Gerber has selected a darling 7-month old boy from Lewis Center, Ohio as the next Spokesbaby.
Riley Shines — yep, that's the cute kid's last name — was selected by a panel of judges from more than 110,000 entries, the company announced Thursday, January 26.
“Riley was judged on visual appeal, expression and how well he’d represent being the next Gerber Spokesbaby,” a Gerber spokesperson told NBCBLK via email. “Gerber judges set out to find children 0-48 months who demonstrate expressiveness and consistency with Gerber’s heritage.”
Translation: The kid is simply adorable.
Riley is not the first baby of color to be selected for this honor. In 2010 baby Mercy of Toledo, Ohio was selected. Two years later, baby Mary Jane Montoya from Fresno, California represented the company.
“Gerber recognizes that every baby is a Gerber baby,” said Robyn Fitter, Senior Promotions Marketing Manager at Gerber in the official statement announcing baby Riley.
His mom, Kristen Shines said they are honored to be joining the Gerber family.
“Riley brings such joy to our family with his infectious laugh and big, gummy smile, and we can’t wait to share that joy with the rest of the world,” Shines said in Thursday's announcement.
His parents will receive $50,000, $1,500 in Gerber Childrenswear and the opportunity for Riley to star in a future Gerber advertisement as the 2017 Spokesbaby. His mom told US Weekly that young Riley will be putting this money into his college fund.
