Iceberg

''This page is about the most circulated version of the iceberg. There should be no additions that are not on the iceberg, or are from future icebergs. We do not regard those as canon.'' The Super Mario 64 iceberg is an image that circulated along the internet and associates with the Super Mario 64 conspiracy rabbit hole. The iceberg is split into layers that delve deeper and deeper into Super Mario 64's anomalies, easter eggs and past. The surface level topics are a lot more common and well-known, while the ones deeper down are less known and much more estranged.

Backwards Long Jump

 * Main


 * Main article: Princess Peach's Castle/Second Floor

The Mirror Room has been the subject to speculation and anomalous activity for quite a while. One of the most common points of contention was what's behind the mirror, and the door on the other side. This was answered in Super Mario 64 DS when playing as Luigi and using the Power Flower, where the door leads to an entirely blank white room with one of the Castle's Secret Stars.

"Please walk quietly in the hallway!"
On the second floor of the castle, a billboard can be found nearby the stairs that lead up to the third floor. It reads "Shhh! Please walk quietly in the hallway!". The sign has raised many suspicions as to what it is referring to, as the player isn't needed to be quiet within this floor and it isn't even a hallway. It could be that this sign was originally intended for another area, but was left in this area by accident.

Secret Aquarium

 * Main article: Secret Aquarium

The Secret Aquarium is one of the Castle's many secret stars, found within a small alcove in the Jolly Roger Bay room. It's placement on the iceberg is questionable, since it is a well-known secret level and is mandatory in getting all 120 stars. However, there have been some anomalies relating to the aquarium, such as the darker Aquarium Limbo. Furthermore, the aquarium is a flooded large box, seemingly in the middle of the sky.

The Big Dud

 * Main article: Big Bob-omb

"Big dud" is what the Pink Bob-ombs of Bob-omb Battlefield refer to King Bob-omb after his defeat in the first star. Coincidentally, a third rolling ball is added to the pit at the bottom of the mountain, which shares the same texture to the Bob-ombs that litter the stage. This has led some to believe that King Bob-omb has become a "dud" and has been relegated to a rolling ball at the bottom of the mountain.

Volcano Blocks

 * Main article: Lethal Lava Land

Volcano blocks refer to a bizarre formation of blocks at the end of the volcano in Lethal Lava Land. The placement of these blocks are out of place amongst the brimstone of the volcano, and are speculated to be the remains of a lost civilization of sorts, however are most likely just for decoration.

Unagi's Tunnel

 * Main article: Jolly Roger Bay

Yellow Cap Switch

 * Main article: Yellow Cap Switch

Yoshi's Saddle

 * Main article: Yoshi

Yoshi, who appears atop the castle after collecting all 120 stars, has a different saddle design in Super Mario 64. Notably, the white rim that should be around his saddle is missing. The modelling of Yoshi's saddle implies that the white rim was supposed to be there, but was erroneously colored red.

Bob-omb Village

 * Main article: Bob-omb Village

Bowser Broke the Door
The door into the Castle Courtyard is bricked up, as if it was broken through and quickly patched up. This has led some people to assume that Bowser broke into the castle through the back door.

Cold Cold Crevasse

 * Main article: Cold Cold Crevasse

Cold, Cold Crevasse is an area off-handedly mentioned within Cool, Cool Mountain on a sign nearby the spawn area of the course. It does not appear to match up to anywhere near where the sign is, leading many to believe that it is the remnant of a scrapped sub-area for Cool, Cool Mountain.

Debug Menu Names
Some levels within the game's debug level select have different names from their localized or Japanese counterparts. The most notable changes are as follows:


 * Big Boo's Haunt is called TERESA OBAKE, translated as "Boo Apparition".
 * Hazy Maze Cave is known as HORROR DUNGEON.
 * Wet-Dry World is known as POOL KAI, translated as "Pool Stage".
 * Jolly Roger Bay is known as WTDG % TINBOUTU, which appears to be shortened from "Water Dungeon & Submersion".
 * Tiny-Huge Island is known as BIG WORLD.
 * Tick Tock Clock is known as CLOCK TOWER.

Haunted Dirt Texture
There is supposedly a dirt texture with a face.

How Bowser got into the Castle with his Sub

 * ''Main article: Dire Dire Docks""

Mario enters Wet-Dry World early in the Got Milk Commercial
An untrue statement that Mario has entered Wet-Dry World early in the Got Milk commercial staring Super Mario 64. In the commercial, Mario has 37 stars which is more than the required amount to get into the second floor (31 stars).

Original Resolution Textures
The textures used in Super Mario 64 are downsized to 32x32 (sometimes 32x64 or 64x32) to save on file size, although many of these textures can be sourced back to pre-existing images or textures.

Removed Courses

 * See: Unused Levels or Removed Areas

In the game's debug level select, there are seven slots that are empty and don't relate to any levels within the final game. Unused Level 32 is the only level in the final release to have any code relating to it, and it has to do with cap switches and fishes. Some of these levels were recovered in the July 25th 2020 leak, where some are test levels and others seem to be proper levels that were seen in early pre-release footage. In addition, many level concepts did not make it into the final game and can be found in pre-release interviews about the game or concept art.

THE END Screen
The screen that appears at the end of the credits has unsettled many for it's odd perspective and empty atmosphere. Behind the cake, some weird shapes can be seen. Many have assumed it is Yoshi.

True Locations of the Painting Worlds
The worlds within the paintings are not tied to the painting, and exist as seperate worlds. This can be seen with Whomp's Fortress, which reappears in Super Mario Galaxy 2 as Throwback Galaxy. Excluding Rainbow Ride's appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series, this is the only time a course from Super Mario 64 has been revisited in another Mario game. It also implies that the painting worlds are situated in completely separate galaxies to the one where Mario's planet is.

Additionally, the pool of water outside of Princess Peach's Castle can be accessed through a tunnel within Dire, Dire Docks. While not painting worlds, Cavern of the Metal Cap is known to be behind the waterfall near Princess Peach's Castle and Wing Mario Over the Rainbow is situated far above the castle's moat as that's where Mario spawns when falling off the stage.

Wet-Dry World Skybox
The Wet-Dry World skybox is different to any other skybox used in the game. It resembles a flooded city. This is part of the Wet-Dry World theory.

Zelda 64 Beta Assets in Wet-Dry World
Early screenshots of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, known as Zelda 64 at the time, feature a town-like setting that bares a striking resemblance to Wet-Dry World. This is most evident with the door textures used, which are the exact same between the two games. The only noticeable changes are that the sky is visible in this build. This theory is essentially confirmed with the July 25th 2020 iQue leak, revealing that the level is internally known as "11ZLDCITY.bin".

These two games sharing assets is expected and not unheard of, as the two were developed at the same time. For instance, the plaque that can be seen on the Eternal Star Statue is reused in Ocarina of Time.

"Ally with Info"

 * Main article: Toad

Only in Super Mario 64 DS, a Toad can be found on the second floor who refers to an "ally with info" within the mirror room. This supposed ally with info does not appear to be referring to Wario, as Toad will still talk about them when talking to Wario. It is not an error either, as Toads have different sets of dialogue depending on which of the four characters is being played. The Toad will mention this ally with info to all four characters, even Wario.

Brain Diagram

 * Main article: Wet-Dry World

Wet-Dry World supposedly has a brain texture within its files, most depictions of this texture resemble one of the paintings seen in the game. The level itself is also meant to be a physical representation of a brain, where the level's structure is meant to simulate a brain and its activities. The hidden town underwater and away from the level is meant to represent the subconscious. The fact it's underwater could be related to the condition of Hydrocephalus.

Hazy Maze Cave Conspiracy Theories

 * Main article: Hazy Maze Cave

The entrance to Hazy Maze Cave is laced with pipes across the walls leading some to believe that the room is related to the castle's sewer system. Others jokingly speculate that Hazy Maze Cave is also the castle's very own sceptic system due to the existence of poisonous gas being flatulence and the rolling boulders being large lumps of feces.

Metal Mario Texture
The texture used for Metal Mario is the defualt texture for metal in the SGI workstation. Interestingly, this texture would never be reused for any of Metal Mario's future appearances, even with his old Super Mario 64 model returning as a costume in Super Mario Odyssey.

The Bowser Room

 * Main article: The Bowser Room

The Bowser Room is a famous speculated room, with plain white walls and a picture/window of Bowser looking in on the player. The intention of this room is entirely unknown, and it varies from copy to copy. In some instances, it has even been an extension of another area. It has either been an accommodation for Bowser to stay in, a trap Mario ends up in or as a base of operations for Bowser.

The Course in the Bowser Painting
On both the first floor and third floor, there is a painting of Bowser. Unlike the other unique paintings, these cannot be entered at all. This has led many to believe, and some to claim that there is a level behind the painting that not everyone can access. What this level exactly is varies between theories and reports, but some usually either say it's the Bowser Room, a fourth Bowser level or potentially the Eternal Fort.

