Posted on 08/19/2025 8:26:20 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Animal rights advocacy group PETA is requesting that Nintendo redesign an animal character in its new game, "Mario Kart World," due to a nose ring.
Released in June, "Mario Kart World" for the Nintendo Switch 2 console features a cow character with a brass nose ring. On Friday, PETA shared an image of the anthropomorphic cow character on its social media channels, accompanied by a message directed at Nintendo.
"Hey Nintendo. Let the cow race free -- remove the nose ring!" the graphic read. "It's not a style choice -- it's a cruel tool used to control and hurt cows in the meat and dairy industries, which causes lasting pain and discomfort."
According to a news release from PETA, Joel Bartlett, the group's Senior Vice President of Marketing Engagement, also wrote to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa regarding this issue. "The brass ring in Cow's nose glosses over real-world violence and cruelty to animals. That's why we're asking you to give this beloved bovine a small but meaningful upgrade: Remove the nose ring and let Cow race freely -- without any painful reminders of the industries that treat animals like profit-making machines," he wrote.
Nintendo has not yet publicly responded to PETA's request.
On PETA's Instagram page, followers reacted to the group challenging the game's cow character. One person commented, "Care about live animals, not some Nintendo character."
Another asked: "What if they just got a piercing of their own free will?"
(Excerpt) Read more at syracuse.com ...
If PETA has tax-exempt status, that should be revoked.
I wonder how many PETA staffers have nose rings ? 🤔
Says the guy who plays games in the basement all day.
That was the first thing I thought of, but you beat me to it.
I hope Nintendo’s response is simply to ignore PETA.
Not even a “no comment”.
These people really do need to get a life.
A few years ago a couple of ‘em showed up at the dock of the annual Kingfish tournament in my town, whining that “fish feel pain”.
Considering they were in the midst of a couple hundred half drunk fishermen and others they’re lucky they got outta there in one piece.
All of them do, in the figurative sense. Self-installed.
P)eople
E)ating
T)asty
A)nimals
It’s idiocy like this that makes people laugh at them instead of taking them seriously.
They are not serious people...................
They’re a bunch of privileged gentry.
That’s been Nintendo’s response in the past. This isn’t the first time PETA has bellyached about a Nintendo product (Pokémon especially).
Typical PETA grandstanding and nothing more.
Seriously do they loo for thing to be offended by?
Tiny fish attempting moral flex against much bigger fish and failing.
Why don’t they start a big publicity campaign to get all the females(human) too remove their nose rings, I bet hey would get a huuuuuge response.
100%... My thoughts exactly.
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