Nicholas Pyles’ blond hair and blue eyes give him that Gerber baby look. He also handles direction well. Those are prime qualities in a baby model.
The Joliet boy, who turned 3 on March 14, was selected in January over hundreds of other cherub-faced toddlers to become the face of Huggies Watermelon Splash Body Wash.
His parents, naturally, are thrilled. Laura and Michael Pyles knew instantly that their child had the golden touch.
“When he was born, I said, `Oh my gosh, he’s beautiful,'” his mother said. “I always thought infants were ugly, but he was really, really cute.”
After receiving a bogus request from a talent agency, mom stepped it into high gear and sought a different agent. She was referred to Chicago-based Lily’s Talent Agency.
“I think I called them the next day, and within a week or two, we went up there for an interview,” she said.
They waited a year and a half before they got a call from their contact, Erika Strickmaker, a print and film agent, telling them that someone might be interested.
In June both Pampers and Huggies sent requests, and Nicholas got to run around in the sunshine chasing butterflies for one and playing with bubbles for another.
For his time, Nicholas was able to deposit about $75 into his college fund, and after he secured the Huggies Body Wash gig, he received “a significant bonus,” his mother said.
Nicholas has all the ingredients that the company wanted, said Strickmaker.
“I could just tell that he had the look everybody is looking for,” she said.
His parents found a bottle of the soap with Nicholas’ picture in a Wal-Mart.
“We were standing in the middle of the Wal-Mart aisle taking pictures on our picture phones,” his mother said. “Nobody had any expectations. How do you think in the middle of Illinois your kid is going to get on something that is nationwide? This has been totally awesome and so much fun.”
