PETA enraged that Marion wears fur coat

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is enraged that the iconic game character Mario is wearing a fur coat in Nintendo’s latest 3DS game entitled Super Mario 3D Land.

The game was launched on Sunday. Since then the company developed a furious online campaign that they entitled “Mario Kills Tanooki.”  In the new video game Mario is sometimes seen wearing the skin of a tanooki, a Japanese raccoon dog.

“Tanooki may be just a suit in the game, but in real life tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur,” PETA’s site states. “By wearing a Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it is OK to wear fur.”

In order to prove their point of view, a disturbing video has been posted revealing a real tanuki which is abused by workers in the Japanese fur trade. Next to it, an image of Mario holding the severed head of a raccoon can be seen.

The organization also has celebrities supporting their cause. Both they and models had posed for the campaign entitled “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.”

However, in the game, the suit spring from special magic that takes the form of a feather.

"Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games," a Nintendo spokesman explained for Eurogamer in a statement. “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."

Leave a Comment