# poster child

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/poster-child
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

One who is a prototypical or quintessential example of something.

## Examples

- He is the poster child for healthy living.
- My cousin is the poster child for bad luck.
- After winning the marathon, she became the poster child for the new fitness program.
- This old laptop is the poster child for bad design because the battery dies after only twenty minutes of use.
- The company became the poster child for corporate greed when they raised prices while cutting their employees' pay.
- The messy desk in the corner is the poster child for poor organization, with piles of old papers and empty coffee cups covering every inch of space.
- The small town became the poster child for economic decline after the local factory closed its doors forever.

## Origin

The term arises from the twentieth-century practice of featuring appealing children and young people in charitable advertisements. These figures appeared on posters to elicit public sympathy and donations for specific medical or social causes. The idiom has since detached itself from the physical medium of the poster to describe any individual serving as a quintessential representative of a particular trait or movement.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.