Animal-rights advocacy group PETA desires Nintendo to take away the brass nostril ring from Cow, the joyful anthropomorphic vehicle-driving character in just lately launched top-selling sport “Mario Kart World.” Sure, actually.
PETA this week launched a marketing campaign to induce the Japanese sport maker to revamp the Cow character “with out the nostril ring — a painful reminder of the cruelty cows endure within the meat and dairy industries.”
“The brass ring in Cow’s nostril glosses over real-world violence and cruelty to animals. That’s why we’re asking you to offer this beloved bovine a small however significant improve: Take away the nostril ring and let Cow race freely — with none painful reminders of the industries that deal with animals like profit-making machines,” Joel Bartlett, PETA’s SVP of selling engagement, wrote in a letter addressed to Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, which the group posted on its web site. He added, “depart the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!”
Reps for Nintendo of America didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
“Mario Kart World” was launched June 5, 2025, as a launch sport for the Nintendo Change 2. As of June 30, the corporate had offered 5.63 million copies, in line with Nintendo, making it the best-selling title for the brand new console. In the game, 24 gamers compete towards one another to see who can zoom by open-world racetracks the quickest.
On-line commenters have identified that it’s doable — within the context of the “Mario Kart World” universe — that Cow selected to get the nostril ring herself. “How do they know the cow didn’t go to a physique piercing place to get it? The rattling factor is aware of methods to drive so it’s not utterly… bizarre,” an X person posted Friday in regards to the concern.
In response to PETA, in a press launch about Cow’s nostril ring that stated “It’s-a imply!”, the cattle business makes use of nostril rings as a instrument of torment, not a style accent: “Nostril rings are utilized by the meat and dairy industries to take advantage of, management and even drag animals to their deaths. These brass rings are crudely stabbed by the delicate septum of cows and bulls, which may trigger lasting ache and discomfort.”
It’s not the primary time PETA has focused Nintendo. For instance, the advocacy group in 2020 criticized the game giant’s “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” for “encouraging abusive habits towards fish and bugs, the place gamers can tear wildlife out of their houses and show them in cramped circumstances in a museum.”
And in 2017, PETA stated Nintendo had “offered its soul” by partnering with McDonald’s to incorporate “Tremendous Mario” toys in Joyful Meals. “Nintendo ought to keep within the enterprise of promoting artistic video video games, not merciless and unhealthy hen nuggets,” the group stated on the time.
