- The smiling girl on the Sun-Maid box, which has been the trademark image of the product for more than a century, is actually a real person
- Lorraine Collett Petersen is the woman behind the image of the well-known “Sun-Maid Girl”
- On its YouTube account, Sun-Maid shared the story of how Lorraine became the face of the brand that has been in the market since the early 1900s
Most of us are familiar with the iconic “Sun-Maid Girl”, whose image appears on the box of Sun-Maid–but did you know she is actually a real person?
On its YouTube account, Sun-Maid shared the story of how Lorraine Collett Petersen–the smiling girl on the packaging–became the face of the brand that has been in the market since the early 1900s.
“Everyone recognizes that smiling face on the little red Sun-Maid box. But do you know who the Sun-Maid girl really was?” read the caption of the video that narrates how Lorraine became the brand’s official icon.
“One day in 1914, the advertising director had an inspiration. Since raisins are made by drying grapes in the sun, what about calling them ‘sun-made’? And expanding on that theme by associating them with a pretty girl called the ‘Sun-Maid’,” it was disclosed.
Lorraine was taking a short break from her duties at the San Francisco Exposition when she was discovered and was eventully asked to pose for the brand identity. She was hired to promote a corporate trademark as the “Sun-Maid Girl” for the raisin cooperative California Associated Raisin Co.
Lorraine continued to be active for the product, until she joined the Creator in 1983.
Know more about the story behind the real “Sun-Made Girl” Lorraine Collett Petersen; how she became the trademark of the brand and what she had been doing several decades later:
