(Meredith) -- The original Gerber baby just turned 93 years old on Wednesday.
Ann Turner Cook was just 4 months old when a sketch of her newborn face became famous.
A family friend, Dorothy Hope Smith, drew the simple charcoal sketch of Cook and entered it in a Gerber contest in 1928. The company was looking for an adorable face to represent its baby food advertising campaign.
When the iconic drawing won, Smith said she would complete it -- but the Gerber executives insisted it remain a sketch. That image became the company's official trademark in 1931.
"Even as Gerber expanded its business to include skincare, clothing and other baby-focused products, the original Gerber baby has remained the same throughout Gerber history," the company said on its website.
The identity of the original Gerber baby was kept secret for 40 years and left many people speculating. Guesses ranged from Elizabeth Taylor to Humphrey Bogart.
Cook's identity was finally made public after she joined Gerber for its 50th anniversary in 1978, according to WTVT.
Cook's identity was finally made public after she joined Gerber for its 50th anniversary in 1978, according to WTVT.
"I was a happy, healthy baby and I think that's why the drawing has been so appealing to people," she told the station in 2013. "Because everybody wants their baby to be happy, healthy-looking."
After growing up, Cook became an English teacher in Tampa, Florida. She retired after 26 years and then began writing mystery novels, including "Trace Their Shadows" and "Shadow Over Cedar Key."
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