PETA Protests Super Mario Over Raccoon Dog Suit
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are now protesting the popular video game due to the Tanooki suit found in the video game. The Tanooki suit is modeled after a Japanese raccoon suit known as a tanuki. This suit debuted in 1989 in Super Mario Bros 3 for Nintendo and has been present ever since.
The suit took center stage again when Super Mario 3D Land was released on November 3, 2011. Upon the release of this game, PETA pounced on America’s favorite plumber hero and is now protesting the game.
The use of the suit has remained constant in Super Mario 3D Land as it was in Super Mario Bros 3 – to be able to fly into the sky to collect coins or float past enemies. PETA is protesting the new release of Mario 3 for Nintendo DS claiming that the video game depicts Mario wearing the hide of the raccoon dog, which promotes the wearing of fur.
To help bring what PETA deems an atrocity to light, the organization has created their own version of the children’s video game named Super Super Tanooki Skin 2D. In it, Mario wears the carcass of a tanuki that is drenched in blood and even some of the animal’s bones remaining on it. The objective in the game is to chase after the bloody, flying Mario as the skinned raccoon dog to try to get your fur back. The logo of the game is possibly more disturbing than the game, as it turns the beloved Italian plumber into a murderous-looking villain.
PETA has set their sights on other video games prior to this, but one question I’ve heard a few times today is why have they not protested Mario before? After all, for years, Mario has been stealing the shells of turtles everywhere in the Mushroom kingdom, even the dead ones.
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