Mario Kart World’s Popular Cow Added Because of 'Silly Sketch'

As Mario Kart World nears its release date, fans are looking forward to the new tracks and driving around the open world, but they’re also looking forward to driving as the Moo Moo Meadows cow. The cow has been a popular topic ever since the first trailer for the game was released. However, according to an interview, the cow ended up in the game almost by accident.

The Mario Kart World Cow

When the cow appeared in the first Mario Kart World trailer, fans got super excited about the cow. According to an interview with the development team, the cow came about because of a sketch of one of the Moo Moo Meadows cows driving a truck. Art director Masaaki Ishikawa said that the team was wondering where they could go for new racers since so many were added to Mario Kart 8. “And then one of the designers came up with that silly sketch of Cow cruising along, and I thought to myself, ‘This is it!’ So that’s when we realized the course surroundings actually contained a lot of untapped resources.”

“NPC Drivers”

The cow inspired the developers to look at background characters used as enemies and obstacles and make them into racers. They called these new racers “NPC Drivers.” It’s an interesting idea; however, one problem is that many people don’t know who these background characters are. Many players would probably prefer less concentration on the “NPC Drivers” and more focus on adding characters they know. Still, the cow has proven to be a hit, so maybe the other “NPC Drivers” will be too.

Conclusion

The moral of the story is to never ignore ideas that seem random and silly. A “silly sketch” might contain the next great idea. Even though some of the additions to the Mario Kart World roster are questionable, it can’t be denied that people love the cow. When players grab their Nintendo Switch 2 and their copy of Mario Kart World on June 5, many of them might select the cow for their first race. Without a doubt, the cow is helping this game to form its own identity in the beloved franchise.