The original Gerber baby, Ann Turner Cook, died on Friday, according to an announcement from Gerber on Instagram.
“Gerber is deeply saddened by the passing of Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby, whose face was drawn to become the iconic Gerber logo over 90 years ago. Many years before becoming a mother, a an extraordinary teacher and writer, her smile and expressive curiosity has won hearts everywhere and will live on as a symbol for all babies.We send our deepest condolences to Ann’s family and to all who have had the nice to know her,” the ad reads.
Cook, who was born in 1926, was just a few months old when an artist and neighbor named Dorothy Hope Smith sketched her face in charcoal. In 1928, Gerber held a contest to find a face to portray a baby food ad campaign, and Smith submitted her sketch of an adorable baby with bright eyes, noting that she would finish the sketch if she won, according to the Gerber website.
Smith won the competition, and Cook’s illustration remained a sketch that helped launch the Gerber brand. In 1991, Gerber adopted it as its official brand, according to its website. Since then, the Gerber baby has appeared on all Gerber packaging and advertising.
Cook’s identity was kept secret until 1978. A poll was taken across the United States to guess the identity of the baby Gerber, with responses ranging from Elizabeth Taylor to Bob Dole.
“I was probably around 3 when my mom pointed to a jar of baby food and said it was my picture,” Cook told CBS Sunday Morning in 2013. was a pretty thing.”