Kairi Yang is the 2019 Gerber Spokesbaby!

The adorable little girl from Hickory, North Carolina, beat out a staggering 544,000 other entrants on Instagram to take home the coveted ninth annual title, Gerber announced in a press release distributed Tuesday.

“As soon as we saw her photo, we fell in love with Kairi’s expressive eyes and angelic face, looking toward the future and being excited for all that it holds,” the company’s President and CEO, Bill Partyka, said in the press release.

Kairi and her parents will receive a $50,000 prize for being selected, while her sweet visage will be featured on the company’s social-media channels over the next year.

“We believe that every baby is a Gerber baby, and this year, are thrilled to recognize Kairi as the new face of Gerber,” Partyka added.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Parents newsletter.

The Original Gerber Baby Met the New Gerber Baby in Cutest Photo Ever: They “Immediately Bonded”

The youngster’s mom, Ying Vue, says that her family was “speechless” and “couldn’t believe” they had won the extensive Photo Search competition.

“Kairi’s personality is larger than life, and she always maintains a spunky attitude,” Vue shares in the press release. “We hope Kairi’s one-of-a-kind, entertaining personality and vibrant facial expressions radiate positivity around the world, just like she does in our home every single day!”

According to the Gerber Spokesbaby’s official website, Kairi’s unique moniker is a nod to the character of the same name from the popular video game Kingdom Hearts.

She loves building forts and playing hide-and-seek with her dad, as well as eating chicken nuggets plus Gerber Lil' Crunchies, Arrowroot cookies and Puffs.

Kairi’s victory follows that of the 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby: Lucas Warren of Dalton, Georgia, who became the first child with Down syndrome to win the title since the contest began in 2010.

As described in the press release, Lucas had a very special job in selecting Kairi as his successor, serving as an “honorary judge” in making the ultimate decision.

“It’s been an incredible year celebrating our 2018 Spokesbaby Lucas Warren and his family, and we are excited to see the world fall in love all over again with our newest Spokesbaby,” Partyka says.

Source: Read Full Article