HICKORY, N.C. >> Gerber says its newest spokesbaby is a spunky 1-year-old with “the look of wonder in her eyes,” born to a Hmong immigrant family in North Carolina.

The company announced Tuesday that the winner of its ninth annual photo search is 1-year-old Kairi Yang, a little girl from Hickory who sometimes makes a cute “growling” sound when she gets excited.

Her parents explained on NBC’s “Today Show” that she’s part of an extended family that emigrated from southeast Asia. Kairi will play a key role in Gerber’s social media campaign as the face of the year. Her family will also receive $50,000.

Gerber’s contest made headlines last year when 2-year-old Lucas Warren became the first spokesbaby with Down syndrome. This year’s contest attracted a record 544,000 entries.