The toy company behind the beloved Barbie dolls released a doll modeled after actress and activist Laverne Cox, Mattel’s first-ever transgender Barbie. 

What You Need To Know

  • Barbie recently released a doll in the likeness of actress and activist Laverne Cox, making it Mattel's first-ever transgender Barbie

  • The doll bears a red faux-leather corset with a matching tulle skirt; both pieces can be removed to showcase a glittering silver bodysuit 

  • The doll is part of Mattel’s Barbie Tribute Collection, which “celebrates visionaries whose incredible contributions have helped shape and impact culture”

  • The doll’s release coincided with Cox’s 50th birthday, which she celebrated with an appropriately Barbie-themed party at a rooftop hotel in New York

Mattel worked with the “Orange Is The New Black” actress to create the doll’s custom clothing design. The doll bears a red faux-leather corset with a matching tulle skirt; both pieces can be removed to showcase the glittering silver bodysuit underneath. 

 

Cox discussed the significance of the Barbie doll’s release in a recent interview while touring a Mattel factory.

"It's incredibly meaningful for me to have my own Barbie doll, for so many reasons,” she said. “And I hope that parents out there who may be seeing this and their kid wants to play with Barbie, no matter what gender they were assigned at birth, that they say, like, 'Yay, you can go and do that. It's cool. Here, play with the Laverne Barbie.’”

The doll is part of Mattel’s Barbie Tribute Collection, which the company says “celebrates visionaries whose incredible contributions have helped shape and impact culture.” Other dolls were created in the likenesses of actress Lucille Ball and designer Vera Wang.

Cox, in addition to being the first-ever transgender woman of color to have a leading role in a television show, is a longtime activist for the LGBTQ+ community. 

"I hope that people can look at this Barbie and dream big like I have in my career,” Cox told NBC News’ TODAY show this week. “The space of dreaming and manifesting is such a powerful source and leads you to achieve more than what you originally thought was possible.” 

Cox also noted the recent rise in state legislation targeting transgender children, saying the doll is one way to show transgender youth they are not alone. 

Many GOP-controlled states have, over the course of the past year, either introduced, signed or endorsed legislation specifically targeted transgender students. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate reports of gender-confirming care for kids as abuse. Arkansas lawmakers approved a ban on the gender-affirming medications for minors, but that law has been enjoined by a court.

Still more states have banned transgender women and girls from competing in school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.

“I hope all the kids who are feeling stigmatized when their health care is being jeopardized, whose ability to play sports [is curtailed], I hope they can see this Barbie and feel a sense of hope and possibility,” she told NBC. 

The doll’s release coincided with Cox’s 50th birthday, which she celebrated with an appropriately Barbie-themed party at a rooftop hotel in New York on Thursday, where she celebrated in front of a sign bearing the phrase “trans is beautiful.” 

The Barbie modeled after Cox is available on Mattel’s online store for $40.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.