PETA gives Nintendo free advertising by complaining about the cows in Mario Kart
Someone at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal) is clearly a Nintendo fan, but we suspect Nintendo would really rather they weren't. The controversial animal rights group has highlighted Nintendo's depiction of animals before, most recently by insisting that you shouldn't fill the museum in Animal Crossing with insects and fish.
The group has often highlighted popular media to try and make its points, such as complaining that horror movie remake Nosferatu defames rats and, a little more reasonably, protesting the depiction of whaling in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (which is rumoured to be getting a remake soon).
Now, the group has turned its attention to Mario Kart World, where the inclusion of a cow as a playable character has been met with great enthusiasm by fans. However, PETA is upset because it seems to be sporting a nose ring.
'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,' wrote PETA in an open letter to 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.'
PETA's tweet on the matter claims it's not a style choice, but that's not necessarily true. Since she knows how to operate a kart, Cow is presumably sapient, so it may simply be a cosmetic nose ring.
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Liberate Cow pic.twitter.com/wLuf3fJZ1P — PETA (@peta) August 14, 2025
As well as the usual Mushroom Kingdom crew, Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 includes a number of generic enemies and side-characters, from a Goomba and Wiggler to a Snowman and Dolphin. More Trending
These are unlocked essentially at random, by using the Kameck power-up during a race. It's not too hard to get them all but Cow has been one of the favourites right from the start, in part because she's so unexpected but also because she's cute and a homage to fan favourite course Moo Moo Meadows.
There has been long-running speculation that more characters will be added to the game over time, but despite fans getting very suspicious at the fact that Donkey Kong and Pauline only have two costumes – whereas other much more minor characters have more – Nintendo has never confirmed anything.
Given Donkey Kong Bananza has been out for a while now it's not clear when or where they might make an annoucement. So for now Cow's position as fan favourite is undisputed.
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Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
PETA gives Nintendo free advertising by complaining about the cows in Mario Kart
The cows have been the breakout stars of Mario Kart World since it first appeared, but an animal rights group is upset at how they're depicted. Someone at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal) is clearly a Nintendo fan, but we suspect Nintendo would really rather they weren't. The controversial animal rights group has highlighted Nintendo's depiction of animals before, most recently by insisting that you shouldn't fill the museum in Animal Crossing with insects and fish. The group has often highlighted popular media to try and make its points, such as complaining that horror movie remake Nosferatu defames rats and, a little more reasonably, protesting the depiction of whaling in Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (which is rumoured to be getting a remake soon). Now, the group has turned its attention to Mario Kart World, where the inclusion of a cow as a playable character has been met with great enthusiasm by fans. However, PETA is upset because it seems to be sporting a nose ring. '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,' wrote PETA in an open letter to 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.' PETA's tweet on the matter claims it's not a style choice, but that's not necessarily true. Since she knows how to operate a kart, Cow is presumably sapient, so it may simply be a cosmetic nose ring. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Liberate Cow — PETA (@peta) August 14, 2025 As well as the usual Mushroom Kingdom crew, Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 includes a number of generic enemies and side-characters, from a Goomba and Wiggler to a Snowman and Dolphin. More Trending These are unlocked essentially at random, by using the Kameck power-up during a race. It's not too hard to get them all but Cow has been one of the favourites right from the start, in part because she's so unexpected but also because she's cute and a homage to fan favourite course Moo Moo Meadows. There has been long-running speculation that more characters will be added to the game over time, but despite fans getting very suspicious at the fact that Donkey Kong and Pauline only have two costumes – whereas other much more minor characters have more – Nintendo has never confirmed anything. Given Donkey Kong Bananza has been out for a while now it's not clear when or where they might make an annoucement. So for now Cow's position as fan favourite is undisputed. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Battlefield 6 players get free gift if they cause $1 trillion of damage in beta MORE: Wuchang: Fallen Feathers censorship update stops you killing historical figures MORE: Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date leaks but no Switch 2 version at launch
Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Casey Affleck's girlfriend Caylee Cowan calls for stars like Jennifer Lopez to give up fur for PETA
Actress Caylee Cowan has revealed how Jennifer Lopez can take stand against animal fur. The 27-year-old actress is now the face of PETA's latest campaign advocating for vegan leather alternatives (even starring in a new billboard for the cause) - and in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, described how the megastar can advocate for the animal kingdom. 'I actually have met JLo, and she is so, so sweet,' Caylee, who is dating Jennifer's former brother-in-law Casey Affleck, 50, told the Daily Mail, adding the pop star, 56, 'is very thoughtful and kind and generous.' However, Caylee believes that Jennifer, a household name whose wardrobe has come under fire by PETA over the years, can use her voice to influence fashionistas into embracing a fur-free wardrobe. 'If Jen made a change and made a stance and said... "I'm only gonna wear a faux fur. I'm not gonna wear something that's made out of animal skin or animal's fur," then that would really trickle down to everybody,' Caylee said, who noted neither JLo and Ben, 53, are vegans. Bennifer 2.0 officially crumbled earlier this year, after reigniting their romance over a decade after their first go-around. Caylee has previously said she and Casey support one another by completing simple domestic tasks such as household chores - which she credits for the success of their relationship. The couple have been together since 2021, and Caylee acknowledged their appreciation for laid-back tasks was perhaps the reason she and Casey have outlasted the more glamorous Bennifer, who lived in a mega mansion during their marriage. 'I love them both, but, like, you know, I've been in a relationship with Casey while they got back together, married, and divorced...' she told the Daily Mail. 'All within the span of my relationship with Casey. So, you know, I think that having a grounded relationship is so important. Like, that's what it's about.' Casey met Caylee in January 2021 before they went Instagram official in November of that year. Bennifer, meanwhile, became linked again in April 2021. Jennifer and her ex Ben have both faced the wrath of PETA in the past, after the actor purchased his then-girlfriend a chinchilla coat in 2002, according to Vogue . 'You have opened my eyes to a particularly cruel and barbaric treatment of animals,' Ben said in response to PETA's reprimand at the time. 'I can assure you that I do not endorse such treatment and will not do anything in the future that supports it.' And while PETA is known for calling out celebrities who do wear fur, Caylee - who was unaware of the chinchilla controversy prior to this interview - feels it's necessary for the greater good. 'It comes from a good place. They just wanna make change, and I support that. You know? They're really radical. But if they're not radical, then they don't get people to listen. Jennifer has raised the ire of PETA multiple times, from her fur costumes in Hustlers to a feathered Versace cape at the Super Bowl that the designer later said consisted of 'ethically sourced' feathers. She has, however, worn faux fur outfits, and in 2022 a faux fur coat she wore to the iHeart Radio Awards was praised by the organization. In a statement hailing the fashion choice, PETA referenced her relationship with Ben and wished the couple a 'happy fur-free future.' 'Older, wiser … and kinder? In 2002, when Ben bought Jennifer a chinchilla coat, PETA wrote to him, and he said, "Never again." Twenty years later, the couple has reunited, and no animals have been killed for JLo's wardrobe because she's gone faux, for the animals' sake. We wish the couple a happy fur-free future together,' they said. A vegan since she was a teenager, Caylee feels passionately about the welfare of animals - and so does her boyfriend. 'Casey's vegan. He's been vegan since I've known him,' she said. Calling him 'such an animal lover', Caylee says her boyfriend has gone through great lengths to care for four-legged friends in need - even rescuing a three-legged dog he found on the side of a train track. 'He used to have a dog that had three legs that he rescued on the side of a train track,' she explained. 'The dog would yap, the dog would like bark and bite and he just kind of took care of it,' she said. Casey also spent an entire day tending to a somewhat ferocious pooch he found alongside the road. 'Sorry to gush... there was this dog that he found on the side of the road that was like tied up. And it was barking,' she said. 'And it had been left in the sun all day, and I came and Ubered to him.' 'He was there the whole day trying to get an animal service, like, company to come and pick up the dog and try to get him food and was spending his whole day just trying to take care of this dog that was almost gonna bite him. 'But he's like that all the time. He just has a really big heart,' she said. Their passion for animal rights also prompted them to both leave a hotel they had been set up in after discovering it had been decorated with taxidermy. 'I was in Spokane, Washington on a film set. The hotel that we had, me and Casey, we had to move because the hotel had stuffed animal heads, like, all over the place and like furs, real furs on the floor,' she said. 