The 2018 Gerber Baby has made history. For the first time ever, the Gerber baby has Down syndrome. Eighteen-month-old Lucas Warren from Dalton, Georgia was selected as the winner from among 140,000 entries. The Gerber baby contest started 91 years ago, and there has never been a baby like Lucas. The baby's photo was submitted to the Gerber Spokesbaby contest by his mother, Cortney Warren.

About the new Gerber baby

Lucas' mother says even though he has Down syndrome, he is very outgoing. Like other babies, Lucas loves to play and laugh. He also loves to make others laugh along with him.

His mom told Today Parents that after a relative told her about the contest, she sent Lucas' photo to the company on a whim. Cortney said that she is hoping that her son will look back on this experience when he grows up and be proud of himself instead of being ashamed of his disability.

Cortney and her husband, Jason, were excited when they received the news that their son had been selected as the 2018 Gerber baby. Bill Partyka, CEO and president of Gerber, describes Lucas as the baby with a smile and happy expression that won the hearts of the Gerber team. Partyka added that Lucas is the perfect fit as far as what they at Gerber were looking for.

Lucas' parents said on the "Today" show on Wednesday that they know how special Lucas is, and they are glad that others are seeing it also.

Lucas and his family will get $50,000 in prize money that will go into his college fund. They will also be featured on Gerber's social media channels throughout the entire year.

About the Gerber Company

The Gerber Baby is the logo of the Gerber Products Company.

There is an interesting story surrounding the contest. Daniel Edwards and his distant cousin Kureem Edwards owned and operated the Fremont Canning Company. They wanted the face of a baby to be on the jars of their baby food. In 1928, they held a contest. Drawings and paintings of baby faces were submitted.

Dorothy Hope Smith, an artist from Westport, Connecticut submitted an unfinished charcoal drawing of Ann Turner Cook when she was four months old.

Smith told the judges that if her sketch was selected as the winner, she would finish it professionally. Smith's drawing did win the contest. To her surprise, the judges did not want her to change it. To this day, the unfinished sketch of Cook is still on the Gerber baby food jar. She turned 91 years old last November. Over the years, many people have tried to convince others that they are the Gerber baby. The picture looks like it could be a boy or a girl.

By the way, even though Lucas and other babies have won the contest over the years, their photos have not replaced the original Gerber baby logo as a trademark of the company. Those winners get the grand prize money and the recognition, but Cook's face has been on Gerber jars for 91 years.