Little Debbie lookalike wins contest

Seven-year-old Rhea Lynne Conner has been named the winner of a national Little Debbie lookalike contest as part of McKee Foods’ 50th anniversary celebration of the use of the Little Debbie name on its products.

Rhea’s likeness will be featured on select cartons of snack cakes, the company said in a press release. The elementry school pupil is the daughter of Amy and Tony Conner, of Monroe, Tenn.

Rhea, who was chosen from more than 900 girls between 4 and 8 years old in 44 states, received a $5,000 college scholarship grand prize, a gift certificate and Little Debbie snacks.

The three-judge panel included Debbie McKee-Fowler, the real Little Debbie and granddaughter of McKee Foods co-founders O.D. and Ruth McKee. The original Little Debbie helped to determine the winner from among 10 finalists in Atlanta.

Chris McKee, executive vice president for marketing and sales for Collegedale, Tenn.-based McKee Foods, said the Little Debbie brand was essentially an accident.

“A packaging salesman came in and told my grandfather (O.D. McKee) that he thought McKee Baking was a boring name for a baking company,” he said. “The salesman suggested he name it after one of his grandchildren. He started listing the names of his grandchildren, and when he got to Debbie, the salesman said he liked it.”

Leigh Anne Monitor, a spokeswoman for McKee, said the founders decided to use an Olan Mills picture of 4-year-old Debbie McKee in a straw hat as the basis for the Little Debbie logo on the carton.

“Atlanta artist Pearl Mann did the original artwork, making young Debbie look a little older — around 8 or 9,” Ms. Monitor said.

Ms. McKee-Fowler is as an executive at McKee Foods.

Criteria used to determine the winner in the latest competition included the essence, dress and look of the Little Debbie character as well as charm, spirit, poise and behavior, according to a McKee Foods news release.