Fremont Canning Company, owned and operated by Dan Gerber, was looking for a baby face for its new baby food campaign, which was to start in the later part of 1928. To find a baby face that it believed would best represent the new baby food, the Fremont Canning Company conducted a contest in the summer of 1928. Many drawings and paintings were submitted. Some were elaborate baby portraits in oil paint, while others were simple sketches.
Dorothy Hope Smith of
Westport, Connecticut, an artist specialising in children's drawings, submitted an unfinished charcoal drawing, that was closer to a simple sketch than a professional drawing. In 1928, the “Gerber Baby” symbol was introduced to help identify the new product. It was first used in a baby food advertisement in the magazine
Good Housekeeping. Within sixty days, Gerber Strained Foods, using the “Gerber Baby” symbol, had gained national recognition, being distributed to various places throughout the United States. It became internationally recognized. The trademark of the Gerber Baby has been shown by the United States public to be associated with the highest consumer loyalty, according to one survey in 1998. and received
praise and appreciation from many sources. In 2020, for the first time, Gerber chose an adopted baby as the face of their campaign. In 2022, Gerber chose a baby born with a limb difference, and matched the $25,000 cash prize with a donation to
March of Dimes. == Gerber Baby Photo Contest winners==