15-Month-Old Kairi Yang Is 1st Gerber Baby of Hmong Descent

The 15-month-old beat out more than 500,000 contestants.
Gerber Company

Kairi Yang, a 15-month-old from North Carolina, wowed the judges with the “curiosity” in her eyes exhibited in the winning photo her parents sent in.

Look out! There’s a new Gerber baby in town. 

Kairi Yang, a 15-month-old from North Carolina, wowed the judges with the “curiosity” in her eyes that was exhibited in the winning photo her parents sent in.

“Her expressiveness in the winning photo reminds us of looking to the future through a child’s eyes and being excited for all that it holds,” Bill Partyka, the president and CEO of Gerber, told TODAY.

Kairi beat 544,000 contestants to claim the top spot, and she’s the first Gerber baby of Hmong descent. 

Gerber

“Kairi’s positive energy and smile lights up our life. She has a one-of-a-kind personality,” mom Ying Vue said.

The adorable girl will replace last year’s baby, Lucas Warren, who was the company’s first Gerber baby with Down syndrome. 

Kairi’s family will receive $50,000 for her new spokesbaby position, and she will be featured on the company’s social media channels all year.

“We actually debated whether or not to enter Kairi. But we thought regardless of the outcome, she was going to be a winner in our eyes,” Vue told TODAY. “We are so glad we decided to submit her photo.”

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