2019 Gerber baby makes history as the first of Hmong descent

The newest Gerber baby makes history as the first of Hmong descent.

Kairi Yang is 15-months-old of Hickory North Carolina.

Gerber representatives say Baby Kairi instantly impressed the judging panel.

"As soon as we saw her photo, we fell in love with Kairi's expressive eyes and angelic face, looking toward the future and being excited for all that it holds," said Bill Partyka, President and CEO, Gerber.

Baby Kairi beat out a record-breaking 544,000 entries.

As the face of Gerber for the year, she will be featured on Gerber's social media channels and her family will receive $50,000.

"We are beyond thrilled that our sweet Kairi is Gerber's 2019 Spokesbaby," said Kairi's mom, Ying Vue. "We hope Kairi's one-of-a-kind, entertaining personality and vibrant facial expressions radiate positivity around the world, just like she does in our home every single day."

The Hmong are an ethnic group from China and Southeast Asia.

"Peter (Kairi's dad) and I are proud to be our parents' children and of the Hmong community. Hmong in our eyes is all about the close bonds we have with family," said her mom to ABC News.

Last year's official Gerber baby, Lucas Warren, also made history as the company's first-ever Gerber baby with Down syndrome

The original Gerber logo is inspired by the very first Gerber baby, Ann Turner Cook.

Cook is now 92 years old. Her family submitted a charcoal drawing of her when she was 4 months old in 1928. Her photo became the company's trademark in 1931.