Magnolia is the 2020 Gerber baby winner — and the campaign’s first adopted child

The new Gerber baby has made history, and she’s all sorts of adorable.

The winner of the baby company’s tenth annual photo search is 11-month-old Magnolia Earl of California, who is also the first adopted child to represent the campaign.

Magnolia “captured the hearts of the judging panel with her joyful expression, playful smile and warm, engaging gaze,” Gerber said in a statement.

Out of 327,000 applicants, Magnolia, who celebrates her first birthday on Saturday, won them all over.

“Magnolia has brought so much joy to everyone she meets. Her personality is beyond happy and joyful,” Courtney Earl, Magnolia’s mother said in the statement.

“On May 9, 2019 we received a call from the Adoption Agency that there was an expectant mom that was in labour and wanted to talk to us! We pulled off the highway, got a chance to connect with her amazing birth parents, and a few hours later, this sweet baby girl was born,” Earl continued.

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“Adoption is incredibly special to our family’s story. Winning Photo Search is an opportunity to tell Magnolia’s story and shed light on all the beautiful and different ways families are made.”

On top of being featured on Gerber’s social media channels and in marketing campaigns, Magnolia and her family won $25,000 in cash, $1,000 from Gerber Childrenswear and Walmart, as well as free cell phones for a year.

“We believe every baby is a Gerber baby and standing behind our babies has never mattered more than it does now,” Gerber President and CEO Bill Partyka said in the statement.

“At a time when we are yearning for connection and unity, Magnolia and her family remind us of the many things that bring us together: our desire to love and be loved, our need to find belonging, and our recognition that family goes way beyond biology.”

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meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca