Kooky For Tanuki: 25+ Adorable Pics Of The Japanese Raccoon-Dog That Influenced The Super Mario Brothers

Okay everyone, meet the Tanuki! It's a breed of wild dog that lives in Japan and closely resembles a raccoon. Fun fact - it's the only species of dog that hibernates in the winter! Although this pupper may look like our favorite trash pandas, they do have a few differences. The main differences are that raccoons have large, bushy tails, and tanuki have short, stubby tails. Also, the paws of a tanuki are more dog-like, whereas raccoons have tiny little hands!

We might have just found our new favorite animal, and we think we're not alone! This unique animal is so cute that it actually influenced Nintendo, where they added a special power-up in Super Mario Brothers 3 to Mario, allowing him to obtain a magical leaf that turned him into a Tanuki-Mario, dressed in an absurdly cute Tanuki costume, complete with ears. Scroll down to see these adorable doggos below, you won't regret it!

Subscribe to the ICanHasNewsletter for a daily dose of cat purrfection!

Author image for Blake Seidel Blake Seidel
Advertisement

Check out our Instagram for more hilarious animal content!

Love our stuff? Shop for some of our pawsome merch here.

Tags

aww dogs adorable tanuki japanese cute animals cute Japan raccoons Super Mario bros mario nintendo animals
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From Animal Comedy

Doggie Dump of Dopamine To Ride Until The End Of The Work Week (July 11, 2023)

Doggie Dump of Dopamine To Ride Until The End Of The Work Week (July 11, 2023)

Trending Now

20 Itty Bitty Cute Baby Animals To Bring A Smile To Your Face (June 8, 2025)

20 Itty Bitty Cute Baby Animals To Bring A Smile To Your Face (June 8, 2025)

01
22 Howlarious Dog Memes for Pawrents-to-Be and Dog-Lovers In Need of a Cuddly Canine Companion (June 7, 2025)

22 Howlarious Dog Memes for Pawrents-to-Be and Dog-Lovers In Need of a Cuddly Canine Companion (June 7, 2025)

02
27 Sweet Animal Memes Made With Maximum Per Pixel Cuteness

27 Sweet Animal Memes Made With Maximum Per Pixel Cuteness

03
27 Silly Animal Memes and Snaps to Help Start Your Day off with a Splendid Smile (June 4, 2025)

27 Silly Animal Memes and Snaps to Help Start Your Day off with a Splendid Smile (June 4, 2025)

04
27 Heartwarming Hound Memes for Dog-Loving Souls Who Go Out of Their Way to Pet Puppies

27 Heartwarming Hound Memes for Dog-Loving Souls Who Go Out of Their Way to Pet Puppies

05
Entitled guest crashes small intimate wedding with their two yappy dogs, despite being explicitly told that dogs were forbidden: 'You can imagine my surprise...'

Entitled guest crashes small intimate wedding with their two yappy dogs, despite being explicitly told that dogs were forbidden: 'You can imagine my surprise...'

06
Advertisement