Gerber announced on Wednesday that its 2018 Gerber Spokesbaby is an 18-month-old named Lucas Warren, who made history by becoming the first child with Down syndrome to earn the title since the contest’s inception eight years ago.
Lucas’ infectious smile secured him the coveted title, as well as a $50,000 prize. The toddler will also be featured on the company’s social media channels throughout the years.
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“Every year, since the beginning of the Gerber Baby Photo Search, we choose the baby who exemplifies Gerber’s longstanding heritage of recognizing that every baby is a Gerber baby, and Lucas is a perfect fit,” Bill Partyka, Gerber’s President and CEO, told CNN.
People were thrilled to see that Lucas had been named as the annual Spokesbaby, taking to social media to voice their approval.
“Good for you, @gerber!!!” one person wrote on Instagram “We LOVE your new Gerber commercial!!! Lucas is adorable and so worthy of this wonderful honor!!!”
“He is just the most gorgeous boy I have ever seen!!” added another.
Many of the responses came from parents whose own children have Down syndrome.
“My gerber baby has Down syndrome as well and so happy to see Lucas picked for this honor!” one parent wrote on Facebook.
“So happy to see doors opening for the Down syndrome community.” “So proud of Gerber for recognizing that beauty comes in many packages!” shared another.
”We’ve been waiting a long time for someone to recognize how cute our children with Down Syndrome are.”
Others considered the choice a win for inclusion.
“This says so much because the #Gerber baby is the ideal baby” – @SavannahGuthrie
— Cecilia Elizalde (@Ceceliz) February 7, 2018
and today a child with DownSyndrome is the ideal baby 🙌🤗#Diversity #Inclusion #TheWorldIsChanging #DownSyndrome #TheIdealBaby https://t.co/kChJ6hxsmj
So proud of Gerber for being so inclusive! #allmeansall
— Gena Todd (@genatdd) February 8, 2018
Photo Credit: Facebook / Gerber
