Laverne Cox Gets Her Own Transgender Barbie Doll: 'A Celebration Of Transness'

Laverne Cox got Mattel's first-ever transgender Barbie based on her ahead of her birthday.

The 49-year-old actress shared her excitement on having the first transgender Barbie doll, noting that young transgender people can now play with the new Barbie doll, which is launching this weekend.

"I can't believe it. I love her outfit," Cox told PEOPLE in an interview published Tuesday. "What excites me most about her being out in the world is that trans young people can see her and maybe get to purchase her and play with her, and know that there’s a Barbie made by Mattel, for the first time, in the likeness of a trans person."

Cox went on to share that this is not just a toy but also a "celebration of transness" in the environment "where trans children have been used as a political football."

The actress explained how "over 250 pieces of anti-trans legislation have been introduced in state legislatures all over the country in 2022 alone, and access to gender-affirming healthcare has been denied by policies signed into law in my home state of Alabama, in Arkansas and other states."

Trans children are being "attacked" in this environment and this Barbie doll is going to provide "a space for them to dream, understand and be reminded that trans is beautiful. That there’s hope and possibility for them to be themselves," she stated.

Cox disclosed that she was "very involved" when it comes to the designing of the Barbie, adding that she wanted it to look like her and "more African American" to ensure that the representation is right.

"We had a conversation about highlights and lowlights because I’m blonde most of the time now, but I’m a Black girl, so I need a dark root," she added. "And we had a whole conversation about how they can’t do that, but they could do dark low lights."

The actress also appeared on the "Today" talk show, where she shared the first glimpse of the Barbie doll. The official handle of the show shared the video on Twitter.

On the work front, Cox will be next seen in projects like "Uglies" and "Clean Slate."