected alliance could change the course of Scouting forever."
• Scouts! The Rise of the World Scout Movement (1984) Canada; Using archival footage from Bettmann Archive, British Movietone, EMI Pathe, William Hillcourt, and the Library of Congress, the film traces the rise of Scouting as a world movement in the 20th century and the life of Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell. Includes interviews with two of the original participants in Baden-Powell's 1907 Brownsea Island Scout camp and his son and daughter, along with footage of the 15th World Scout Jamboree held in Canada in 1983.
• Troop 1500 (2005) US; A Girl Scout troop in Austin, Texas specializes in girls with incarcerated mothers
• When we were Scouts (2007) UK; Celebrities discuss what Scouting and Guiding did for them, including Ronnie Corbett, Bernard Cribbins, Cherie Booth, and Betty Boothroyd. Neil Morrissey visits a Scout camp.

Comics

• Calvin and Hobbes character Calvin was in the Cub Scouts in some of the early strips.
• Garfield the Cat was licensed to promote Cub Scouting in the 1990s.
• Hamster Jovial et ses louveteaux, by Marcel Gotlieb, is a parody of a French Scoutleader surrounded by three Wolf Cubs (two boys and a girl).
• Harvey Comics characters were licensed for use by the Boy Scouts of America in the 1960s and 1970s. Casper the Friendly Ghost was used to promote Cub Scouting, while Richie Rich promoted Boy Scouting.
• Peanuts character Snoopy is the beagle in the long-running comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. He first appeared as a "Beagle Scout" in the 13 May 1974 strip and quickly becomes the leader of a troop composed of Woodstock and his other bird friends, a theme that reappears throughout the comic strip. They go on many camping trips and perform many Scout-like activities.
• Totor, Patrol Leader of the Cockchafers, an early cartoon by Hergé
• Walt Disney's Comics and Stories and sequels series featured the Junior Chickadees, a Girl Scout-like association with Daisy Duck's nieces April, May, and June Duck; the Junior Woodchucks are a Boy Scout-like association with Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the Brazilian version denotes them as Junior Scouts.

Music

• "Be Prepared" (1990) from Tom Lehrer Revisited by Tom Lehrer; a satire of the Boy Scouts.
• "Fergalicious" (2006) from The Dutchess by Fergie; in the music video Fergie and dancers dress provocatively in Girl Scout-like uniforms.
• "I was a Boy Scout" (1980) from Snakes and Ladders by Gerry Rafferty; the chorus line is "I was a Boy Scout in St. Mary's troop, I had my own patrol, I had a necktie and a monkey suit, 'Til I heard rock and roll."
• "I'm A Teenage Mutant Boy Scout" (2004) from the cabaret show Lounge-zilla! Asian Sings the Blues by Dennis Giacino; a Scout mutates after camping in a nuclear fallout zone.
• Elton John controversially performed with male strippers dressed as Cub Scouts at a gay rights concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1999. He later apologised after The Scout Association in the UK objected. The UK Scout Association, which has a policy not to discriminate against homosexuals, said that the performers had done themselves and gay rights "no favours" by suggesting a link between homosexuality and paedophilia.
• "Kicked Out Of The Webelos" (1984) from Webelos by The Queers
• Scouting Along with Burl Ives
• The British band Scouting for Girls, as well as the group I Was a Cub Scout reference the scouting movement in songs and their names.

Fiction books and stories

• The Boy Scouts to the Rescue (1921)
• Berenstain, Stan and Jan. Berenstain Bears series. ; Series of children's books includes several stories about the adventures of a group Bear Scouts
• A series by Captain John Blaine, published by Saalfield
• Bruce, Dorita Fairlie. Nancy series.  Series of children's books featuring the Girls' Guildry
• A series by Herbert Carter
• Drake, Robert L. * The Boy Scouts of the Eagle Patrol at Project Gutenberg. 
• Durston, Colonel George. * The Boy Scouts in Front of Warsaw at Project Gutenberg. 
• Fitzhugh, Percy K., the 1915–1931 Tom Slade, Roy Blakely, Westy Martin, and Pee-Wee Harris series.
• Fletcher, Archibald Lee. * Boy Scouts in the Coal Caverns at Project Gutenberg. 
• Fletcher, Archibald Lee (1913). * Boy Scouts in Northern Wilds at Project Gutenberg. 
• Heinlein, Robert A. (1948–49) wrote "The Black Pits of Luna", Farmer in the Sky, "Tenderfoot in Space", and "Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon", all of which portrayed Boy Scouts in Space
• Johnson, Cris (1966). The Rising of the Larks. 
• A trilogy and series by Elsie J. Oxenham
• A number of books by G. Harvey Ralphson, Dorothy Richardson, and Robert Shaler all feature Boy or Girl Scouts
• Stuart, Gordon. * Boy Scouts of the Air on Lost Island at Project Gutenberg. 
• Sykes, Pamela (1987). The Brownies and the Flood. London, United Kingdom: Hodder & Stoughton. 
• Victor, Ralph. * The Boy Scouts Patrol at Project Gutenberg. 
• The Banner Boy Scouts and The Banner Boys Scouts Afloat by George Warren

Stamps

Soon after the birth of Scouting, postage stamps began to be issued that celebrated Scouting. The number of Scouting themed stamps issued by various countries is enormous. Scouts on Stamps Society International (SOSSI) is an organization that specializes in the collection of Scouting stamps.

Fictional Eagle Scouts

• Dale Cooper, FBI agent from Twin Peaks noted in the book Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes written by Scott Frost.
• Lance Brockwell, character in Mad About You (refer to I Don't See It, episode #4.5)
• Jonathan Archer and Malcolm Reed of Star Trek: Enterprise (cf TV section of this article)
• Dirk Pitt, a character created by real-life Eagle Scout Clive Cussler, is described as an Eagle Scout.^{[citation needed]}
• Gilligan's Island pilot episode "Two on a Raft" the radio announces "...the final member of the missing group was Professor Roy Hinkley, research scientist and well known Scoutmaster." He was the youngest Eagle Scout in Cleveland. (cf TV section of this article)
• In the TV series Seinfeld, it is mentioned that George Costanza is an Eagle Scout. It is also mentioned he could bait a hook.
• Greg Sanders, played by Eric Szmanda, in the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Toe Tags", 5 October 2006 US; Sanders is called a Boy Scout while rappelling down a cliff and he replies: "Eagle Scout! I didn't earn a chestful of merit badges for nothing". (cf TV)
• Indiana Jones, the older character, is often considered to be an Eagle Scout (Young Jones was shown as a Life Scout in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). The director of the Jones films, Steven Spielberg, also happens to be an Eagle Scout.
• In the television series Dennis the Menace (1959 TV series), in the episode "Dennis and the Camera" first aired 7 May 1961, Mr. Wilson tells Dennis that he was (sic) an Eagle Scout and a member of the Seal Patrol.
• Roy Miller (played by Tom Cruise) in Knight and Day.

Video games

• Moonlight Madness, a 1986 ZX Spectrum game released in Europe only. A boy scout must retrieve pills from a mansion's safe in order to save a mad scientist's life.

See also

• Camp Fire Girls books

External links

• Movies with references to Scouts US Scouts
• Boy Scouts by BritishPathe
• En France sur Scoutopedia.