Artwork of Mario using the Tanooki Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3.
The Tanooki Cap is an anomalous cap in Super Mario 64, appearing to be the Tanooki Suit from Super Mario Bros. 3. This cap allows the player to fly, similarly to the Wing Cap, but also reportedly allows the player to spin and use a tail whip attack to damage enemies and briefly become a statue with similar properties to the Metal Cap. The Tanooki Cap usually appears in sky levels where you are most likely to need it. This anomaly has been compared to the Frog Cap, another anomalous cap based off of a power-up from Super Mario Bros. 3
Description[]
The Tanooki Cap has been described to function very similarly to how it worked in Super Mario Bros. 3, though now in Super Mario 64. It most commonly only gives the player the ability to fly, making it simply a clone of the Wing Cap. Some players have also reportedly obtained a tail whip attack and the ability to become a statue, likely due to these powers also being given by the Tanooki Suit in Super Mario Bros. 3, though these reports are much more scarce and unconfirmed.
The Tanooki Cap is supposedly found most commonly in sky levels, though has reportedly been found in other random levels due to it's other reported abilities which could be useful to navigate some areas. It most commonly appears in a white or brown box, depending on the color of the Cap Switch, or in a standard yellow ! Box, similarly to the games before Super Mario 64.
Unlocking[]
The Tanooki Cap is reportedly found in a level typically known as "Forest of the Tanooki Cap" that appears to be an early version of Goomboss Battle from Super Mario 64 DS according to most descriptions. The main changes to the level appear to be the skybox changing to be the standard ocean and islands skybox, and the poison gas being replaced with plains of grass and several lakes of water. The player can use the Tanooki Cap to fly around the level, and find the pipe to the boss room, though instead of a boss, it has the Cap Switch in the center of the room, that is typically either white or brown, like the ! Boxes containing the Tanooki Cap. However, the pipe itself may also be replaced with the switch. This level also reportedly has a star for collecting 8 Red Coins, as well as a variant of the Star Switch mission in Goomboss Battle to instead simply have a Power Star. This level is one of the few anomalous Cap Switch levels to be reported to have enemies, commonly being Piranha Plants, Goombas, Lakitus, Koopas, and Skeeters in the lakes.
