If you spent any significant time with a Nintendo 64 controller in your hands during the late nineties, you probably remember the sheer frustration of Tall, Tall Mountain. It’s a vertical gauntlet. One wrong jump and you're plummeting into the abyss, watching Mario’s hat shrink into a pixelated dot. But for years, one specific element of this stage fueled more playground rumors and early internet forum debates than almost any other: the Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage.
You know the one. Near the very summit of the mountain, right by the waterfall’s edge, there’s a small, wooden cage sitting out in the open. Inside? A Power Star. The problem? There is absolutely no obvious way to open it. No switch nearby. No secret wall. Just a locked cage and a very smug-looking monkey named Ukiki wandering around nearby.
Honestly, it’s one of the best examples of Nintendo’s "show, don't tell" design philosophy, even if it drove kids absolutely insane for decades.
The Myth of the Impossible Star
Back in 1996, the internet wasn't what it is now. We didn't have 4K YouTube walkthroughs or instant Wiki updates. We had GameFAQs and Geocities sites with flickering "Under Construction" GIFs. Because the solution to the Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage wasn't immediately apparent, people started making things up.
I remember hearing one kid tell me you had to jump off the mountain and ground pound a specific mushroom 50 times. Another rumor claimed you needed to bring the baby penguin from Cool, Cool Mountain all the way to the top of Tall, Tall Mountain—which, if you've ever tried to carry an object between worlds in Mario 64, you know is physically impossible.
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The cage felt like a glitch to some. To others, it was the "L is Real 2401" of level geometry. But the truth is actually much more grounded in the game's physics and AI behavior.
Meet Ukiki: The Key to the Mystery
The cage doesn't have a lock. It has a trigger. And that trigger is a living, breathing NPC.
To solve the Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage, you have to catch Ukiki. This is easier said than done because the little guy is programmed with a specific "flee" AI that makes him incredibly nimble on the narrow ledges of the mountain peak. You have to corner him. Once you grab him, Mario holds him above his head like a trophy.
At this point, Ukiki starts bargaining for his life. He literally asks you to let him go in exchange for "something good."
If you've played the game recently, you might think this is common knowledge. But think about the context of the mid-90s. Most games didn't have interactive NPCs that reacted to being grabbed in such a specific way. Most "keys" were just floating items or colored cards. Using a mischievous animal as a living key was a masterstroke of level design that rewarded players for interacting with the environment rather than just looking for a glowing button.
How the Mechanics Actually Work
When you release Ukiki near the summit, he doesn't just run away. He hops over to the cage and performs a specific animation. He jumps on top of it, the cage shatters, and the Star is released.
There's a catch, though. If you drop Ukiki too far from the cage, or if he falls off the mountain before reaching it, you're out of luck. You have to leave the area and come back to reset his position. It’s a lesson in patience. It’s also a lesson in why we all collectively hated monkeys in video games for a solid decade.
The Misconception of the Second Monkey
One thing that confuses people about the Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage is that there are actually two monkeys on Tall, Tall Mountain.
- The first one is near the bottom. He’s the jerk who steals your hat.
- The second one is at the top. This is the one that opens the cage.
A lot of players spend hours trying to get the hat-stealing monkey to follow them to the top of the mountain. Don't do that. It won't work. The AI isn't designed to pathfind that far, and even if you managed to glitch him up there, he wouldn't trigger the cage event. The "Mystery" was often just a byproduct of players interacting with the wrong primate.
Why This Star Still Matters to Speedrunners
In the modern era, the Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage isn't a mystery of "how," but a mystery of "how fast." Speedrunners—specifically those running the 70-star or 120-star categories—treat this Star as a major potential run-killer.
Ukiki's movement is somewhat RNG-dependent (random number generation). If he decides to jump in a weird direction, it can cost a runner several seconds. Expert players use specific movement patterns to "manipulate" Ukiki into a corner almost instantly. They don't wait for the dialogue. They mash through the text boxes and position themselves so that as soon as he’s released, he hits the cage trigger.
It’s fascinating to see how a secret that used to baffle school children has been stripped down into a series of optimal frame inputs.
The Technical Reality Behind the Cage
If you look at the game's source code (which became a huge point of discussion after the 2020 "Gigaleak"), you can see how the cage is handled. It isn't a standard door. It’s a "breakable object" tied to a specific flag triggered by Ukiki's proximity.
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Interestingly, there were early rumors that the cage could be broken with a perfectly timed "BLJ" (Backwards Long Jump) or by using the Cannon. While you can fly into the cage with the cannon, you'll just bounce off. The cage is essentially invulnerable to Mario’s direct attacks. It requires the monkey. This was a deliberate choice by Shigeru Miyamoto’s team to force a "narrative" interaction in an otherwise movement-heavy game.
Common Mistakes People Still Make
Even today, people get stuck on the "Mystery of the Monkey Cage" mission. Usually, it's for one of three reasons:
- Grabbing the wrong monkey: As mentioned, the hat-stealer at the bottom is useless for this Star.
- Dropping him off the cliff: If you're too close to the edge when you "let go," Ukiki falls. No monkey, no Star.
- The "Mysterious" Message: Sometimes players see the Star in the cage but haven't selected the correct mission from the level select screen. In Mario 64, certain Stars won't trigger their "solution" events unless that specific mission is active.
Looking Back: The Legacy of Tall, Tall Mountain
The Mario 64 mystery of the monkey cage represents a specific era of gaming. An era where "secrets" weren't spoiled by a push notification on your phone. You had to talk to people. You had to experiment. You had to fail.
The frustration of chasing that monkey around a cliffside while the "Slider" theme music blares in the background is a core memory for a whole generation. It wasn't a glitch. It wasn't a secret unlockable for Luigi. It was just a clever, slightly annoying puzzle that asked you to think like a platformer instead of a scavenger hunter.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Playthrough
If you’re revisiting Super Mario 64 on the Switch or an original console, here is the most efficient way to handle this:
- Jump, don't run: Mario’s running turn radius is wider than his jumping adjustment. When Ukiki is darting around, short hops are your best friend.
- Corner Him: Push him toward the back wall of the mountain, away from the waterfall. He has fewer escape routes there.
- Stay Calm: If you accidentally drop him, just jump off the mountain (into the water or onto a lower ledge) and come back up. He'll respawn.
The "mystery" is long solved, but the satisfaction of hearing that cage shatter and seeing the Star pop out? That never gets old.
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Next Steps for Completionists:
Once you’ve mastered the monkey cage, your next hurdle on Tall, Tall Mountain is likely the "Mysterious Mountainside" slide. To find it, look for the wall that ripples like water near the cloud area—it’s a literal hidden entrance that many players miss because it looks like a solid texture. Keep an eye on your triple-jump timing, as the transition from the slide back to the mountain ledges is where most 100-coin runs go to die.