PETA hits Super Mario for wearing raccoon dog fur

He may be a hero in "Donkey Kong" and many other Nintendo games, but Mario the plumber is a villain in the eyes of at least one animal rights group.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) scored "Super Mario 3D Land" for the Nintendo 3DS, after it depicted the hero wearing fur from a Tanooki.

"Tanooki may be just a 'suit' in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki (the fur of a raccoon dog), Mario is sending the message that it's OK to wear fur," PETA said in its website, "Mario Kills Tanooki".

PETA also drew up a game on its site, where Mario is the villain and the player is a tanooki out to get its fur back.

PETA said that the Flash-based game "Super Tanooki Skin 2D" should "help Tanooki reclaim his fur!"

But a separate article on CNET noted PETA may just be exploiting a kids' game to propagate its agenda.

"Splattering animated blood on their site and flashing 'Mario Kills Tanooki' is a bit harsh, even for a organization that has links to known arsonists and the ALF, a group declared by the Department of Homeland Security to be a 'terrorist threat,'" it said.