Yesterday's controversial PETA campaign against Mario's Tanooki suit certainly stirred up some heated discussion about the power-up's inclusion in Super Mario 3D Land. Now Nintendo has responded to PETA's claim that the Tanooki suit encourages people to wear fur with an official statement to Eurogamer:
Mario often takes the appearance of certain animals and objects in his games. 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.
You hear that, PETA? Frogs and penguins. Is nothing sacred?
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 50
LOL, no, nothing's sacred in Super Mario Land. Watch out, spiky cactus things, you're next.
Actually, he looks so fashionable I feel the urge to wear a full body suit made with a single frog.
Anyone want to buy a penguin suit? The must be pretty small, and don't even think about riding on a dinosaur to come and collect it.
BS. Nintendo is clearly sending a message to young kids that they should go to Japan, kill tanukis, gut 'em, skin 'em, and wear 'em.
From now on whenever I play Mario Kart I'm going to purposely run into the cows! I hear cowhide is fun to wear!!
Edit: I forgot about this stupid avatar. I hate you Jayarr LOL!
PETA is the one who should be ashamed. Go and find a real cause, for Christ sakes!!! puts on his frog suit
@EdwardsBoyToy LOL!!!
PETA: Pretty Easy To Annoy.
Get a life morons.
It's the kommunist mario thing all over again!!!
about mario wearing real fur. OH MY GOD. OMG. COME ON PEOPLE!!! this is a cartoonish like character in a video game. he's not real. he's not a human. so come on. you're getting upset over something that isn't even real?! something that never was alive to be killed for a cartoon character to wear. think about it. don't you think this shows a little bit of stupidity here? i can't believe that peta is getting upset over something so stupid and rediculous, that was never alive. also, mario can't say anything. he's a video game character. don't the parrents have sence enough to teach the kids that video games aren't real, and that you should not mimic video games? i think this subject of mario has went way beyond too far.
ive heard the national institute of plumbers have got some issues with mario aswell now.
Who cares what PETA does? Its just a group of workless frustrated people who don't know what to do with their freetime some people have a job an no time to waste,others play games and others have no job so they have too much freetime and found groups like PETA,Greenpeace or World Wildlife Federation "takes out his fireflower to burn some PETA butt"
I'm ready to see what PETA is gonna say next now. xD
@Link79
People Eating Tasty Animal or
People for the Ethical Tasting of Animals
Keep 'em coming guys!
Awwwwww, come on!!!! First of all I'm an adult. Second of all I think Peta should grow up! Its a video game for pitys sake !
Geeesh!!! I love my dog, and my bird and my fish too! Yes, I do eat meat. I'm an average human. I do care about animals and humane care of them, all of them even those that are used for food ...but the raccoon suit will not make anyone want to ware FUR of any REAL animal. PETA please grow up.
Let's be honest - PETA aren't seriously striking down Mario for wearing a Tanooki suit. They're just using it as a convenient bandwagon to kick-start their campaign against skinning racoon dogs and gather lots of attention to themselves. Making themselves look like juvenile morons is all pretty much an intended gamble, made worth it for the pay-off of lots and lots of cheap media and public attention. It's a dumb and underhand way of gaining attention; but then since when have PETA not done anything dumb and underhand?
PETA are a pretty hateful bunch, throwing up little media frenzies like this is the only way that anyone ever pays them any attention. They're like the spoilt bratty child of the campaigning world.
Mario should fireball PETA's face!!! So stupid... plus mario doesn't get his suit from a racoon, he gets it from a leaf!! PETA should campaign against 'leaves' and all their racoon skinning, cut down the trees!!
If i was nintendo i would just tell them to shut up tbh
Thanks to PETA, animals rights will never be taken seriously.
glad nintendo said something in response to this ludicrous claim. PETA should take nintendo's hint and just shut it.
ohhh, that was a "F*CK YOU PETA!" nice job nintendo!
omg WTF nintendo now you hate frogs and penguins too. I'm glad PETA sees this atrocity too. Ninty is teaching children to kill these creatures to get powerups. Nintendo must be stopped!!! >:{
IN YO FACE!
Nintendo shouldn't have even given them the satisfaction of a response. PETA acts like if you don't like them, you don't like animals. Support something like the ASPCA or the Humane Society instead.
