From almost the moment baby food was introduced to American markets, there has been the Gerber
Baby.
But that iconic face wasn't the brainchild of a hotshot marketing executive, or a professional
advertising wizard.
In fact, the image was based on a very real person.
So what happened to that mystery child?
Here's a look at the untold truth of the real life Gerber Baby.
​Babyface
In 1928, the folks at Gerber held a contest to find a mascot for their new line of baby
food.
After putting out a call to artists, they received numerous submissions.
Among them was a simple charcoal sketch by artist Dorothy Hope Smith, who intended it
as a sample to show what she could do.
But the folks at Gerber loved it the way it was, and an icon was born.
David Yates, vice president of Gerber's North American operations, told the Associated Press,
"The logo is the essence of who we are.
It is the epitome of a happy, healthy baby and the symbol of trust we have with parents.
It's everything to our company."
Mystery solved
For nearly fifty years, Gerber kept the identity of the Gerber Baby secret, in part because
they didn't want people to know whether the baby was a boy or a girl, since they wanted
all consumers to feel like the Gerber Baby could be their baby.
The mystery led to all sorts of wacky theories, with people thinking the Gerber Baby was anyone
from Humphrey Bogart to Elizabeth Taylor to former senator Bob Dole.
Finally, in 1978, the company revealed that the Gerber Baby is actually Ann Turner Cook,
who was just four months old when she was sketched by Dorothy Hope Smith, who was her
neighbor.
Cook told CBS Sunday Morning,
"I always had that expression with my mouth hanging open.
Kind of a quizzical expression.
[…] when I was very young, I probably was about three years old, when mother pointed
out the baby food jar and said that that was my picture.
And I thought it was quite a lovely thing."
She kept it to herself, though, telling Oprah's Where Are They Now?
"All the years when I went to college and so forth, I didn't tell people that I was
the model for the Gerber Baby.
That would seem a little self-promoting.
It's not an achievement of mine, it's the achievement of the artist is the way I look
at it."
Cook, who is now a retired teacher living in Florida, celebrated her 91st birthday at
the end of 2017.
Baby got bank
Despite being the face of a major national corporation, Cook didn't actually get paid
for being the Gerber Baby until around 1950.
After another person came forward claiming to be the mascot, Gerber paid Cook a lump
sum to head off any potential legal trouble.
Cook said that the money came at the perfect time.
"The first time that I was compensated was at a time that my husband [...] had come back
from overseas, and he was in the Navy during World War II, and we had absolutely no money
at that time."
Cook still had to work for her entire life, though, spending 26 years as a teacher - which
led to a few challenges.
"Did it ever come up in class?"
"Yes, of course.
The students knew.
I didn't tell 'em!"
A life of mystery
Beyond teaching and being an iconic advertising logo, Cook also carved out a niche for herself
as a writer.
Appropriately, given the secrecy around the Gerber Baby's true identity, Cook is a mystery
novelist, with a series of books featuring crime-solving journalist Brandy O'Bannon.
Cook told the Associated Press that she uses her fame as the gerber Baby as a hook to draw
in potential readers.
"In a way, I might be exploiting it a little.
Being the Gerber Baby helps get people interested.
I don't think it sells books, but it gets people interested in what I have to say."
Representation matters
As America has become more diverse, so too have the babies that have starred in the Gerber
company's ads over the years.
In 2018, Lucas Warren, an 18 month old baby from Georgia with Down's Syndrome, became
the newest Gerber Baby.
Bill Partyka, chief executive and president of Gerber, told the Washington Post,
"Every year, we choose the baby who best exemplifies Gerber's long-standing heritage of recognizing
that every baby is a Gerber baby.
This year, Lucas is the perfect fit."
Cook had kind things to say about the selection, which Gerber shared in a Facebook post.
"Let me offer my warmest congratulations to Lucas, our newest Gerber spokesbaby, and to
his parents.
I know you will take great pride in representing Gerber this year, as I have for the past 90
years.
There is no greater privilege than to be a universal symbol for babies all over the world.
I am delighted to take part in this celebration.
Lucas is precious and I look forward to watching him grow this year!"
Thanks for watching!
Click the List icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!