Penny For Your Thoughts
By: Nancy Whitaker
Did you know that for the past 5 years Gerber Baby Food has been holding contests for a new face to be on front of their baby food jar. The old Gerber baby has been on jar since 1927, plus she is currently 95 years old.
One of the new babies selected, believe it or not, was from Toledo, Ohio. That is amazing.
The irresistible Gerber baby began appearing on Gerber products in 1928 and became the company’s official trademark in 1931.
Even as the Gerber Company expanded its business to include skin care, clothing and other baby-focused products, the original Gerber baby remained the same throughout Gerber history.
The baby, now a retired high school creative writing and literature teacher and a prolific mystery novelist was only 4 months old when she was sketched by the family’s close personal friend and neighbor, artist, Dorothy Hope Smith.
Smith entered the picture in the Gerber baby contest and she won.
People wanted to know who that baby was but it remained secret until 1978.
Today Gerber puts on a contest to get a new Gerber baby every year. I think all of us would like to see our baby on jars of baby food. After all, all babies are cute.
My children all ate Gerber Baby Food and each of them had their favorites.
My son liked Blueberry Buckle; one daughter spit any kind back at me, and the other two girls would eat the carrots or sweet potatoes.
A lot of people today make their own baby food. But, I think that today rules are a lot stricter about feeding babies than they used to be.
I recall starting my babies on baby cereal in their bottles when they were a month old.
Now the artist who drew the Gerber baby won $300, but I read that finally the original Gerber baby got paid something years later.
Keep your eyes open about the Gerber Baby contest because the 2022 contest ended in April.
Now, wouldn’t you like to see your baby in the Gerber Baby Food jar? Do you have a cute child, grandchild or great grandchild who would look great on that jar? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for Your Thoughts.
