Gerber is now taking entries for the 2024 Gerber Photo Search, which will celebrate more babies than ever before, the company said in a media release.
The original Gerber Baby logo was introduced in 1928 when the company began its baby food campaign and was eventually adopted as Gerber’s official trademark in 1931.
The baby’s identity was kept secret until 1978; many believed the baby grew up to be a famous movie star like Humphrey Bogart or Elizabeth Taylor, the Gerber website says, but it was revealed to be mystery novelist and retired teacher Ann Turner Cook, who died in 2022 at the age of 95.
According to the Gerber media release, the Photo Search was inspired by “countless” photos sent in by parents of babies that resembled the original logo depicting Ann Turner Cook, so in 2011, they began their yearly search for a “spokesbaby” and made their first selection: a girl named Mercy from Toledo, Ohio.
Since then, other Gerber Photo Search winners include a girl from Fresno, twin boys from Pennsylvania (who, in 2014, became the only twins ever selected in Photo Search history) and in 2018, Gerber selected their first “spokesbaby” with Down Syndrome, a boy named Lucas from Georgia. The winner of the 2023 edition of the Photo Search is a girl named Maddie from Colorado.
In a first for the company, the 2024 baby will be picked by the parents of former Gerber babies in addition to a “diverse committee” of Gerber employees. The company is also honoring ten additional babies for their unique “inchstones,” a baby version of “milestones.”
Included in this year’s grand prize package are a $25,000 cash prize, a new wardrobe from Gerber Childrenswear, a year’s supply of Gerber products and products from other companies including Canon, Little Tikes, Motherhood Maternity and more.
More importantly, the 2024 Gerber Baby will serve as the company’s “Chief Growing Officer” and feature on Gerber’s social media and marketing campaigns throughout the year.
Parents or legal guardians are asked to submit a picture of their baby – who must be between 0 and 48 months old – to www.photosearch.gerber.com by May 24.
More information on the 2024 Gerber Baby Photo Search, including the role of the baby, parents and caregivers, click here.