I’m sorry to everyone who was in earshot of me when the Mario Kart World trailer dropped at yesterday’s Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Because when I saw this, I screamed:
YOU CAN PLAY AS THE FREAKING COW?!?!!!!! MARIO KART WORLD?!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/6uIZ4A0MVF
— ☆オードリーAudrey☆ (@aitaikimochi) April 2, 2025
Yes, if you somehow haven’t heard/didn’t notice, Mario Kart World has gone absolutely nuts on what characters are allowed to drive motor vehicles this time around. While Super Smash Bros. has taken the path of adding characters from every Nintendo-adjacent franchise imaginable to its roster, Mario Kart has gone the other way by digging deep into Mario lore and adding every single goofy little guy you’ve ever seen to the line-up of kart racers. Right down to one of the cows populating Moo Moo Meadows in Mario Kart 8.
THEY REALLY ARE ADDING ANYBODY LMAO https://t.co/UcvrIXxg57 pic.twitter.com/JJdofUopVe
— No Context Super Mario (@SuperMarioOOC85) April 2, 2025
The Moo Moo, or just Cow as they’re referred to in the official roster, is getting special attention online from the community. Already, people are drawing up fanart to celebrate this cute, goofy, seemingly random edition to a line-up that, up til now, has largely included the Mario series’ most famous and beloved characters.
They’re also, predictably, making all sorts of of memes:
Mario Kart players seeing that Cow racing pic.twitter.com/7eAN22LWPd
— SwagKirb (@Swag_K1RBY) April 2, 2025
wanted to let everyone know that this was my first thought upon seeing the moo moo meadows cow in mario kart pic.twitter.com/CCWZA0nqfL
— ticky fraggle ! (@tickyworm) April 2, 2025
The helpful lakitu when the moo moo meadow cow falls off the track in mario kart world pic.twitter.com/7gBgLg5P1u
— Regice (@reg1ce) April 2, 2025
The addition of Cow has also led to some… interesting speculation. For instance, in one shot in the trailer, Mario consumes a burger. Will Cow also consume a burger at some point in the game? What does this mean, philosophically, for Cow?
What’s more, does this mean we’ll get to see Cow wearing a variety of costumes like the other characters? Can we race as Cow in Moo Moo Meadows? How do all the other cows feel about this? How did a Cow get a driver’s license anyway?
We just went hands-on with Mario Kart World at a special Nintendo event, and yes, we did play as Cow. Cow was one of our favorite playable characters, and we’re excited to find out more about some of the other unlockable weird little guys we’ve seen on the courses, and potential funky costumes we might eventually see Cow donning. Hopefully Cow doesn’t have to eat a burger first.
We’ve got everything you need to know about Mario Kart World and the Nintendo Switch 2 here at IGN, from tons of new details about both, to why the hardware and games are so dang expensive.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
