List of Super Mario World glitches

This is a list of glitches in the game Super Mario World. For glitches found exclusively in the port, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, see Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 § Glitches.

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all names are conjectural.

Bouncing on Morton
In either #2 Morton's Castle or #5 Roy's Castle, the player must wait for the Koopaling to run up the walls. The player must jump on the boss's head as he starts climbing the wall, when either Morton or Roy is invulnerable. If they continue to bounce on their head until they reach the ceiling, the player begins bouncing upside down onto them.

Color-Changing Shell
If the player picks up a Yellow Shell on the same frame a Koopa Troopa enters it, then performs a cape spin, it becomes an upside-down flashing shell. If the player then stops it with another Cape spin, the shell turns into a light-bluish or gray color.

Face on Lakitu's Cloud
If Lakitu's Cloud is partially off screen, its face can appear in the wrong place.

Fence bug
To do this very minor glitch, all the player has to do is duck and jump on a fence. As long as Mario or Luigi does not touch the ground, he ducks each time he jumps off the fence.

Glitched smoke graphic
In order to do this glitch, the player must go to Yoshi's House and keep pressing the and  buttons. Sometimes the birds and berries pause and the smoke from the fireplace skips. Sometimes, the smoke becomes glitchy. If the player cannot reproduce the glitch after about a minute, they must re-enter Yoshi's House and try again.

Glitchy key
To make this glitch, the player must have already pressed the Red and Green ! Switches. The player must have Caped Mario and a Yoshi in Star World 4. At the level's secret exit, they must make Yoshi keep the Key in his mouth and fly with Caped Mario to hit all green ! Blocks at the left. If the player drops the Key, it becomes an item that changes from a Yellow Koopa without a Shell and an upside-down Cheep Cheep.

The glitch was not removed in Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 since it functions exactly the same way, except that the glitchy key now looks like Mario's face.

Glitchy graphics from defeated enemies
The balls on Iggy's and Larry's platforms can be destroyed by the sliding attack, as can the Grinders (using a Triangular Block). This results in glitchy graphics, most likely because the developers did not intend for these enemies to be defeated. The same thing happens if Mario does a nose dive while a Big Steely is present; the Big Steely is defeated, though its sprite appears as Princess Toadstool's head colored red. Also, a Blargg getting defeated results in a part of a Chargin' Chuck.

In Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World, Iggy's ball can be defeated normally, however, a defeated Grinder is still glitchy and turns into a half of a wooden plank or a Magikoopa's magic.

Holding an item while riding Yoshi
If the player grabs an item on the same frame they mount Yoshi, they can hold an item while riding Yoshi, which is normally impossible.

Hurt while on Yoshi
Eating a Wiggler while on Yoshi causes Mario to get hurt if he is running at full speed. This is because sprites are still active even while they are on Yoshi's tongue. Being hit by a Mega Mole while on Yoshi will also cause Mario to be hurt, even if not eating them. Also, in Forest of Illusion 1, Mario can get hurt while riding on Yoshi by bouncing on the first trampoline while bouncing on the angry Wiggler nearby.

Key glitch
The player can do it in Donut Secret 2. To do this, the player must be riding a Yoshi, the Yoshi must have something in its mouth (e.g. a Koopa Troopa), then fly to the left of the pipe near the exit without damaging the Koopa Troopas near the exit so that it reaches the sprite limits of the SNES. Because all of the sprite slots are occupied, and the Giant Gate Tape sprite is forced to spawn regardless of the occupied slots, if the Tape happens to override what is something on Yoshi's mouth, Yoshi will have the Tape instead in its mouth. Upon spitting it out, the graphic for the "kicked state" of the Tape will appear glitched because sprites like this are not intended to be in that state.

Misplaced Tongue
This glitch can be done in Vanilla Dome 3. The player needs to stick Yoshi's tongue, then immediately drop him to lava. While sinking, the tongue is a little above Yoshi's mouth.

Miscolored overworld
In order to do this glitch, the player must go to the end of Chocolate Island 3. Under the goal, the player must jump off Yoshi to the Giant Gate so that the screen does not scroll up. If done correctly, Mario is barely seen when he finishes the level, and because Mario is not present on the bottom of the screen, the screen begins to flicker in many colors as the stage begins to fade out. When he comes back to the overworld map, the entire world is glitchy and colored with red and blue. If Mario visits Forest of Illusion or Valley of Bowser and comes back to the main overworld, the entire world is ivory colored instead, but the sprites have their normal palettes. The glitch ends if the player completes a level, visits Star Road or enters a pipe.