'And there's something energetically that I just I pick up from like a fur that's real, it kinda creeps me out. It actually kinda grosses me out. But I don't know if that's just because like, I'm not sure exactly why that I have that feeling, but it feels like there's an energy to something that I can pick up on.' Casey says balancing their busy lifestyles with their relationship is 'pretty easy.' 'We have a mutual understanding because we're like both actors,' she said. Caylee - whose credits include Frank and Penelope and The Instigators, a 2024 film starring her boyfriend and Matt Damon - will soon be appearing in another film, Hollywood Grit. And she also is putting on a traffic-stopping display in Los Angeles, where she appears on a new billboard promoting PETA's vegan leather campaign. The billboard, located by West Hollywood on Beverly Boulevard in between Harper and North Sweetzer avenues, sees Caylee clad in an opulent red floral gown as she sits beneath a tree adorned with red purses. She holds a juicy red apple in hand with a cow by her side. In a whimsical video done for the campaign, Caylee describes how fruit and plants can be transformed into faux leather. The concept for the video, Caylee believes, was inspired by the 'magic' of turning food into fashion. 'It feels like magical, like a magic trick to make a bag from an apple, but it's not that complicated,' she told Daily Mail. 'If it can be popularized in fashion, then it would make a huge difference on not only the environment, but for cows and farming,' she said. 'It is kind of magical, isn't it?'
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 release date leaks but no Switch 2 version at launch
Details have leaked around the launch of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7, including a release date, price, and the absence of a Switch 2 edition. Following its reveal trailer earlier this year, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set for a full blowout at Gamescom Opening Night Live next Tuesday. However, as is customary for Call Of Duty, a bunch of details around the game's launch have leaked ahead of time. According to reliable leaker billbil-kun, Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 will launch worldwide on November 14, 2025 across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. This date was originally mentioned by Call Of Duty insider GhostOfHope, so is almost certainly accurate. You might have noticed one platform is missing from that line-up: the Nintendo Switch 2. Microsoft has repeatedly promised Call Of Duty is coming to Nintendo's console, after it signed a 10-year deal to do so as part of its Activision Blizzard acquisition, but the company still hasn't made any official announcement of when to expect it – or indeed any other Switch 2 games. According to billbil-kun (via Dealabs), Black Ops 7 will not be available on the Nintendo Switch 2 at launch. However, they note it is 'unclear' whether Activision is planning to bring a port to the console at a later date. Considering Black Ops 7 is coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, a Switch 2 version should be relatively easy – but there's a chance Activision, like many other publishers, weren't given a Switch 2 devkit ahead of the system's launch. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The same report has other details on Black Ops 7's launch. Unlike other Microsoft-published games like The Outer Worlds 2, the upcoming shooter will have a physical release with the disc included across all platforms, at the usual price of £69.99. According to the leaker, pre-orders for Black Ops 7 will go live on Wednesday, August 20, after the game's reveal at Gamescom the night prior. This isn't the only leak around Black Ops 7 over the past week, as details have emerged around the game's campaign mode. However, they relate to the campaign's last mission, so if you don't want to be potentially spoiled, turn away now. *** Warning: spoilers for the ending of Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 *** According to Insider Gaming, the final campaign mission in Black Ops 7 will integrate with the multiplayer mode for the first time ever. It's claimed the long-rumoured 'Avalon' map, which was originally planned for Warzone, will now be used as part of the campaign. It's said that select parts of this Avalon map will be used throughout the campaign, but the final mission will give players access to the full map in a '32-player multiplayer experience'. More Trending According to the site, who cite information from anonymous sources, the final mission 'sounds awfully like an extraction-based shooter'. It mentions that players will need to 'complete objectives and extract', and if you're entire squad is killed, 'you will lose all your character's progress'. This move is apparently driven by the desire to integrate progression across all modes (campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies), so even when you're playing the campaign, you'll be able to level up weapons, characters, and progress in the Battle Pass. If true, this is probably to encourage more multiplayer-centric players to engage with the campaign, which will support four-player co-op in Black Ops 7. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was previously criticised for incorporating Warzone's Verdansk map into the campaign, but it sounds like this will be a somewhat different approach (and with a new map), although we'll have to see when the game launches. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
