She is notable for being the first openly transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in an acting category (for Orange Is the New Black in 2014), as well as the first transgender person to win a Daytime Emmy Award as a producer (in 2015). Cox was born as a twin brother.
It will be available for $40 (£32) in time for her 50th birthday.
The actress, who came to prominence on Netflix’s prison comedy Orange is the New Black, expressed her hope that the new doll will inspire others to “dream big.”
The doll is the latest in Mattel’s effort to recreate Barbie’s leggy blonde appearance.
Ms. Cox, who has since gone on to win multiple Emmy Awards and is a vocal champion for transgender rights, claimed she was bullied as a youngster because she wanted a Barbie. She eventually went out and acquired one after years of treatment.
“I went out and got a Barbie doll and dressed her up, and that was a method for me to heal my inner kid,” she said, adding that her mother eventually gifted her a Barbie for Christmas.
Ms. Cox collaborated closely with Mattel on the new doll, which is dressed in a red tulle ballgown that can be refashioned into a variety of looks.
She expressed her wish that the doll will inspire youngsters and serve as a reminder to parents to encourage children of all gender identities to play with dolls.
“Having my Barbie doll is really significant to me for a variety of reasons,” she said. “I hope that youngsters of all gender identities may dream while looking at this Barbie.”
“That space of dreaming is the space of play, the space of playing with dolls, the space of constructing worlds with dolls,” she continued. “And now youngsters can fantasise with a Laverne Cox Barbie, the first transgender Barbie – that’s a lovely area of potential and dreaming.”
Is Barbie’s transformation working?
For the Platinum Jubilee, the Queen receives her own Barbie.
The Laverne Cox doll is part of Barbie’s Tribute Collection, which debuted last year with a Lucille Ball resemblance and was recently updated to honour the Queen of England in her Platinum Jubilee year.
Mattel has added curvier, shorter dolls in a variety of colours, released a line of gender neutral dolls, and released new role model Barbies on a regular basis, honouring female astronauts and scientists, historic figures such as civil rights activist Rosa Parks, and pioneering athletes such as hijab-wearing fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad.
“Barbie understands the importance of representation and is dedicated to increasing diversity throughout collections so that more people may see themselves represented,” the brand stated in a statement.