The Gerber Baby is the trademark logo of the Gerber Products Company, an American purveyor of baby food and baby products. To find a baby face that it believed would best represent the new baby food, the Fremont Canning Company conducted a contest in the summer of 1928. Many drawings and paintings were submitted. Some were elaborate baby portraits in oil paint, while others were simple sketches.
Dorothy Hope Smith of Westport, Connecticut, an artist specialising in children's drawings, submitted an unfinished charcoal drawing, that was closer to a simple sketch than a professional drawing.
In 1928, the “Gerber Baby” symbol was introduced to help identify the new product. It was first used in a baby food advertisement in the magazine Good Housekeeping. Within sixty days, Gerber Strained Foods, using the “Gerber Baby” symbol, had gained national recognition, being distributed to various places throughout the United States. It became internationally recognized. The trademark of the Gerber Baby has been shown by the United States public to be associated with the highest consumer loyalty, according to one survey in 1998. and received praise and appreciation from many sources. In 2020, for the first time, Gerber chose an adopted baby as the face of their campaign. In 2022, Gerber chose a baby born with a limb difference, and matched the $25,000 cash prize with a donation to March of Dimes.
Gerber Baby Photo Contest winners
{| cellpadding=10px class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Gerber Baby Photo Contest winners
|-
!Year !! Baby's Name !! Age !! Hometown !! Prize !! Distinction !! Ref
|-
|2024
|Akil "Sonny" McLeod
|1 year old
|Goodyear, AZ
|$25,000
|
|
|-
|2023
|Madison Mendoza
|10 months
|Colorado
|$25,000
|
|
|-
|2022
|Isa Slish
|7 months
|Edmond, OK
|$25,000
|First Spokesbaby to have a limb difference, selected from 225,000 entries
|
|-
|2020 || Magnolia Earl|| 1 year old|| Ross, CA || $25,000 || First Spokesbaby to be adopted, selected from 327,000 entries ||
|-
|2019 || Kairi Yang || 1 year old|| Hickory, NC ||$50,000 || First Spokesbaby of Hmong descent, selected from 544,000 entries ||
|-
|2018 || Lucas Warren ||1 year old || Dalton, GA ||$50,000 || First Spokesbaby with Down syndrome, selected from 140,000 entries ||
|-
|2017 ||Riley Shines || 7 months || Columbus, OH ||$50,000 || Selected from 110,000 entries ||
|-
|2016 || Isla Welch || 7 months || Troy, MI ||$50,000 || Selected from 170,000 entries ||
|-
|2015 || Grace Pfautz || 7 months || East Petersburg, PA ||$50,000 || Selected from 180,000 entries ||
|-
|2014 || Levi & Paxton Strickland || 10 months || Wernersville, PA ||$50,000 || First Spokesbabies who are twins, selected from 156,000 entries ||
|-
|2013 || Mary Jane Montoya || 8 months || Fresno, CA || $50,000 || Selected from 300,000 entries ||
|-
|2012 || Tate Rosendahl || 11 months || Springfield, MO ||$50,000 scholarship || Selected from 156,000 applications ||
|-
|2011 || Mercy Townsend || 2 years old || Toledo, OH ||$25,000 scholarship || Selected from 217,000 applications ||
|-
|}
References
Sources
- Avakian, Arlene Voski et al., From Betty Crocker to Feminist Food Studies, Liverpool University Press (2005),
- Belasco, Warren James, Food Nations, Routledge (2002),
- Heim, Michael, Exploring America's Highways, Exploring America's Highway (2004),
- Ingham, John N., Biographical Dictionary of American Business Leaders: A-G, Greenwood Publishing Group (1983),