back to article PETA riled by Mario's raccoon skin suit

PETA, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has launched a scathing campaign against Nintendo's mascot, Mario, claiming his use of the tanooki suit is unethical. The protesters reckon the fact the fur brings the plump plumber special powers sends kids the wrong message. Won't somebody think of the children... er... …

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  1. Nev
    Coat

    Copyright

    Let's hope Nintendo sue these terrorist supporting extremists for copyright infringement.

    My fur coat, if you'd be so kind.....

  2. Just Thinking

    Skinning alive?

    Why on earth would anybody skin an animal alive? Ten times as difficult as killing it first, a reasonable chance of getting bitten, and the pelt would get damaged.

    Are you sure PETA didn't make that bit up?

    1. Oliver Mayes

      Actually, they're pretty accurate about that. I've seen covert footage of chinese fur farms where a particular breed of dog was bred in cages for their fur. The dogs were stunned by a blow to the head then skinned alive, the fur coming off quite easily. The skinned dogs are then dumped in a pile and left to die from the shock as it's cheaper than taking the time to kill them.

      1. a_been

        No there not

        Peta are well know for making up shit which is why they are going after a video game character instead of pointing out where these raccoons are supposedly being "skinned alive".

      2. My Alter Ego
        FAIL

        @Oliver Mayes

        Funny, the only reference to a Tanuki being skinned alive all refer to PETA & Mario. One would think it would be referred to on the Raccoon Dog article on Wikipedia (it's not even like there have been lots of edits removing controversial information, eg. skinning them alive).

        As always, show a proper reference - no PETA press releases don't count - and you'll get some support.

        1. Oliver Mayes

          RE: My Alter Ego

          I didn't say anything about Tanuki, I said dogs. I don't know what breed they were, but I'm pretty sure it was a Channel 4 documentary about illegal poaching and the trade in animal products.

          I don't support PETA in any way, I think they're a bunch of headline grabbing, hypocritical twerps. I do, however, support animal rights.

      3. br0die

        Don't know why you were downvoted but I have seen a similar practice (may have even been tanuki, they looked similar). They bash them on the ground to stun them, then skin them alive. It is really quite shocking to watch.

    2. Thom Brown
      Stop

      Just go onto YouTube and look up "Chinese fur skinned alive".

      It's a well-known practice, but I don't think the horrific animal rights abuses around the world are helped in any way by PETA working against the public rather than with them. Most people have absolutely no idea what really goes on in factory farming, the fur trade and the "traditional medicine" trade. Why do you think that the public and cameras are strictly prohibited from ever visiting such places? Free range and organic farms often welcome people to take a look around.

  3. Chad H.

    Ah PETA...

    The only terrorist organisation that it's socially okay to support. Never mind if they had their way several of their more seniour members; including their founder would be dead.

    1. br0die

      Seems to me if you are an American it is totally cool to support the IRA. Lots of their funding came from there.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Supporting Terrorism

        I hear the state of Israel's much more popular than Hamas, despite being just as horrible.

    2. Marvin the Martian
      Stop

      "socially okay to support"

      No it's not. Not on this forum.

      Put any statement (not even opinion) that fails to deride or randomly accuse PETA and you get downvoted. A lot.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    who are skinned alive

    And that is why I ignore PETA. They may even have a point about not needing fur BUT when they start making up crap and telling lies they are no better.. Let he who is WITHOUT sin cast the first stone.

    1. TheRealRoland
      Happy

      Cast a stone?

      Better not aim it at an animal, you animal!

  5. Mike Brown
    FAIL

    hahahahahaha this is some sort of time travel story huh? a story from the 1st of april 2012?

    no? hahahahahahaha

    idiots

    1. Marvin the Martian
      Meh

      They could have pointed out it's a *fake* fur worn by Mario.

      But then, that would take the fun out of riling PETA, wouldn't it?

  6. Kevin Johnston

    Wow

    Lot of headlines for PETA recently, are they getting short of cash for the Xmas party? Perhaps they could convince their celebrity friends to stump up rather than bothering the rest of us. Not sure who is the worse media-whore, them or That chap from Ryanair

  7. Richard Pennington 1
    Headmaster

    People for the Ethnic Treatment of Animals

    Not the anti-animal-racist crowd again ...

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Joke

      Sir

      I'm glad the Reg keeps telling us what PETA means, I still look at the letters and think of people eating tasty animals.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        I wouldn't say the "people eating tasty animals" thing. Its got several people sued by those spineless terrorist fuckers who just want power and supremacy like all terrorist groups. AC for not wanting a lawsuit while I eat a very large steak.

        1. Sir Runcible Spoon
          Meh

          Sir

          I'm sure you're right, but I didn't say anything. I just wrote down what I thought I was thinking - a bit like describing the objective content of thoughts. Cue the bass.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How sad!

    Nintendo have never actually said Mario skins a tanooki anyway! How does PETA know its not fake fur? They're just riding the Mario wave.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    I don't think he wore a fur coat

    I think he transformed into mythical Tanuki Mari (minus the big ball sack)

    1. AndrewInIreland

      I always thought that Mario in the Tanuki suit was missing something...

  10. TeeCee Gold badge
    Flame

    "...followed by an amusing Flash game..."

    Flash? They really are cruel thoughtless bastards PETA, aren't they?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I want to help

    And by that, I mean psychiatric help, and I'd do it because I feel sorry for them being that pathetic.

    Dang, the needle broke on my twat-o-meter, forget it, I'll go eat some fried chicken instead.

  12. Anonymous Coward 101

    PETA are publicity seeking twats. How much actual animal welfare work goes on in their organisation? What fees are being charged by senior people in their organisation?

    1. Greg J Preece

      Animal welfare? Well, they do euthanise a lot of animals. Does that count?