Take THAT PETA! You just got owned by Mario's tanuki tail! Now leave Nintendo and all us fans alone and shut up!
I bet theblackdragon is keeping an eye on the comments
Animal rights? the only ones i know are they have the right to be tasty,they hve the right to have a tender meat and kill us with calories
i wore a tanooki costume to school just to protest with my friends XDXD
Okay, let me get this straight…
First they go after Cooking Mama…
Then Battlefield 3 because you kill a rat…
And now Mario because you wear an animal costume???
Wow, I knew PETA was dumb, But I didn’t know they were THAT dumb.oh, by the way, while we are on the subject of peta, im going to put this to the public; PETA-phile XDXD
I am a vegetarian myself, I dont eat white meat or red meat, but this is just ridiculous, I dont eat meat for personal reasons but i am not going to tell others they shouldnt eat meat. My wife and two children are eating a roast chicken as i write this. I hope the next mario game released is Mario's Big Game Hunter.
I played "Mario Kills Tanooki" on http://www.peta.org/. It sucks.
I think PETA loves Tetris. It's a great game with no cuelty to any animals or living things.
I bet those PETA-philes feel so dumb now. Super Mario 3d Land hasn't influenced me in any way... (slips on tanooki suit & ears)
@kobe1724 Agreed. If PETA wants to get serious about creating bad copies of other games they need to give Sony a call.
Just wait until GTA V, which will apparently have dogs and cats for the first time.
A balloon? A BALLOON?! Someone call the balloon rights activists! Nintendo is sending the message that it's okay to wear the skin of a balloon. Those bastards!
It's a friggin' magical leaf that happens to give Mario tanooki powers. What does this have to do with harming animals? I demand an explanation!
Do real tanookis fly with their tails too?
They can't get airborne with their other exaggerated attributed. O.o
PETA has ran out of things to do. Where were they 20 years ago on this issue? They have served their purpose, raised awareness, but now they're just phishing for things to complain about. Go away!
Meanwhile, a letter from a water safety expert
In mario games, an underwater environment may just be a 'theme'.But in reality, it is a dangerous place with no air to breathe.Therefor, mario is giving the message to kids that it is OK to drown.
It almost seems that sony is paying PETA to complain like this.Or PETA really has nothing better to do...
Why is it assumed that Mario's costume is made of fur? I thought it was magical polyester.
In a weird way, I find it awesome that Peta knows about the Tanooki Mario suit. Like, wow!!! I'm positive I'm the ONLY person at my job who knows what it is.
Another 'Epic Win' for Nintendo! Does PETA have anything else to do?
Frog Mario. That's a classic! I also love to eat their legs. Frog Legs are a delicacy in the US South, you know. People Eating Tastey Animals: That's what I'm all about.
But I'd think PETA should focus more on the animal brutality that makes playing Mario games so fun. Stomping on Goombas (They remind me of rodents somehow), kicking live turtles in their shells, Riding on Dinosaurs (Yoshi), and yes, wearing Frog, Tanooki, and Penguin skins.
Not to mention eating mushrooms in the wild and exploring sewer culverts are both fun and safe pastimes for our children, LOL!
wow yet again peta is blowing smoke out their . really? marios tanooki suit premotes wearing fur? they are so full of crap its redicilous, i can name off countless games that have to do with characters either wearing animal costumes, or fighting animals is some kind of way. they need to realize that the game is FICTIONAL. nowhere in any mario game has it ever gave a direct message promoting the use of wearing fur. peta is ruled by a bunch of overly whiny morons who have nothing better to do with their time than fine something to complain about.
Why hasn't PETA protested Pokemon? Catching wild animals and forcing them to fight each other...
What a idiots!!!
Thank God PETA has the courage to confront the issue of Mario's injustice towards animals. This is an issue that has been raging for decades.
Now there's just the matter of Halo's implied cruelty toward hostile alien species, Shadow of the Colossus' fetishizing mistreatment of mythical god-like creatures, and of course Katamari Damacy's brainwashing campaign that says, "its ok to roll everything in the world into a giant ball." Go PETA!
Where were PETA when Super Mario Bros 3. was originally released on the NES? Mario has been donning that Tanooki Suit for 20 years now. This whole situation is a stupid joke and should be treated as such
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