What If Whack-A-Mole Were Invented Today?

Do you think the guy who invented "Whack-A-Mole" would have ever gotten anywhere today? I can just imagine PETA jumping all over it. It would be an interesting pitch:

"I've got this great idea for a game...you get about a dozen people standing in front of boards where these cute little plastic moles will pop up randomly."

"Then the people, armed with mallets, recklessly pound the living crap out of the moles and the one who gets the most of them wins!"

"I think it would be great for children's carnivals."