Miscolored Pipe
In Donut Secret 1, Mario must enter the Warp Pipe to the secret underground area. While Mario is on the ground, the pipes are orange, however, when Mario flies up and comes down, both pipes are miscolored green. Sometimes, the pipe gets only one third green-colored.

Pipe Cancelation
If Yoshi eats a power-up very soon after the player enters a pipe but before the player is taken to the pipe exit, the power-up animation can interrupt the pipe transition, causing the game to behave in some ways as if the player was still entering a pipe, but allowing the player free movement around the level. The effects of this glitch can vary depending on the level, but common effects include Mario (but not while riding Yoshi) losing interaction with most sprites, Mario being rendered behind some background elements, and being able to destroy some objects such as Yoshi and the moving tape of the Giant Gate with Fire Mario. The glitch can be canceled by entering a pipe transition or finishing a level.

Eat Control Coin glitch
If Yoshi were to eat the leading coin in a Control Coin before it collides with platform objects or blocks, such as the one at the very beginning of Donut Secret 2, the Switch Block theme plays indefinitely. The overlapping music only stops until the player runs out of time, loses a life, warps to a different location in the level via Warp Doors, Pipes, or other methods, or completes the level. This is fixed in Super Mario Advance 2.

Green Berries and music speed
Music speed increases when the Timer reaches 99, warning the player of the time limitation. Usually this can only happen once in a given level. However, on Funky, where the Green Berries appear, the player is given 20 extra seconds for each berry eaten by Yoshi. If timed correctly, the player can eat all nine Green Berries, each when the Timer is somewhere between 80 and 99 seconds, and it increases the music speed up to 10 times, making it very fast. For a hacked ROM, the music has been discovered to speed up to 20 times. However, as the music speed modulator overflows the 21st time it gets modified, it overflows, slowing down the music drastically.

The glitch was fixed in the Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 remake, as the music does not speed up should the player attempt to try this glitch.

Spin Jump sound glitch
In #4 Ludwig's Castle, in the room with the spiked ceiling falling down, the player must wait for it to touch the ground. If the player Spin Jumps afterward, the sound played is the one that plays when the ceiling hits the floor, instead of the normal Spin Jump sound.

Freeze glitch
The player must find a Fire Flower and Feather in purse (or vice versa), Yoshi and level with berries, like Yoshi's House. By collecting the stored item while eating a berry with Yoshi at the same time, the game stops responding, as well as causing Mario to flash from red to green like if he touched a Super Star. It can also have a more helpful effect of infinitely raising the player's coins, giving the player up to 99 lives in the process. The only way to end the glitch is by exiting the level, if a level is completed; otherwise the player must reset the game.

Eating a berry after death
This glitch can be done in Forest of Illusion 1. Mario must be Small Mario and be riding Yoshi. On the wooden platforms, Mario must place Yoshi below a berry, then jump so that he hits the Wiggler and lands on Yoshi at the same time. If done correctly, Mario will fly into the air while riding Yoshi, and Yoshi will eat the berry. This freezes the game, and the timer stops counting down, so the game must be reset.

Anti-gravity room
In Vanilla Dome 2, Mario must be Super, Caped, or Fire Mario. The Switch Block must be active; when the player sees a rectangle-shaped structure of coins sitting on the ground, Mario/Luigi must duck while running, and wait for the Switch Block to become inactive. After that, he must stop ducking. He will be in the floor. Even more worth noting, Yoshi and any grabable items slide and do not react to gravity. This glitch is not possible in the GBA remake.

Corner death
In Chocolate Island 4, the player must be small and jump into the right corner of the wall at the very start of the level. If done just right, Mario or Luigi glitch through the wall and die.

Enemy through the wall
In any level with a falling yellow wall that can reach the floor and an enemy nearby, such as Donut Plains 2, if the enemy gets stuck between the floor and the falling wall, the enemy is forced into the wall and gets stuck.

Falling through the floor
In Vanilla Dome 2, it is possible to fall through the floor via a glitch in both the original game and the Game Boy Advance remake. Towards the end, the player has to take a left and go through the "secret" passage. Then the player has to get a Buzzy Beetle shell and toss it at the first two blocks. Then the player has to quickly get a running start and slide under the blocks before they harden. Once there, the player must not release the button. Once the player is completely surrounded, if the player presses, Mario Spin Jumps through the floor, causing him to lose a life.

