Animal Activists in Uproar Over New Mario Video Game

The original Super Mario 3d Land

On Monday, an Animal Activist Organization issued a press release attacking Mario the Nintendo mascot for wearing a ‘Tanooki’ suit in his latest adventure, the Nintendo 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land, released on Sunday. The raccoon-like suit, which grants Mario the ability to glide across the screen, has been seen in various Mario Games since 1988 in Super Mario Bros. 3. In the new game, Mario acquires the suit not by finding something called a Super Leaf he doesn’t have to jump on the animal’s head or do anything else to the animal that might endorse cruelty.

The issue the activists claim is that a Tanuki is the Japanese name for the Raccoon Dog the ones whose pelt is used in various articles of clothing. To counteract the game this organization has a created a crude parody video game called “Super Tanooki Skin 2D” a computer game where a skinned tanuki chases Mario, who is dripping blood, across the familiar landscape of pipes, blocks, and gold coins.

Super Tanuki Skin 2d created by the Animal Rights Organization

Here is what Nintendo had to say:

“Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games,” the spokesman told Eurogamer. “These have included a frog, a penguin, a balloon and even a metallic version of himself. These lighthearted and whimsical transformations give Mario different abilities and make his games fun to play. The different forms that Mario takes make no statement beyond the games themselves.”

If the Animal Rights Organization had instead created some sort of campaign to educate the game players (children) and parents buying the game for their children for the holidays about the Tanuki Raccoon Dog in a way that educates not inspires fear or nausea or in this case disbelief that they would go crazy over something so benign so much could have been achieved.