On June 5th Nintendo released a new “Mario Kart World” game with a brand new character, Cow. Animal rights group PETA is asking the company to redesign Cow to remove a nose ring. The organization argues it mimics and minimizes real-world cruelty inflicted on innocent animals.
Because in reality these brass rings are crudely stabbed through these creature’s sensitive septums, to control and drag them around. Up to and sometimes including to the slaughterhouse. “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,” the organization explains.
Cow is Just a Character
PETA obviously realizes that this is a game and not exploiting any real animals, and that is kind of the point. “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,” writes a PETA representative.
While most people probably didn’t think the rings occurred naturally, many don’t question their crueler implications. Hence why PETA is basically known for taking up seemingly strange causes like this, to help raise awareness of why these things are really done. In a desperate attempt to show how animal cruelty touches our daily lives in ways we don’t even realize.
On August 14th, Joel Bartlett, PETA’s Senior Vice President of Marketing Engagement, wrote a letter to Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, asking for the redesign. “The brass ring in Cow’s nose glosses over real-world violence,” reads Bartlett’s letter. “Let Cow race freely—without reminders of the industries that treat animals like machines.”
There is no word on if Nintendo ever responded to Bartlett, but given PETA is now asking publicly, we’d wager they were ignored or denied. We’ll keep you posted on Cow’s requested redesign as the situation develops. Those in support of the redesign can sign the petition here.