In the Pipe
This glitch occurs in both the original game and the GBA port. In any level with a pipe that extends and retracts into the ground, the player must get an item that Mario can carry around (Koopa Shells, Switch Blocks, etc.) and drop it on the pipe. When the pipe retracts, the item falls normally, however, when the pipe extends, the item gets stuck in the pipe. The item "vibrates" back and forth and eventually move out of the pipe after a few seconds. Yoshi can also be in the pipe, as long as Mario is not riding him.

Mushroom block glitch
In Star World 5, the player should fly up to the area with the blocks that are activated by switches near the secret exit. They must be Caped Mario or Caped Luigi and spin with the Cape at the end of the yellow switch blocks while standing on the green ones. The bottom block is hit and produces a mushroom, however, due to having a block placed directly above it, begins to glitch in through the blocks. The player can still acquire it, but they do go through the blocks.

Slope Clip
By very precisely jumping or catching air with Cape Mario, it is possible to pass through solid slopes.

Smashing item
In both versions of the game, in a level with an object such as a Switch Block or Key, the player can dash to the direction of a wall holding the object. To do the glitch, Mario or Luigi must throw the item and swiftly dash to the wall, or drop it while standing next to a wall. The player gets stuck between the wall and the object and start to shake. The glitch can be ended by jumping or grabbing the item.

Spike Top in midair
If Yoshi grabs a Spike Top with his tongue and, before he manages to eat it, gets hurt, the Spike Top will be released and, deprived of a surface to walk on, the Spike Top will spin mid-air.

Walk through the floor
In some of the underground levels, it is possible to walk through the floor to the exit. First the player must grab a Koopa Shell or flipped Buzzy Beetle, then move between platforms that can defeat Mario almost closed in. The player must jump on it and Mario is able to walk through the ground until they reach an area requiring a jump.

Wall death
The player must go to Donut Secret 1 and access its bonus area. The player must get the Power Balloon and hold left and right on the directional pad. Mario travels very swiftly, and if the player holds left and right with the Power Balloon and touches a wall on the side of the screen, Mario loses a life.

Wall Jump
If the player jumps into a wall with enough speed, they can rarely clip slightly inside of the wall, during which the game considers the player to be grounded. This allows a brief moment for the player to jump off of the wall.

Yoshi Clip
Mounting Yoshi next to a corner can allow the player to clip into the corner. This is easiest to perform in water levels.

Yoshi in a Warp Pipe
The player must place a Yoshi on an extending and retracting pipe. Whenever the pipe moves, Yoshi moves blocky. This glitch occurs in both the original SNES game and the GBA port.

Berry relocation
If the player has Yoshi grab a berry on his tongue while it is extending, and then the tongue later attaches to an enemy in the same motion, the berry is left where the enemy was, without being swallowed. The berry also lacks animation, but can still be eaten. In some cases, the berry changes color (and behavior). For example, on Funky, the first Green Berry (after being moved) sometimes turns into a Red Berry if Yoshi eats the nearby Jumping Piranha Plant or another berry.

Credits warp
By defeating enemies and loading and placing objects in precise locations in Yoshi's Island 2, it is possible to warp directly to the game's ending sequence. This is caused by the placement of the objects, which writes data into the game's memory and can be exploited to cause the warp.

Double Tongue Glitch
If the player collects a Power-up at a very specific time after pressing the button to stick out Yoshi's tongue, then Yoshi will stick out his tongue twice. This glitch can be used to accomplish other strange effects such as obtaining null sprites.

Duplicating Blocks
By throwing an enemy or object at a block very close to it, the block can be duplicated near it, unveiling the item, leaving the original block untouched. This can be done to either side of the block, above it, or above-diagonally to either side. This is because of a difference between which tile is hit and which tile is activated.

Also the game differentiates certain items by the block's horizontal position in the level. For example, blue Switch Blocks and gray Switch Blocks are actually the same object, but their type depends from the horizontal position of the blocks that contain them. Thus, by duplicating a block to the side with a Switch Block inside, it gives a Switch Block of the other color.

Block duplication can also be used in some instances to obtain items or other objects normally unobtainable in a given level. For example, if a Rotating Block is duplicated onto one half of a Dragon Coin, collecting the other half will transform the Rotating Block into a ? Block containing an item which also depends on the block's position in the level. It will always contain either a Key, Yoshi's Wings, a Power Balloon, or a Green Shell.

