PETA created this image in protest of Mario's use of the Tanooki skin.
/ Source: PETA
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, has a new target in its anti-fur campaign: Super Mario.
PETA grabbed headlines again this week, this time for targeting the classic Nintendo character and his tendency to wear the skin of a Tanooki, a type of raccoon dog.
"When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use whatever means necessary to defeat his enemy -- even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers," PETA said in a statement on its website. "Tanooki may be just a suit in the game, but in real life tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing a Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it is OK to wear fur."
The group also created a graphic image (above) showing an angry Mario in his Tanooki suit holding a blood-soaked, decapitated raccoon head. PETA's website also now features a graphic video game, called Super Tanooki Skin 2D, which allows a skinned tanuki to try and get his skin back from the Mario character.
The controversy comes as Nintendo releases Super Mario 3D Land, which includes Mario with the Tanooki suit originally unveiled in Super Mario 3 in the late 1980s.
What do you think of PETA's latest anti-fur campaign? Does it go too far? Not far enough? Sound off below and on our WNWO Facebook page!
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWNWO