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The Cow, also referred to as Moo Moo, is a character in the Mario Kart series, a sub-series of the Mario franchise. It resembles a real-world cow, and typically walks on all four legs. It originally appeared in the 1996 game Mario Kart 64 as a non-playable character on the track Moo Moo Farm, and later on the track Moo Moo Meadows in the 2008 game Mario Kart Wii. Outside of the Mario Kart series, it also appears in the Mario Party series and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. A generic Cow is a playable character in the 2025 game Mario Kart World, with its inclusion inspiring the addition of other previous Mario series non-playable characters as racers.
Cow first appeared in the 1996 video game Mario Kart 64 as a non-playable character in the background outside the perimeter of the track Moo Moo Farm. It later appeared on the track Moo Moo Meadows in the 2008 video game Mario Kart Wii, where they could walk onto the track and become an obstacle to players.[1] Both levels are featured in later Mario Kart games. In Mario Kart Tour, a Mii costume themed after the Cow can be found. Cows can also be seen in other levels, such as Toad's Turnpike.[2] In the 2025 video game Mario Kart World, the Cow appears in the level Moo Moo Meadows as an obstacle, but can also be unlocked as a playable character.[3] The game also features multiple events with non-playable Cows, including a mission involving driving while dodging Cows[4] and Cows being abducted.[5] Unlike many characters in the game who receive unlockable alternate costumes, the Cow has none.[6] Outside of the Mario Kart series, the Cow can be seen in the Mario Party series, Mario Pinball Land,[7] and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.[8] It was also included in a Mario-themed collection of skins in the game Minecraft, replacing its cows.[9]
Concept and creation
A sketch was passed around during early stages of Mario Kart World's development that led to the concept of non-playable characters drivers, including the Cow.
The Cow is a female character[11] which resembles a real cow, featuring black-and-white fur, a tan face, hooves, horns, an udder, and a nose ring, typically walking on all four legs.[citation needed] While working on a ranch area in Mario Kart World, a designer sketched an image of the Cow driving a truck. The sketch came up while the team was considering who could be added to the game, leading to its inclusion. The character designer created a prototype, which they felt did not feel out of place as a racer[10] and considered it cute.[5] This prompted them to consider adding other obstacle characters as playable characters, which they dubbed "non-playable character drivers" (NPC drivers). The team aspired to ensure that NPC drivers like the Cow were voiced in such a way that did not make them feel inferior to characters like Mario, causing the voice cast to go through trial and error to accomplish this. The Cow was called a pivotal Mario Kart character by Mario Kart World art director Masaaki Ishikawa due to it influencing this direction.[10][12]
Reception
Since its appearance in the Mario Kart series, the Cow has been described by critics as one of the best cows to appear in video games;[13] writing for Nintendo Life, Kate Grey commented on its designs in throughout different Mario Kart instalments, praising its round and unintelligent appearance in 64 and 8, describing it's stupidity and blank expression made it look " much too dumb to live". Grey further described its Wii design as "an incredible update on a timeless cow classic," though felt that their role as a road hazard was more spiteful.[14]Famitsu writer Abu Yamazaki wrote positively about how the cow's appearance was energetic and cute, exclaiming that they "can't get enough of [its] exquisite expression".[15] Commenting on the Cow's inclusion in World, Alexandra Wells from Screen Rant praised the Cow's inclusion as Nintendo's way of "keeping its games the perfect amount of weird;" Wells further compared the inclusion to how characters such as Tingle and Piranha Plant became fan-favourites following their inclusion in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate respectively, speculating that this was due to fans wanting to choose someone other than the classic characters in the roster.[16]
Following the announcement of Mario Kart World and the introduction of the Cow as a playable character, it quickly grew in popularity on social media such as Instragram and TikTok; some the more popular posts depict gameplay of the Cow over songs such as "Mooo!" by Doja Cat, which had reached 1.9 million views on Instagram Reels. The New York Times writer Rylee Kirk noted that one of the reasons the Cow became so popular was because of its status elevation from background element to playable driver. When interviewing a fan for reasons for her popularity, they responded how the Cow exemplified Nintendo's approach to making games about "keeping joy in the game," describing the Cow being playable as a victory.[17]Comicbook.com's Marc Deschamps noting how Mario Kart fans treated the Cow as a mascot for the game.[18] The Cow's home track, Moo Moo Meadows, had previously become the subject of a trend on Twitter in early 2024, with users editing the track's thumbnail with the Cow into alternate versions of itself; such as giving the Cow in the thumbnail a mask referencing Mad Max.[19] Its appearance in World prompted many fans to create fan art of the character, including from Japanese clay artist Nendozaika SNAIL and Chiikawa writer and illustrator Nagano, who both used their art of the Cow to express their struggle with finding a Nintendo Switch 2.[20][21]World's development team was worried about whether players would be okay with the Cow being a playable character, and expressed happiness that it proved so popular.[5]
