Arizona 1-Year-Old Is Now A National Icon

Most one year olds are focused on learning to walk, eating mushy foods, and saying big words like "mama" and "dada".

One Arizona baby, however, is going to be more focused on photoshoots, press tours, and camera lights.

He's now an American icon.

Meet Sonny!

Baby Akil, otherwise known as Sonny, is just like every other baby. He likes playing with his toy cars, reading his ABCs book, watching football, and playing peekaboo with his little sister.

He's a cheerful little tyke, whos sunny disposition earned him his nickname. It takes almost nothing for Sonny to erupt into contagious laughter, and it seems like he hasn't had a bad moment in his life.

All of these attributes spoke to voters at Gerber Products, who named Sonny the 2024 Gerber Baby of the year.

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The Perks of Being a Gerber Baby

Sonny's journey started when his parents submitted a photo of him to the 2024 Gerber Baby photo contest. The photo shows the tot grinning from ear to ear, with a bright orange shirt that perfectly reflects his inner personality.

Sonny is the first winner of the new voting format for this competition. For most its history, the winner was chosen by a selection of Gerber employees, but not anymore. Now, parents of former winners are part of the judging panel, giving an outlook only a parent can give. The decision was almost unanimous, and Sonny was crowned champion.

As the winner, Sonny's family will receive a $25,000 check, a year of free Gerber products, and a customized wardrobe designed by the Gerber staff.

[Gerber]

[USA Today]