Controversial animal rights organisation PETA has demanded that Nintendo change the appearance of a fan-favourite Mario Kart World character.
Mario Kart World launched earlier this year for the Nintendo Switch 2 and featured 50 playable characters including old favourites Peach, Bowser and Yoshi alongside a number of NPC creatures such as Goomba, Wiggler and Penguin. Cow, inspired by the wondering cattle that have been a staple of the farm-based courses since Mario Kart 64, quickly became a favourite among fans.
However PETA has claimed that Cow’s design promotes cruelty and the organisation’s Vice President of Marketing Activity Joel Bartlett wrote to Nintendo boss Shuntaro Furukawa last week to demand a change.
“The brass ring in Cow’s nose glosses over real-world violence. Let Cow race freely—without reminders of the industries that treat animals like machines,” said the letter. “In the real world, nose rings are used by the meat and dairy industries to exploit and control cows. We know Mario Kart World is just a game—and that’s exactly why Cow’s nose ring needs to go. Mario Kart is supposed to be a fun escape, not a reminder of the painful tools used on cows in the meat and dairy industries. No one wants to think about animal suffering while zipping around a race track.”
A follow-up post on social media saw PETA tell Nintendo to “leave the rings to Sonic” and the organisation is asking fans to sign a petition.
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This isn’t the first time PETA has had a problem with a video game. Back in 2020, the organisation called out Nintendo for “encouraging abusive behavior toward fish and insects” in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and launched a Pokémon knock-off that saw players help PETA “liberate” Pikachu and friends from Pokéballs. They’ve also tried to get vegan updates added to Palworld and encouraged developers to switch out the weapons from Hunting Simulator and replace them with cameras.
“Hey PETA, you should be more concerned about LIVE animals instead of a fake one,” one fan wrote on Instagram. “Such a minor problem and a fictional character,” added another.
In other news, the release date for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 has reportedly been revealed ahead of Gamescom 2025.
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