Fallece la bebé original de Gerber, Ann Turner Cook the original Gerber baby, dies at 95

SU IDENTIDAD SE MANTUVO EN VILO POR 40 AÑOS

La reconocida marca Gerber dio a conocer el fallecimiento de la bebé original de sus presentaciones, Ann Turner Cook, a la edad de 95 años.

“Mucho antes de convertirse en una extraordinaria madre, profesora y escritora, su sonrisa y su expresiva curiosidad cautivaron los corazones de todo el mundo y seguirán vivos como un símbolo para todos los bebés”, publicó la empresa estadounidense en su cuenta de Instagram.

Cuando tenía escasos 5 meses de haber nacido fue dibujada por su vecina, la artista Dorothy Hope Smith, con la intención de presentar un boceto que concursaría para una campaña publicitaria de Gerber y que finalmente ganaría por lo llamativa de su obra hecha con carboncillo reflejando detalles como los ojos brillantes y el cabello alborotado.

Aunque su identidad se mantuvo en vilo durante muchos años, tras convertirse en logo de la compañía en 1931, a finales de la década de 1970 se conoció que se trataba de Cook y que se había convertido en maestra, además de escritora de novelas misteriosas.
EFE

Ann Turner Cook, the original Gerber baby, dies at 95

Ann Turner Cook, whose cherubic baby face was known the world over as the original Gerber baby, has died. She was 95.

Gerber announced Cook’s death in an Instagram post on June 3 but did not provide additional details.

“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,” the company said.

Mrs. Cook was 5 months old in 1927 when a neighbor in Connecticut, the artist Dorothy Hope Smith, drew a charcoal sketch of her that was later submitted for a contest Gerber was holding for a national marketing campaign for baby food.

The image was a hit. It became the company’s trademark in 1931 and has been used in all packaging and advertising since.

For decades, though, the identity of the baby was kept secret, spurring rumors about who it was with guesses including Humphrey Bogart and Elizabeth Taylor. In the late 1970s, it was revealed to be Mrs. Cook, who grew up to be an English teacher in Tampa and later a mystery novelist.

Mrs. Cook told the Associated Press in 1998 that her mother had told her when she was young that she was the baby in the illustration.

“If you’re going to be a symbol for something,” she said, “what could be more pleasant than a symbol for baby food?″

As for the image itself, she said, “All babies are appealing. The reason that drawing has been so popular is the artist captured the appeal that all babies have.″