End the game with Yoshi
This glitch happens in Yoshi's Island 3. The player must go with Yoshi into the Yellow Warp Pipe. Once they are there, the player must press the Switch Block and Yoshi must eat the pressed button and spit it out. It causes a Cheep Cheep to appear and the player must do the same nine more times. Doing this, Mario must leave Yoshi on the line of blocks and leave the area holding the secret button. The player must to find Yoshi, press the Switch Block, eat and spit, then let him fall and ride an invisible Yoshi near the edge. The invisible object in his mouth must be spat, and Mario becomes Caped Mario. In the area near the Koopa Troopa, the player must make Yoshi to eat the shell in the same time Mario becomes Fire Mario. They must, then, drop Yoshi and throw a fireball, and ride Yoshi again. They must drop the Cape Feather and use it. After this, the game's end screen appears, but the level music still plays.

Everlasting Cloud Ride
The player must shoot a fireball at a Lakitu who is riding in a cloud, and then make sure to collect the coin. The player must then jump in his cloud and it will last forever.

Everlasting Items
This glitch occurs in both the SNES and the GBA versions of the game. If the player takes a Grab Block and go through any pipe, it will never disappear. The player can take any carryable enemy (like Goombas) through a pipe and it will never jump on Mario, and a Bob-omb will never explode. If done with a Buzzy Beetle shell, it will be colored gray, not blue.

Grabbing Two Objects
If two things (like Switch Blocks, Shells (two shells does not work), Jumping Boards, etc.) are placed in the same place and Mario/Luigi runs (pressing without dropping), he catches the two things, then crouches and slides to grab the objects (the cause of dropping not  button), the player takes the two things at the same time. A side effect of this occurs if the player stops holding and if Mario is small, killing him between the two items (though this must happen with the two items being identical, like two keys).

In the Pillar
This requires precise timing. If Mario or Luigi spin jumps at just the right time while a Pillar is falling, he goes inside the Pillar.

Infinite Points
The player must bring Caped Mario to an area with at least two Wigglers; the best place is Forest of Illusion 1, and jump on the yellow Wigglers to make them angry, and float back and forth so that the angry Wigglers are calm again. The player needs to keep jumping on the Wigglers, and the player gains points as usual. After the player gets 8,000 points, they get a 1-Up, 2-Up, and then a 3-Up. On the next bounce, the game displays strange symbols that represent five extra lives. More glitchy graphics appear and they give large amounts of points in addition to numerous coins.

Order: 200, 400, 800, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000, 1-Up, 2-Up, 3-Up, 5-Up, 5 coins, 10 coins, 15 coins, 20 coins, 25 coins, then random amounts of coins.

This glitch was fixed in the Game Boy Advance version.

Infinite Time
It is possible to avoid the death imposed by the timer if the player drops a Fire Flower while on a Yoshi and being with a cape, and eats the Fire Flower at the same time the timer counts 0. If done correctly, the timer will be frozen at 0 seconds, the music will stop, and the player will be able to move about the level with unlimited time.

Item Stock glitch
In Yoshi's Island 1, the player must have Yoshi and Fire power. On the part with the Jumping Piranha Plant and a Rex near the Giant Gate, Mario or Luigi must shoot the Rex with a fireball, Yoshi must stick out his tongue to grab the coin generated , and Mario/Luigi must collect the coin while on Yoshi's tongue. Since nothing will be in his mouth, the game places the nearby Chargin' Chuck in Yoshi's mouth. Chargin' Chucks aren't supposed to be eaten, so the game won't know what to do with it, thus assuming it is a "powerup" while placing a glitchy item (with the appearance of a jumbled Beach Koopa) in the player's Item Stock. Depending on the level, it can show up as many things when dropped with, including a Magic Ball, a green Bony Beetle, a green Cheep Cheep, a red Princess Toadstool head, or a glitchy sprite not resembling anything, floating in midair. Regardless, it acts like a Magic Ball. Once collected, it triggers the level clear script, even in unclearable levels, such as Yoshi's House. Collecting the item in a Switch Palace without hitting the ! Switch will clear the level but render the unlockable ! Blocks permanently lost.

Most of the time when attempting the initial glitch, due to programming quirks, the game may crash (Time Limit does not count down anymore) while the music still plays, likely displaying glitchy graphics. This glitch was fixed in all remakes, but remains in the Virtual Console versions.

Item Swap
There exist multiple known methods of forcing sprites onto Yoshi's tongue that normally cannot be placed on Yoshi's tongue. The most well known way to do this is to collect a coin or power-up from off of Yoshi's tongue and then have a new sprite spawn, however some sprites, such as the goal tape, can be item swapped another way. Usually, if too many sprites are loaded in, new sprites simply cannot spawn, but special sprites such as the goal tape will replace an existing sprite, which can result in an item swap if the replaced sprite is on Yoshi's tongue.