Shortly after World's release, GamesRadar+ and Polygon reported that online lobbies were dominated by players choosing to play as the Cow, with fans online joking she had monopolized the game. Both publications speculated part of the reason for the overwhelming amount of Cow players was due to players having immediate access to her without needing to do anything to unlock her.[22][23] Carlos Zotomayor from Automaton West added that part her goofy design also attributed to her increased usage, connecting it to how the character Spike also saw a rise in usage a few weeks after launch.[24]
Some criticism was laid against the character in relation to World's "Dash Food" item. Publications such as Comicbook.com and Siliconera criticising the absence of any costumes for NPC drivers such as the Cow to unlock when the player finds Dash Food, with both suggesting costumes such as a biker outfit or straw farmer hat as ideas for future DLC.[18][25] Other critics voiced concern at the notion that the Cow could eat hamburgers or steak from the "Dash Food" item.[26] Both GamesRadar+ and VG247 believed the Cow to be a cannibal,[27] with Kelsey Raynor from VG247 disturbed by the idea that the Cows on Moo Moo Meadows were being processed into food and pondered whether the playable Cow participated in cannibalism.[28] Alternatively, Shacknews's Asif Khan aired caution by suggesting that the burgers were instead plant-based. When asked by IGN during an interview whether the burgers were beef or veggie, producer Kosuke Yabuki responded by teasing "Sorry, that's top secret, I can't say."[29]
In August 2025, Joel Bartlett, SVP of Marketing Engagement of animal rights organization PETA, wrote a letter on behalf of the organization addressed to Nintendo's president Shuntaro Furukawa urging the Cow to be redesigned to remove her nose ring.[30][31] In the letter, Bartlett alluded the design aspect to real-world cruelty of cows and bulls, noting examples on how the meat and dairy industry use the rings to control and exploit animals through pain and in some cases to their death,[32] concluding the letter with “Every animal is someone. So leave the rings to Sonic and let Cow breathe free!”[31][33] Commentators on social media opposed the letter, with some mocking the letter whilst others argued that due to the character being fictional, she could have gotten the ring through non-violent means.[30][31] In response to the online backlash, the organization's X account made post stating “video games can shape how people see animals, so showing them respect matters both online and in real life.”[34]
References
↑ "『マリオカート ワールド』に参戦決定したウシって何者！？過去シリーズの登場を振り返る"[Who is this cow that's joining Mario Kart World? Looking back at its appearances in previous series]. Nintendo Dream Web. April 9, 2025. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
↑ Kikai (July 4, 2025). "ウシ愛に溢れた「モーモーカントリー」の細部に注目！【『マリオカート ワールド』フリーランの小ネタ】30"[Pay attention to the details of "Moo Moo Country" filled with love for cows! ["Mario Kart World" Free Run Tips] 30]. Nintendo Dream Web (in Japanese). Retrieved August 5, 2025.
↑ Yamazaki, Abu (June 5, 2025). "『マリオカート ワールド』ウシがかわいすぎてモーたまらん。"モーモーカントリー"のこだわりをパシャリ、グランプリで1位ゴールするとドヤ顔に"[The cows in "Mario Kart World" are so cute I can't stand it. A photo of the details of "Moo Moo Country" and a smug look on his face after finishing first in the Grand Prix.]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2025.
↑ Yamazaki, Abu (June 5, 2025). "『マリオカート ワールド』ウシがかわいすぎてモーたまらん。"モーモーカントリー"のこだわりをパシャリ、グランプリで1位ゴールするとドヤ顔に"[The cows in "Mario Kart World" are so cute I can't stand it. A photo of the details of "Moo Moo Country" and a smug look on his face after finishing first in the Grand Prix.]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved September 13, 2025.
↑ "お尻の汚れまで再現！ 『マリオカート ワールド』ウシの躍動感あふれる走行シーンに10万人が驚き"[Even the dirt on the buttocks is recreated! 100,000 people are amazed by the dynamic cow driving scene in "Mario Kart World"]. Magmix (in Japanese). June 23, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
↑ Kazuki, Kato (May 14, 2025). "『ちいかわ』作者・ナガノ、Switch2手に入らず！ 泣いているナガノに一瞥もくれず去っていくマリカー・牛が非情"[Nagano, the creator of "Chiikawa," can't get a Switch 2! Mario Kart's cow walks away without even glancing at Nagano, who is crying.]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 20, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.Kazuki, Kato (June 12, 2025). "『ちいかわ』ナガノ、ついにスイッチ2入手か！ マリカーの人気キャラも祝福！？"[Will Nagano from "Chiikawa" finally get a Switch 2? Popular Mario Kart characters also congratulate him!?]. Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
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