Veganism seems to have infiltrated every aspect of society. Vegan foods, vegan shampoos, vegan makeup…and now vegan Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
If turtles going vegan sounds wild, that’s because it is. A new TMNT series is starting on Nickelodeon soon, but the PETA people had a few choice words for the show’s creators. PETA recently launched a campaign advocating for the crime-fighting reptiles to go vegan. Looks like no more pizza for Michelangelo.
Here is the full statement PETA released regarding the diet of the fictional characters:
“Dear Ms. Zarghami,
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide – a bunch of them dyed-in-the-half-shell fans of Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Donnie – to say, “Bodacious!”
That was the reaction around here when word got out about Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What really got PETA buzzing though was the “different direction” that you spelled out for the new series. More laughs? Mystic ninja powers? Gnarly!
But every fan worth his or her nunchucks knows that wherever the show leads the Turtles, they’ll be fueling up with pizza. It’s practically their raison d’être, right? That’s another reason why I’m getting in touch: to ask that their pies and slices be vegan, because compassionate eating is the direction the TMNT fans, their siblings, and their parents are taking.
Check this out: Generation Z scarfs down 57% more tofu and chugs 550% more nondairy milk than Millennials do. Meanwhile, 70% of US college campuses offer daily vegan options – that’s an awesome 42% jump from just four years ago – and one in five even have an all-vegan dining station. 26% of all consumers say that they’ve cut back on eating meat in the last 12 months, and 58% of adults drink nondairy milk.
What’s that mean for reptilian – and human – pizza connoisseurs? More than 40 restaurant chains across the country including Two Boots, &pizza, and Pizza Studio in the Turtles’ NYC stomping grounds, have taken note and added vegan cheese to their menus, and many of them now offer cruelty-free toppings like mock meats, seasoned tempeh, and tofu.
Putting vegan pizza on the Fab Four’s plates is sure to inspire fans to try it themselves, and that would be great news for cows. The dairy industry isn’t kind to these gentle, intelligent beings – they often spend their lives standing on concrete floors, separated from their babies, and tethered to machines until their milk production wanes. Their misery ends at the slaughterhouse.
I’ve got to believe that the Turtles would be willing to help save other animals’ lives.
Thanks for your time and for considering this important issue. I’m looking forward to discussing it with you.
Sincerely,
Lauren Thomasson
PETA
There you have it. Ms. Thomasson and those at PETA absolutely have a valid point. But there are already significant changes being made to the show, namely that Leonardo is now a partier, and Raphael has become the leader of the group! Adding in another entirely new aspect – like the tortoises suddenly being vegan – would be too much for die-hard and young fans alike to handle.
Sadly, PETA is also a little too late to change anything…at least for this season. The 26 episode series is set to air in the fall, which means production is most likely finished. Perhaps the organization will get their way next season, or they could always turn to a different show to “fix”.
Check out this controversial PETA commercial that has meat eaters saying “WTF?”.
