Surely that's the message Mario is sending. I mean, it couldn't possibly be anything else, right?
PETA is really the worst. They take away all credibility from the animal rights platform by simply existing.
UPDATE: PETA vs. Tanooki Suit, PETA says "Mario fans: Relax!"
PETA's new campaign targets Mario's iconic power-up but says it was a "Tongue-in-Cheek" joke.
PETA is saying no to Tanooki suits. Their new campaign is called Mario Kills Tanooki and they claim that Mario is promoting the wearing of fur in real life, not just in the game, by using his Tanooki suit. To further this theory, a flash game called Super Tanooki Skin 2D, in which you play as a skinless raccoon, was created and is playable on the PETA site.
The site reads: "When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use any means necessary to defeat his enemy - even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers. Tanooki may be just a "suit" in Mario games, but in real life, tanooki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur. Play Super Tanooki Skin 2D and help Tanooki reclaim his fur!"
[UPDATE] PETA's media coordinator Shakira Croce has now released this statement: "Mario fans: Relax! PETA's game was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, a fun way to call attention to a serious issue, that raccoon dogs are skinned alive for their fur. We wish real-life tanukis could fly or swat enemies away with their tails and escape from those who profit from their skins. You can help them by never buying real fur."
"No one really believes that Mario actually kills and skins a raccoon dog for his fur in Super Mario 3D Land," PETA spokesperson Ashley Palmer told Kotaku. "Our spoof is simply making a serious point: that there is a much darker story behind tanuki skins than Mario lets on. In games like Call of Duty, where characters shoot and kill animals, or in Dog Wars, where players have fun fighting and torturing dogs, it sends a dangerous message that this kind of behavior is acceptable. We know how beloved Mario is-we are huge Mario fans ourselves! We were a little surprised that the game was taken so literally by some, but we're thrilled that we're able to bring so much attention to raccoon dogs whose suffering is very real."
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