Original Gerber baby Ann Turner Cook dies aged 95: Food firm pays tribute to the teacher and writer
The original Gerber baby, whose face has been on the jar for more than 90 years, died at age 95 on Friday, the company confirmed.
The firm said it was 'deeply saddened' by the loss of Ann Turner Cook and offered their condolences to the family.
'Many years before becoming an extraordinary mother, teacher and writer, her smile and expressive curiosity captured hearts everywhere and will continue to live on as a symbol for all babies,' Gerber wrote in an Instagram tribute.
Cook, who was born in 1926, only spent a few months of her life not being the iconic face of the one the biggest American baby brands.
Her neighbor, Dorothy Hope Smith, drew the little girl using charcoal and entered her sketch into a 1928 baby food advertising campaign held by Gerber. The company wanted to change up their packaging from ABC blocks to an actual baby's face.
Smith noted to the company that she would complete the sketch and make it into an oil painting if she were to win, but the company loved the basic sketch so much, they decided to keep it.
Cook's face became the trademark of the brand in 1991 and they copyrighted it in 1993 after it gained so much popularity.
The original sketch is actually framed and still at the company's Fremont, Michigan headquarters.
Over the years, speculation and rumors swirled that the famous baby was the likes of 'Humphrey Bogart or Elizabeth Taylor or Senator Bob Dole,' the company remarked. Gerber hid the Cook's identity for 40 years, only revealing the beloved face's name in 1978 after doing a survey for fans to guess who it was.
Cook herself didn't even know she was face of the baby brand until she was three years old.
'I was probably about 3 years old when mother pointed at a baby food jar and said that was my picture,' she said in an interview with CBS Sunday Mornings in 2013. 'I thought it was quite a lovely thing.'
The teacher and writer even recalled her 'own children going through a grocery story and they would point to the Gerber baby food and say: "That's my mother's picture," to whoever was walking by.
'I didn't know whether to stop and explain, because it's kind of a complicated story or just kind of grin and go on,' she said in 2013.
Gerber would eventually pay Cook for her role in the brand, which she bought a 'modest house' and a 'first car' with. Smith, however, was only compensated a few hundred for her sketch, according to CBS Sunday Mornings.
The most important part of her role, according to Cook: Becoming a symbol for babies.
'I can't think of anything nicer than becoming a symbol for babies, and I think that's what I became,' she said in 2013.
Gerber started changing the baby every year in 2011 - although Cook's face still remains on the packaging.
Gerber went against the status quo in 2014 when they picked twins for the first time.
Paxton and Levi Strickland, now six, were picked out of more than 150,000 applications and their mother Amanda screamed so loud when she found out, the boy's father Matt thought something was wrong, according to AOL.
The family won $50,000 and said they would put it toward the boys' college fund.
In 2018, Lucas Warren would become the first ever Gerber baby with down syndrome.
'We're hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,' his father Jason said, according to People.
'They have the potential to change the world, just like everybody else.'
One of the most famous Gerber baby was Magnolia Earl in 2020. She was the brand's first adopted baby and she captured the hearts of the nation.
Just last month, the baby brand revealed it's 2022 baby: Isa Slish. She will assume the adorable role of Chief Growing Officer (CGO) on the brand's executive board, according to People.
Isa will also get to the Chief Taster Tester and offer advice on new Gerber products.
Isa also has a physical disability, where she is missing a femur or a fibula in her right leg.
Her mother Meredith said she 'hopes Isa's story can bring more awareness for limb differences and create greater inclusion for children like her. Because, just like Isa, they too can be or do anything they want!'
Gerber babies who have broken barriers
The baby brand has had 12 Gerber babies over the years, starting with Ann Taylor Cook in the 1920s.
Gerber died to change the baby up yearly starting in 2011 and these are the four babies that have broke barriers. 2014: Paxton and Levi Strickland - Twins
Paxton and Levi Strickland, now six, were picked out of more than 150,000 applications and their mother Amanda screamed so loud when she found out, the boy's father Matt thought something was wrong, according to AOL.
'We are so excited that Levi and Paxton's photo won the Grand Prize – it still doesn't feel real,' Amanda said at the time. 'We feel so blessed that the boys' photo was selected and are looking forward to putting the money aside for their college funds.'
The family won $50,000 and said they would put it toward the boys' education. 2018: Lucas Warren - Down Syndrome
Lusas was the first baby Gerber picked that had down syndrome.
The happy child was seen in his picture wearing a bright, goofy smile and had a twinkle in his eye.
His family said they hoped his winning would help break the stigma of those with developmental disorders and prove they're just as capable as anyone else.
'We're hoping this will impact everyone — that it will shed a little bit of light on the special needs community and help more individuals with special needs be accepted and not limited,' his father Jason said, according to People. 2020: Magnolia Earl - Adopted
Her bright eyes, happy smile, and adorable face caught the nation's and Gerber's eye in 2020.
Her family call the win 'incredibly' and were excited to bring attention to adopted families.
'It means that when people see our families, or if you see a family that doesn't necessarily match, that you don't have to question the belonging of anybody in that family,' her mom Courtney told Today at the time.
Her father Russel agreed, stating: 'A family is built on love. We may all look different, but we're one family.' 2022: Isa Slish - Physical Disability
Isa was born with a femur or a fibula in her right leg, but that won't stop her from people the best Chief Growing Officer (CGO) and tester taster.
Her mother Meredith said she 'hopes Isa's story can bring more awareness for limb differences and create greater inclusion for children like her. Because, just like Isa, they too can be or do anything they want!'.
Reference: Alyssa Guzman For Dailymail.Com -