This article is about the transformation power-up from Super Mario 64 DS. For the character from Super Paper Mario, see Cap (character).

Cap
The three caps from Super Mario 64 DS
Appears in	Super Mario 64 DS (2004)
Effect	Transforms the wearer into a doppelganger of Mario, Luigi, or Wario and grants access to his abilities
Variant of	Mario Cap Luigi Cap Wario Cap
Comparable Super Crown

“While searching for the Power Stars, you found a red cap. Put it on and, voila! You suddenly look just like Mario! While playing as Mario in Standard Mode, you can punch, grab, and throw objects and enemies by pressing A. You can also perform the famous wall kick! Just press A to jump against a wall, then press A again to jump high. Princess Peach is counting on you. Don't give up!”

—Narration, Super Mario 64 DS

Caps are a group of power-ups in Super Mario 64 DS. Visually, they are identical to the hats worn by Mario, Luigi, and Wario, respectively, but differ from their standard counterparts by allowing the character who obtains it to change their appearance and abilities. Individually, they are known as red caps,^[1] green caps,^[2] and yellow caps, respectively.

Overview

Caps can be found scattered across various courses, sometimes found sitting around the level, but are generally being carried by enemies, such as Goombas or Boos. Goombas holding these caps will generally attempt to run away from the player, unless doing so is not possible.

While equipping one of these caps, the character appears as a near identical copy of the original owner of the hat. For instance, picking up a red cap will cause the character to resemble Mario. However, their voice remains unchanged, and their icon on the bottom screen displays their normal self wearing the hat. They also have access to the power-ups associated with that character, such as the metal form or vanish form. Unlike standard caps, these caps will be knocked off when taking damage. When this happens, the cap will slide across the ground for a short time, and if it is not retrieved in time, it will disappear and respawn elsewhere in the level. Additionally, these caps cannot be worn outside of these stages, as they will automatically wear off when exiting a painting, and there are no caps in Mushroom Castle or the surrounding exterior areas during normal gameplay.

If the associated character has not been rescued yet, these caps will only appear in select missions of certain courses, such as Bob-omb Battlefield's second mission, "Footrace with Koopa the Quick", Hazy Maze Cave's first mission, Swimming Beast in the Cavern, Whomp's Fortress (Star 1 or 2), Jolly Roger Bay, Cool, Cool Mountain (Star 2), and every mission in Big Boo's Haunt other than its first mission, Go on a Ghost Hunt. Once the character has been rescued their associated cap will appear in nearly every course as long as the original character is not actively being played as. Yoshi will also gain the option to automatically equip the cap when entering a course.

Like their normal counterparts, these caps can also be stolen by Klepto or Ukkiki, or blown away by a Fwoosh or the giant snowman in Snowman's Land, they can be retrieved in the same was as their normal counterparts. When collecting a cap while already wearing a cap of the same color, the player is awarded a 1-UP. This is mostly easily seen during the mission "Footrace with Koopa the Quick", where one extra Mario Cap is always present, whereas in other missions and stages, redundant caps are replaced with ones of a different color, and it is generally impossible to find two caps of the same color. Additionally, when any character other than Yoshi has lost their original cap, all transformation caps will disappear from the level until the original is reclaimed.

These caps also appear in VS Mode, and can be used by the various colored Yoshis. Due to the nature of the mode, this is the only way they can be found in The Princess's Secret Slide, Sunshine Isles, Battle Fort, and the Castle Grounds. Additionally, when playing in VS. Mode, a player who is currently transformed into Wario can can use Swing and Fling, which has them lift stunned opponents, spin them around, and throw them. This technique is exclusive to this mode and cannot be performed elsewhere in the game. and thusly, cannot be performed by the real Wario through normal means.

Gallery

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  Artwork of Yoshi holding a red cap
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  Map sprite of a red cap. Shared with Mario's Cap
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  Map sprite of a green cap. Shared with Luigi's Cap
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  Map sprite of a yellow cap. Shared with Wario's Cap
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  Map sprite of Yoshi wearing a red cap
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  Map sprite of Luigi wearing red cap
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  Map sprite of Wario wearing a red cap
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  Map sprite of Yoshi wearing a green cap
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  Map sprite of Mario wearing a green cap
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  Map sprite of Wario wearing a green cap
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  Map sprite of Yoshi wearing a yellow cap
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  Map sprite of Mario wearing a yellow cap
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  Map sprite of Luigi wearing a yellow cap
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  A Goomba wearing a green cap
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  A screenshot from VS Mode. The caps are displayed on the map on the lower screen

Names in other languages

See also

• Wing Cap
• Vanish Cap
• Metal Cap

References

• Caps
• Super Mario 64 DS

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• Articles with unsourced statements