Penguin Defender
The title of this article is from an official source, but is based on development data such as an internal filename.
If an acceptable public name is found, then the article should be moved to the new title.
| Penguin Defender | |
|---|---|
 Mario atop the Penguin Defender's head in Super Mario 64 | |
| Species | Penguin |
| First appearance | Super Mario 64 (1996) |
| Latest appearance | Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020) |
The Penguin Defender, also referred to as simply a big penguin,[1] is a large penguin who appears as a minor character in Super Mario 64 and its Nintendo DS remake, Super Mario 64 DS. Although he is present during every mission of Snowman's Land, he is most prominently featured in the course's first mission, "Snowman's Big Head". In said mission, Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, or Wario must use the Penguin Defender to avoid being blown away by wind being blown from the head of the large snowman. As such, the player must remain to the side of the Penguin Defender while following its movements across the ice bridge, which may be slow, fast, or even backwards. Additionally, it is possible to jump onto the Penguin Defender's head. After utilizing the Penguin Defender to bypass the wind, the player can proceed to climb to the top of the mountain and collect the Power Star to finish the mission. In the DS remake, the Penguin Defender is slightly smaller, though it is still possible to jump onto and remain on its head.
There are various alternatives for completing the first mission of Snowman's Land without involving the Penguin Defender, including using the cannon near the start of the level or using Hoot in any other mission of the course. Moreover, in the DS remake, Luigi can perform a Backward Somersault over the ice bridge, Yoshi can perform a flutter kick over it, Mario can perform a Triple Jump and then dive over the bridge, and Wario can become Metal Mario to simply walk through the wind after being fired out of the cannon.
The Penguin Defender is unrelated to the Big Penguin in Cool, Cool Mountain, who must be defeated in a race to earn a Power Star and complete the third mission of that course, "Big Penguin Race"; however, in the Super Mario 64 3 volume of the Super Mario Kodansha manga, the Big Penguin takes on the role of the Penguin Defender.
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 64 DS | data/enemy/penguin/penguin.bmd | PENGUIN_DEFENDER | Penguin Defender |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italian | Enorme pinguino | Enormous penguin | [2] |
References[edit]
- ^ 1996. The Official Super Mario 64 Nintendo Player's Guide. Nintendo Power. Page 89–91. Retrieved June 29, 2026.
- ^ Roberto Ferri (May 1999). Official Nintendo Magazine issue 7. Milan: Xenia Edizione S. r. L. (Italian). Page 85.