      Probably not, now I think about it. Oh well, hypocritical terrorist scumbags it is.

  13. Nick Davey
    FAIL

    I'd like to see...

    their market research that shows people who play Mario compared to how many actually own a proper Tanooki suit! I'm sure they could go out and get a real job if they wanted.

  14. Mihai
    WTF?

    Ethnic treatment of Animals

    White bears allowed, black bears not ? :D

    BTW - tons of results on Google for this misspelling.

    And same misspelling on http://www.computerandvideogames.com/326059/peta-frowns-at-marios-use-of-tanooki-fur/ which cites Kotaku as a source. No misspelling at Kotaku.

    Maybe you should mention your sources :)))

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's worse than PETA think ...

    ... it's not a real Tanuki, it's a fur-suit! Goddam it, Mario was a furvert all along and we didn't realise!

  16. Obscura
    Coat

    Are we even sure that the tanooki suit is genuine, and not of the faux fur variety?

  17. Demosthenes Locke
    FAIL

    Boom and Bust of the Animal Spirits

    Um...PETA?

    Tanuki is MYTHICAL. It's a spirit animal. It doesn't really exist. There is no "real life" raccoon-dog to be skinned for its fur. So calm down, count ten chimpanzees, eat a garden burger, and go play checkers or something. You're panicking over nothing, because there are no poor, innocent tanukis being killed and skinned by evil Italian plumbers.

    Boneheads.

    1. John Wilson
      Stop

      Erm..

      There is such an animal as a Tanuki. And yes, they really are skinned for their fur.

  18. Northern Fop
    Black Helicopters

    Fuck the turtles!

    That's PETA's implied message.

    Mario gets a slap-down for skinning one doe-eyed fuzz-ball, but he can shatter the shells of countless THOUSANDS of turtles and they don't even blink.

    They're obviously card-carrying mammal-fascists, seeking a glorious fourth reich where the underclass of reptiles and invertebrates must bow to their teat-toting overlords.

  19. Graham Bartlett

    @Demosthenes Locke

    Erm, it *does* exist. It's a real animal.

    But like any other animal, there's no good reason to skin it alive. That's pure bull. Or whatever the PETA equivalent would be, since under PETA's rules all domesticated livestock species would be extinct within a generation.

  20. Jean Stone

    Selective Thinking

    They must really be having a slow month. So it's horrible for Mario to wear a Tanuki Suit but it's okay for him to kill turtles for their shells (which he uses to kill more animals), stomp on all manner of creatures (won't someone think of the poor Goombas?!) or throw creatures into boiling lava? It's a good thing PETA missed Mario 3 two decades ago or they'd have had a collective aneurysm over the Frog Suit...

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Those of you who think this practice doesn't happen....

    http://www.animal-protection.net/furtrade/index.html

    If you can watch some of the videos on this site without squirming, then you sir, need your head examining.

    While I think Peta might be taking this particular one a bit far, it is important to raise the awareness. Too many people wear fur products and say "It's okay, they said it was vintage".

    The bottom line is, there is no need for any of it. Disgusting practice and I can see where PETA is coming from. I'm shocked. Human cruelty saddens me beyond belief.

  22. sisk
    Coat

    The people eating tasty animals have really lost their minds this time.

    Really? A video game is cruel to animals because the main character wears a fur? Kids are going to start thinking that if they skin a raccoon they can fly and turn into a statue? Give me a break.

    Mines the one with the smartphone running a NES emulator with SMB3 in the pocket.

  23. David Gosnell

    PETA's message from their seriously crap game

    "It's OK, a skinned animal just has to run a bit faster to keep warm"

    Idiots, on whatever level one chooses to look.

  24. adnim
    Joke

    Phurry Entities Taste Awesome

    That is all

  25. disgruntled yank

    Isn't Mario entitled

    to life, liberty, and the fur suit of happiness?

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So good to know that animal cruelty is almost unheard-of these days

    Obviously if PETA have nothing better than this to justify their existence with the problem must be long-solved.

  27. jefferai

    Welcome to 1988

    Their protest is about 23 years too late. But what can you expect from PETA.

  28. JrockJesse

    God peta gets worse all the time!

    it seems like they keep getting worse, there was that one time they protested at KFC, then they got mad at the person who posted a video on you tube of a snake falling on there car while they where driving and they kept on driving, and now this and this is not the first time they have made fun of video, they have another game making fun of super meat boy,

  29. Mike VandeVelde
    Unhappy

    laugh it up sickos, real hilarious

    www.google.ca/search?q=dog+skinned+alive&safe=off&tbm=vid

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @Mike

      I reserve the right to have a twisted sense of humour about, well, anything.

  30. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If you skin a Nintendo tanuki

    I presume all the entrail pixels leak out all over the screen.

    Self-censorship...

  31. Reg-ular
    Boffin

    It's obvious that PETA picks on Mario because it's easier than picking on bikies in leather jackets...

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Joke

      Sir

      Good point.

      No-one has ever complained about my Dianese leathers, apart from the smell.

  32. Frumious Bandersnatch
    Coat

    PETAdry alert!

    Tanuki is not actually a raccoon.

    <--- Mmmm.. nice, soft lining.

  33. Reg-ular

    On a more serious note

    I have a problem with any organisation that promotes women as objects while attempting to raise the status of animals above humans. Do they seriously think people look at their advertisements because they care about animals? No. They look for the flesh factor. The plight of humans should come first... Animals second. Is there still human suffering on earth? Tackle that first, then look at animals.

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    PETA

    Plonkers Enraged by Tanooki Animations.

    PETA must be about the only protest group dumber than those they advocate for.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Idiots..

    It's obvious that is fake fur! its the kind that is made out of dolphins.

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