SOUTHAMPTON — Southampton resident Kelley Labrie didn’t expect to hear back after signing up her 3-year-old daughter, Claire, for Hasbro’s Toddler of the Year national competition. Now, Claire is a quarterfinalist with a chance to win the whole thing.
“I had seen an advertisement for it originally on Facebook,” Labrie said about the competition. “I wanted to look into it and make sure it was legit. I entered her not thinking I would ever hear back but she got accepted into the competition.”
Toddler of the Year is a competition hosted by TV personality Mario Lopez and organized by Colossal, an organization that collaborates with brands, celebrities and charities to host fundraisers and competitions. The winner of the competition takes home $25,000, will star in a national ad campaign, lead the Hollywood Christmas Parade and go on a trip to the Peppa Pig theme park.
Labrie noted Claire is most excited about the potential to see Peppa Pig.
“Claire is just a little firecracker,” said Labrie. “She wants to do everything her older brother does. She rides ponies, rides bikes downhill really fast which makes me very nervous. She is very smart, sweet and she can read people and the room really well. She adds so much light to our lives and she is really special.”
Labrie was inspired to register Claire for the competition because of the fundraising involved, especially for optional donations to Toys for Tots, an organization Labrie cherishes. She also notes the light that Claire brings to her family’s life.
“I felt inspired by her. Just the way she changes the dynamic of our family as the only girl and the middle child. She’s just a very cool kid and I felt like she had a chance to do it,” Labrie said about her daughter. “The other motivation was Toys for Tots. When I was younger I was a Girl Scout and that was always one of the things we donated to. I was on student council too and we always donated to that [Toys for Tots].”
The competition works through voting campaigns. Each competitor gets their own voting site that they can repost online to rally as many votes as possible. Typically, people can vote once a day, with certain days allowing two votes. Through different rounds of voting, toddlers with less votes are eliminated.
Voting began in July and is now in the quarterfinal round, one of the last. Voting for the round began on Labor Day at 10 a.m. with time left to vote.
On Claire’s voting page, her family said the prize money would help them invest in her future.
“Winning the Hasbro Toddler of the Year contest would give us the chance to invest in Claire’s education — from early learning programs to future school tuition,” it says. “It would help us nurture her love of learning and give her the best start possible. This prize would open doors to opportunities that would shape her future in meaningful ways. Most of all, it would give us more opportunities to create lasting memories together as a family.”
To vote for Claire, visit her page on Toddler of the Year here.
