It’s been almost a week since we got our first look at the long-awaited next entry in the Mario Kart franchise, Mario Kart World. The game is expected to launch with at least a whopping 60 playable characters, including all the classics like Mario, Luigi, and Toad. But also introduces some unorthodox characters who, until now, have lived in the background of the Mario Kart universe.
Take, for example, a character officially known as “Cow.” They are — you guessed it — a cow, known by Mario Kart fans for blocking traffic on the course Moo Moo Meadows in previous games. In Mario Kart World, Cow gets to step behind the wheel for the first time — and according to some fans, that means the game is getting some extra trans representation.
That’s right: Cow could be trans. As a viral post pointed out, the bovine icon has udders, which only female cattle have, as well as horns.
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Some folks in the comment pointed out that while udders, yes, are exclusive to female cows, horns can actually develop no matter the cattle’s gender. That point, however, does nothing to refute the most obvious trans evidence of all: Cow’s septum piercing.
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Disappointing
The update comes two months before Pride Month, proving the franchise’s year-round commitment to queer representation.
Beyond Mx. Moo Moo Meadows, we know the game features at least one confirmed trans character: Birdo (or maybe Birdetta?), the pink bow-wearing dinosaur. She first appeared in Super Mario Bros. 2 back in 1987, which described her in the instruction manual as “[thinking] he is a girl” and would “rather be called ‘Birdetta.’” Gamers have long considered her to be one of the first transgender characters in video gaming, and she’s a welcome addition to the Mario Kart World roster.
Beyond Birdetta, the game features several of the franchise’s main divas as playable characters, including Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Pauline, and Toadette, several of whom the fandom headcanons as trans. One viral post, which referred those five icons as well as Birdetta, praised “the 4:2 doll to c*s ratio,” adding, “i know that’s right.”
Which three, besides Birdetta, are the dolls? That’s for us to discover when Mario Kart World launches on June 5, exclusively on the new Nintendo Switch 2. Check out the game’s trailer below.
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