PETA Calls Mario Kart Cow’s Nose Ring a Cruelty Reminder: “It’s-a Mean!”

PETA has a new request for Nintendo, and this time it’s about a cow in Mario Kart World. The animal-rights group wants the game maker to remove the brass nose ring from Cow, a cheerful character who races alongside Mario and friends.

The group launched a campaign this week, saying the detail is not harmless. In a letter posted on its website, Joel Bartlett, PETA’s senior vice president of marketing engagement, told Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa, “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 added, “Leave the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!”

In its press release, which used the line “It’s-a mean!”, PETA explained that nose rings are not decorations but painful tools. “Nose rings are used by the meat and dairy industries to exploit, control and even drag animals to their deaths. These brass rings are crudely stabbed through the sensitive septum of cows and bulls, which can cause lasting pain and discomfort.”

Liberate Cow pic.twitter.com/wLuf3fJZ1P

— PETA (@peta) August 14, 2025

This isn’t the first time Nintendo has heard from PETA. The group previously went after Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020, saying the game encouraged players to treat fish and insects badly by catching them and putting them on display. In 2017, PETA slammed Nintendo for working with McDonald’s to give out Mario toys in Happy Meals, accusing the company of promoting unhealthy food.

But Nintendo is far from the only target. Over the years, PETA has also gone after Pokémon for the way battles resemble animal fighting, World of Warcraft for in-game fishing, and even Super Meat Boy, a game about a piece of meat trying to rescue his girlfriend. In each case, the group has argued that video games can either help or harm the way people think about animals.

With Mario Kart World becoming a big seller, PETA now wants Cow to race without the nose ring. Whether Nintendo listens or not, the group’s campaign is making sure people are talking about the character, and about real animals who don’t have a choice.

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