When the Olsen twins—the "Trollsens," as PETA calls them—trotted out a fur backpack, there wasn't a chance that Running Russell Simmons star and animal advocate extraordinaire Simone Reyes was going to let it pass without a comment. She blasted the Trollsens on her blog, saying that they are "unfortunately using their vanity and the pursuit of making a blessed buck at the expense of innocent sentient beings." Russell Simmons jumped in to help, tweeting Simone's blog.

The Trollsens could take a cue from Banana Republic, which is launching a line inspired by the costumes in the upcoming film Anna Karenina that will be designed with elegant velvet, lace, and faux fur.

You won't catch Constance Marie wearing animals or gawking at them in the rodeo ring. She tweeted, "Please boycott rodeos! #Video shows #Reno rodeo horses being shocked to perform: bit.ly/LLoUot #CrueltyIsNotEntertainment."

Horror movie king Eli Roth knows that what's really horrific is when animals are abused for entertainment. He tweeted in defense of elephants: "Elephants need you! Urge the Atlanta City Council to pass a total bullhook ban! bit.ly/LFIivF #NeverBeSilent."

Photo: Robert Sebree  Grooming: Cheri Keating/The Wall Group  Animatronic Snake: Greg Nicotero/ KNB EFX Group

Vegan pitcher Pat Neshek knows that people provide the best entertainment: The talented Norfolk Tides player just snagged Pitcher of the Week honors.

To keep up with what the stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter. 

latimes / CC

The latest spread in Us magazine features our favorite fur-toting trolls as they exemplify the ugly side of fashion. The haggard crones just can't seem to get enough of killing animals for their fur, whether they're wearing it, designing with it, or paying someone to rip it off the backs of animals.

When PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews was asked about a photo of Hairy-Kate dressed in a hideous fur vest, he said, "Fur adds 20 years and 20 pounds. Maybe Mary-Kate thinks this sad vest made of a dozen dead animals will make her look matronly and deflect the gossip about bulimia."

Think you've got a snappier remark? You know we want to hear it, so comment below!

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Stumped about what to wear for Halloween? Forget trying to hustle up some horror out of a hockey mask, and for the love of all that is unholy, please leave that tired old Scream costume in the attic where it belongs. If you really, really want to scare the hell out of people this year—go as one of the Trollsen Twins!

Pelt-wearing party girls who don't give a crap that animals are gassed, electrocuted anally and vaginally, and skinned alive for their fur, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are a truly gruesome twosome. So, with Halloween creeping around the corner and our Trollsen Twins campaign in full swing, we thought, "Why not make Hairy-Kate and Trashley masks?" Then we thought some more and said, "Hmmm, why not give 10 of these terrifying things away?" Which is where you come into the picture: Just send us a comment telling us about your best Halloween costume by October 12, 2008, and you could be one of the lucky stiffs to walk away with either a Hairy-Kate or Trashley mask.

We'll contact the winners by October 13. Heads up, though: We can only send masks to people in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. … but that doesn't stop us from spreading the "troll-y" love—you can print your own mask here.

Be sure to read the contest terms and conditions and PETA's privacy policy before you comment. By commenting, you're acknowledging you agree to them both.

Written by Amy Elizabeth

When my friend Marta sent me an email last week asking me if she could have some of my hair, I didn’t even blink. Marta is one weird chick, and I’ve come to expect stuff like that from her.* But it turns out she actually had a logical (albeit somewhat disturbing) reason for the request: Those convention-flaunting pranksters over at peta2 have arranged for a very, very special birthday gift for our old arch nemeses the Olsen Twins.

And this isn’t one of those token gifts that just adds to the clutter—it’s something they can really use! Thanks to my colleagues at peta2, and the hundreds of peta2 Street Teamers who are chipping in to donate their hair, the Olsens will have enough genuine, certified “people fur” on their birthday to make their own fur coats for the rest of the year! And they won’t have to harm a single animal in the process.

If you want to get involved, you can check out our Trollsen Twins site for more information. And while you’re at it, take some time to watch Full House of Horrors again. Just because.

PopCrunch has the story.

*That’s what you get for refusing to take a tea break with me this morning, Marta.

The Trollsen Twins Campaign I was talking about earlier today was debuted in LA this afternoon with a demonstration unveiling peta2's "Fur Is for Beautiful Animals and Ugly People" ad, starring none other than the Olsens themselves. Here are some pics:

After years of trying to persuade Mary Kate and Ashley to stop flouncing around in dead animals, those impish provocateurs over at peta2 have launched a full-fledged campaign to shame the twins into ditching the fur coats and giving up their thoughtless (and persistent) promotion of the fur industry. As damaging as this campaign may be to the Olsens’ reputation, it wasn’t without its share of blood, sweat, and tears for us—as your self-sacrificing PETA blogger had to watch about 40 cumulative hours of Full House to pull this video together (I still wake up in the middle of the night humming that profoundly disturbing theme song). If you have a few minutes to spare, you should definitely check out the brand-new Trollsen Twins site,* which also features a dress-up game and an online store, then write to the Olsens here to tell them to just stop it already. But first check out Full House of Horrors. It might just change your life.

*This site didn’t just make itself—a huge thank you is due to Karen Nilsen (who designed the whole thing), Elizabeth O’Mara (who pulled it all together), and Jamie Linder (who, in the course of filming and editing the video, had to see me naked—for which I apologize from the very bottom of my heart).

With all this happy talk about Pam and Ingrid's birthday, I totally forgot to mention the fact that today is the very day, 21 years ago, that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were spawned. I figured that this would be an appropriate place for a tribute, so here goes:

Mary Kate and Ashley began their careers playing the nauseating baby on Full House and went on to be nauseating in their own right as the no-talent fur hags who are always ready to be the butt of a joke when the gossip press is looking for a punchline. In 2006, Ashley reached the pinnacle of her career by being singled out on PETA's annual Worst Dressed List with the comment: "Wearing fur does add 20 pounds, but if Ashley wants to fill out her frame, we suggest using a fork instead." Inspired by Ashley's achievement and, as usual, completely failing to grasp the point, the twins are condemning a new generation of animals to death this year for their aptly titled fashion label, The Row. Now that the terrible twins have finally reached the legal drinking age, the world is waiting with bated breath to see what they'll do next. Happy Birthday, the Olsen Twins. You guys really freak me out.

The dreaded Olsen Twins have been spotted again, hiding their evil, flinty little eyes behind dark glasses and draping their malformed bodies in the skins of tortured animals. No need to hide your children and bar the windows just yet, though, as our dashing hero, PETA VP Dan Mathews, has come to the rescue with a trademark snarky comment:

If you do happen to come across Ashley or Mary Kate in a dark alley somewhere, it's important not to panic. But do be sure to call animal control immediately if it looks like any of those minks are still alive. And if you happen to run into Dan Mathews, try not to be sassy with him. It never goes well.

TMZ has the full story.