Gerber Is Looking For Its 2019 ‘Spokesbaby’

Are you the proud parent of an adorable wee bundle of joy? If so, you probably have thought to yourself, “My baby is so cute, she/he should be the Gerber baby!”

Well, heads up: Now is your chance. Gerber is seeking photo submissions for their 2019 Gerber Spokesbaby. From now until Oct. 20, parents or legal guardians can enter their baby into the 2019 Gerber Spokesbaby Photo Search. The winner will be featured on Gerber’s social media channels as their official spokesbaby and will even win $50,000.

Gerber announced the contest on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoZDPdGnNEb/?hl=en&taken-by=gerber

Here’s some more info on the contest:

Last year’s winner was Lucas Warren, and he was the first Gerber baby with Down syndrome. The 1-year-old baby from Georgia helped to broaden minds and hearts when it comes to this genetic condition, and Gerber is continuing to look for babies who represent the diversity and beauty of American children.

“Every year, for our annual Photo Search, we choose the baby who exemplifies Gerber’s long-standing heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby,” Gerber President and CEO Bill Partyka said in a release about the upcoming search. “Our 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby, Lucas Warren, was the perfect fit to represent the brand. Lucas was chosen out of more than 140,000 entries because of his expressiveness and his contagious smile. We’re excited for Lucas to now pass the torch to our 2019 Gerber Spokesbaby by serving as an honorary judge on this year’s panel!”

Here is Lucas making what is clearly a very important call about the search:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoRVuqrHSG-/?hl=en&taken-by=gerber

To enter your baby into the 2019 Gerber Spokesbaby Photo Search, they must be aged between birth and 4 years old. To enter, all you have to do is submit the photo on Instagram with the hashtag #GerberPhotoSearch2018.

The Gerber baby logo was first created in 1928 by illustrator Dorothy Hope Smith, who relied on a picture of Ann Turner Cook, a neighbor’s daughter, to create the smiling baby that is now an enduring piece of American pop culture. The original Gerber baby is now 91 years old and is a great-grandmother. She’s a retired English teacher and accomplished mystery novelist.

“I probably was about 3 years old when Mother pointed out the baby food jar and said that was my picture, and I thought it was quite a lovely thing!” Cook told CBS when they interviewed her (at age 87) about her experience as the first Gerber baby.

She got to meet Lucas earlier this year:

When asked why she thinks people love the Gerber baby so much, Cook said, “It’s because it reminds them of their own babies. Everybody says, ‘My baby or my grandchild looks like the Gerber baby.’ And it doesn’t matter the ethnicity. And I say, ‘Yes I’m sure they do.’ I can’t think of anything nicer than to be a symbol for babies.”

And now another lucky family could become part of this historic American tradition.

Don’t forget to submit your baby’s photo before the Oct. 20 deadline!