poster child

poster child

A person (usually an adult, not a child) who typifies or is the perfect example of a particular characteristic, attitude, opinion, cause, or type of person. Pete managed to disassemble their washing machine, fix the problem, and then reassemble it all by himself? Wow, he's like the poster child of DIY. Ms. Walsh built her fortune from nothing, through her own tireless work and intense ambition. She really is the poster child for the rags-to-riches American Dream.
See also: child, poster
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

poster child (for something)

Fig. someone who is a classic example of a state or type of person. She is a poster child for soccer moms.
See also: child, poster
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ˈposter child/boy/girl

(American English) a person or thing that is seen as representing a particular quality or activity: My aunt sees me as the poster child for failed relationships. He’s the IT industry’s poster boy for success.
See also: boy, child, girl, poster
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • a poster child for something
  • pose as
  • pose as (someone or something)
  • in the person of (someone)
  • in the person of somebody
  • hanger-on
  • genuine
  • genuine article
  • big fish in a small pond
  • frog in a small pond
References in periodicals archive
"CyBC is the poster child of how bad things can get when the government is running things… waste, dysfunction distrust, political favours, inefficiencies, uncooperative people between sectors of the organisation is the norm," the document reads.
" The poster child for India's failure to punish the violent remains Narendra Modi, who is Gujarat's chief minister -- a post he held during the 2002 riots," they wrote.
"I'm sick of talking about it because I never wanted to be the poster child for this.
She said: "You know what, I'm sick of talking about it because I never wanted to be the poster child for this.
Ski Team Paralympic gold medalist and first wheelchair winner of the Boston Marathon; and Traci Taylor, a March of Dimes poster child.
"We think that iPad is the poster child of the post-PC world," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said, noting that iPad sales topped those of any personal computer maker during the final three months of last year.
They consistently point to the B-2 batwing stealth bomber as the poster child for a military procurement gone awry.
Gulliver said in an interview with Economic Times, 'India is like a poster child among HSBC worldwide.
San Francisco, Shawwal 2, 1432, Aug 31, 2011, SPA -- Solyndra, a solar energy firm touted by US President Barack Obama as a poster child for the clean energy economy, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, saying it was immediately suspending operations and laying off 1,100 workers, dpa reported.
"But I hope the Tour is not going to bank on me being their poster child. I think it's going to be harder to dominate, like we used to see, like Tiger has dominated.
The news transforms loner Kyle into a poster child for the community to the bemusement of Kyle's one friend, fellow misfit Andrew.
WINNER: Kelzea Singleton is shown with her poster with street warden John Gunns, left, Geoff Larkin, community liaison officer, centre, and street warden Peter Hilton, right POSTER CHILD: Kelzea Singleton, left, proudly shows off her winning poster design which will be printed and displayed around her area
Penn said Haiti could become a poster child for other developing nations.
The payment will come through Bank of America, which now owns Countrywide, a company seen as the poster child for the subprime mortgage crisis.
"At first, I didn't want to be the lesbian poster child. I wanted to be taken seriously as a chef," she says.