Every year, Gerber picks one baby to represent the company, a tradition that dates back to 1928. One-year-old Magnolia Earl is the first adopted baby to act as a "spokesbaby" for the company.
In 2018, Gerber picked its first Downs Syndrome baby. In 2019, the Gerber baby was the first baby of Hmong descent.
"This is incredible," mom Courtney Earl said on the "Today Show." "It means that when people see our families, or if you see a family that doesn't necessarily match, that you don't have to question the belonging of anybody in that family."
The Earls keep in contact with Magnolia's birth parents. Courtney even told them about Magnolia being a finalist for Gerber.
"If you could hear the joy in their voice of how proud they are of this little girl," Courtney said while holding back tears. "Together with them and our community and our family, we all this love this baby girl so much. She brings so much joy and happiness to everybody."
Magnolia will be featured on Gerber's social media channels and marketing campaigns for the next year. Her family will receive a 25,000 cash prize, $1,000 in Gerber Childrenswear, $1,000 from Walmart and phones with a year of free unlimited service from Verizon.
Baby Magnolia was selected out of more than 327,000 entries. The selection committee chose her because of "her joyful expression, playful smile and warm, engaging gaze."
Meet Magnolia Earl! She’s the 2020 #GerberBaby —She’s the first gerber baby to be adopted ?? pic.twitter.com/QgfxjSZGiV
— Amaka Ubaka (@AmakaUbakaTV) May 8, 2020