Super Mario 64: 10 Facts Every Nintendo Fan Needs To Know
6. Collecting All 120 Stars Unlocks More Than You Think
Of the 120 Power Stars hidden in Princess Peach's Castle, you only need to find 70 to complete the game (unless you've perfected the Eternal Staircase glitch).
If you manage to obtain every Power Star, the grating over the cannon outside the palace will disappear. You can then use this cannon to blast onto the castle roof, where you can meet Yoshi. Fans were so happy to see the lovable green dinosaur, most of them didn't notice the spelling mistake when he speaks to you. (He says "It that you?" instead of "Is that you?")
However, locating all 120 Power Stars activates another secret that is lesser-known. If you return to Cool, Cool Mountain after finding every Star and have a rematch with The Big Penguin, you will notice that he's gotten really fat due to a lack of racing!
Because of his bulk, the race is more challenging since it's difficult to slide past him. Not only is he faster, he's now strong enough to knock you off the slide with ease.
You don't win anything if you defeat him this time but it's a nice little Easter egg.