Nintendo’s Mario Kart World Character Design Condemned by Animal Rights Group

Mario Kart World has just come under fire for a character’s design. PETA, the animal rights group, called out Nintendo for the design of “Cow,” one of the racers you can play as in the latest game. There are several animal characters, though this one is essentially just an animated cow, and PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, took issue with it.

Cow is one of several different playable characters in Mario Kart World. The racer joins as one of the few animal characters. While Donkey Kong and Yoshi are animals as well, they’re named and therefore aren’t categorized the same. Cow sports a nose ring like some bulls and other cattle have worn, and that caught PETA’s attention. The organization even went as far as sending a letter to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa (via GeekWire).

They began the letter to Shintaro Furukawa by saying that Cow had won hearts everywhere and had even captured theirs. It would all be perfect except for one aspect: the brass ring. “Would you please show empathy towards bovines and remove the nose ring?” They revealed that nose rings are used by meat and dairy industry members to “exploit, control, and even drag animals to their deaths,” saying they are “crudely stabbed” through a very sensitive part of the body for bulls and cows.

The letter continued, “The dairy industry will also clip spiked nose rings on baby cows so that the comforting act of nursing from their mother causes her pain and the baby is rejected and kicked away. To control bulls, a chain might be fastened from the nose ring to the bull’s horn for even more pain-driven control.”

Read Next

Mario Kart World May Charge Players for Diddy Kong

This small design aspect for Cow might not have registered for gamers, but PETA clocked it and was clearly upset about it. They claim that this “glosses over” the very real violence that animals suffer in the real world. They closed with one final statement: “Remove the nose ring and let Cow race freely—without any painful reminders of the industries that treat animals like profit-making machines. Every animal is someone. So leave the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!”

Cow was immediately one of the most beloved members of the character roster. Fans spotted it driving a car in the very first trailer and loved the fact that an obscure character, seemingly just a cow from Moo Moo Meadows, had been put in the spotlight. Even now, a couple of months after the release of the game, it is a popular racer, so much so that PETA took notice.

This is not the first time Nintendo has landed in PETA’s crosshairs. They targeted Super Mario for the Tanooki Suit, claiming it promoted the fur industry, which is cruel to animals. They also took issue with Pokémon for depicting animal fighting and experimentation. Even Cooking Mama has been the subject of the organization’s ire. They’ve even parodied some of the games mentioned to showcase their points.

What do you think? Is Nintendo’s Cow design cruel, or is PETA overreaching? Let us know in the comments!