Toads Literally Trapped in the Walls
Upon entering the castle, Toad tells Mario that Bowser has trapped the inhabitants of the castle in the walls. It's unknown if he's being literal or not, however Bowser has used his magic to transform Toads into brick blocks in the original Super Mario Bros.. Additionally, some Toads only appear after a certain amount of stars have been collected, potentially meaning they were freed from the castle walls.

Wario Apparition

 * Main article: Wario Apparition

The Wario Apparition is perhaps one of Super Mario 64's most infamous anomalies. Appearing as a floating Wario head in the hallway to Dire, Dire Docks, the existence of the Wario Apparition is reported to induce feelings of paranoia and trauma into any player who spots it due to the Wario Apparition's bizarre and shocking appearance. The reason behind the Wario Apparition's appearance is unknown but speculated to be the A.I. pulling unused Wario assets to create a boss of sorts. The Wario Apparition would go on to be referenced in an E3 1996 panel, "Focused on Fun".

Delicious Cake

 * Main article: Delicious Cake

"Delicious Cake" is an unused string of text within Super Mario 64 that has no known correlation to anything else within the game. Some people presume that it has something to do with either a cut course or the ending due to its proximity with strings relating to those objects, and others presume it's related to the cake that Princess Peach promises Mario at the start and end of the game.

Enchanted SC88 samples used in the soundtrack
Apparently some SC88 samples were enchanted and were able to gain several weird effects on the one who's listening to the samples or the songs that the samples are used in.

Internal Plexus of the Castle

 * Main article: Princess Peach's Castle

The Internal Plexus of the Castle is a mysterious entry on the iceberg which can refer to many things. Commonly, it refers to how the castle is arranged in a bizarre way and may be a reflection of the A.I.'s programming and arrangement with how rooms should overlap with each other and stretch out of the castle. Other interpretations of the Internal Plexus site it as what's behind the castle walls, a series of misshapen and bizarre rooms that feel unsettling due to their strange appearance.

Miyamoto stole Mario 64 from Argonaut
Main article: Argonaut

Before the existence of Super Mario 64, Argonaut pitched a 3D game featuring Yoshi. Miyamoto initially turned down this game, but went onto create Super Mario 64 which, according to Jez San of Argonaut, "had the look and feel of our Yoshi game - but with the Mario character, of course". Although Miyamoto also apologised for not picking up the Yoshi game too shortly after.

NFR Cartridge Differences
The "Not For Resale" cartridges of Super Mario 64 are presumed to have differences in comparison to the retail release of the game. This could include beta content, changes to the personalization's algorithms or much more.

Sequel was Cancelled due to Temporal Leakage
A sequel to Super Mario 64 was in the works for the Nintendo 64DD, but was cancelled with the console's commercial failure. However, some theorise that the sequel was instead cancelled because of a temporal leakage exist.

Shared Nightmares

 * ''Main article: Shared Nightmares

Shared Nightmares is a concept which spans outside of Super Mario 64, although it heavily relates to conspiracy theories. Many people who played Super Mario 64 claim to have nightmares which are strikingly similar to those other users in their communities have. The most common of these nightmares relate to the Haunted Piano, and a Kellogg's partnership with Super Mario 64, where beta versions of the penguins seen in the game were put on the box art of their cereal. These penguins were unsettling to many, and spurred nightmares where they would babble in an unintelligible language.

Lavender Town & Polybius were cover-ups for Mario 64
Around the time of Mario 64's release, rumors of a CIA-developed arcade game called Polybius spread across the internet. Allegedly, the game was designed to suppress the player's emotions and alter their personality. Players became hopelessly addicted and began to suffer violent outbursts, all while men in black suits took notes and copied data from the machine.

A year after Mario 64's release, Pokémon Red and Blue arrived in America, containing Lavender Town, famous in the world of Pokémon for a tower where deceased Pokémon may be interred. The music in Lavender Town, an eerie high-pitched track, is said to have caused shared nightmares and emotional disturbance, leading to a compulsion towards suicide in children that had experienced abuse.

Both of these urban legends are untrue. No game called Polybius ever existed, and Lavender Town's music has no psychological effect. However, both sets of symptoms may be caused by Anomalies, and the suspicious timing has led some to theorize that Nintendo spread the rumors intentionally, to protect the reputation of its blockbuster Nintendo 64 launch title.