Item swaps are most well known for the item stock glitch.

Item after the Giant Gate
This glitch occurs in both the original and GBA port of the game. Mario or Luigi must go to a level with a Super Mushroom in the ? Block until the Giant Gate. The player must drop the item and wait it to go through the gate, and, after it is in the other side, finish the level. If Mario walks before the screen changes, he collects the Power-Up.

Invisible Yoshi
In the level Chocolate Island 5, if Mario/Luigi grabs the two Switch Blocks (how to do it can be read here) and bash the Yoshi block with it, the block creates two Yoshis, but only one appears. When the Yoshi falls into an abyss, the other one appears. If the player falls into an abyss and waits until Mario and Yoshi disappear while jumping, he is riding on an invisible Yoshi. Also, in Yoshi's Island 2, if the player jumps and hits the ? Block containing Yoshi at the same time as hitting the ? Block with a shell, an invisible Yoshi will be spawned along with Yoshi. Yoshi also hatches twice as quickly as normal when the glitch is done correctly. Riding the invisible Yoshi makes the player virtually invincible, as getting hit does not make the player get off of Yoshi like it normally would. The invisible Yoshi cannot stick out its tongue, nor eat anything. Entering a pipe or completing the level causes the Yoshi to disappear, as well as getting off of the Yoshi. The glitch can be done in other levels such as Funky.

Losing a life after clearing a level
Mario must be riding Yoshi at the end of Chocolate Island 3. Below the goal, he should jump with Yoshi, then when in midair, jump off of Yoshi, but only a small jump. If timed correctly, the game will play the goal music, but Mario will be on the platform below the goal. Mario will then walk off the edge of the platform, and the "lose a life" tune will play. Even though Mario has reached the goal, the game assumes that he died, so he loses a life.

Message Box Glitch
The behavior of the Message Block depends on its position in the level. By using an item swap the player can cause a message box to have an unintended location. If this is performed in Donut Plains 3, Chocolate Island 2, or Gnarly, a glitched Switch Palace message will play. If the Japanese version of the game is used, the level will then end after around 16 seconds, but any other version is used, then the game must first be reset before entering the level or the level will not end.

Null Sprite Glitch
Multiple methods exist, such as using the double tongue glitch or block duplication, which can confuse the game into thinking that there is something in Yoshi's mouth, but which is not actually any existing sprite. This is a null sprite, and spitting it out usually does nothing, but it can sometimes have strange effects.

By far the most unusual effect occurs when a null sprite is spat out while on one of the brown swinging platforms that appear in Yoshi's Island 3. Doing this can produce one of three effects. Nothing, or only a minor graphical glitch, a freeze or crash, or most rarely some more significant glitch that also does not crash the game.

Powerup Incrementation
The game determines what Power-up the player has by storing a number, called the Power-up state, which is 0 for Small Mario, 1 for Big Mario, 2 for Cape Mario, and 3 for Fire Mario. If the player obtains a null sprite in Yoshi's Island 3 and spits it out on a brown swinging platform, it can, under very specific circumstances, cause the Power-up state to increase by one. This can be used to obtain Cape Mario before it is normally possible, but it can also be used to change the number to 4 or even as high as 255. Power-up states 4 through 255 are all unintended and behave in a glitchy manner, displaying strange graphics.

Collecting a normal Power-up while in a glitched Power-up state can have multiple glitchy effects such as causing the game to crash or placing a glitchy sprite in the Item storage. Having a glitched Power-up state also affects when the player takes an item through a Giant Gate to end the level, also in many cases causing strange sprites to spawn.

It is possible to perform the glitch consistently, but it is extremely sensitive to even slight variation. The player's position affects the glitch and needs to be exact. Additionally, the order in which the game loads sprites in the level matters and cannot be directly observed, though it can be manipulated.

Renewing a Switch Block
To get this glitch to work correctly, the player must be riding Yoshi. Yoshi must press the Switch Block and eat it before it disappears. When Yoshi spits it out, the Switch Block goes back to normal and the player is able to press it again. This can also be done by pressing a Switch Block, grabbing it and entering a Warp Pipe before it disappears.

Shell through the floor
This is a very simple glitch that is easy to do in various levels of Vanilla Dome. If Mario or Luigi throws a Koopa Troopa or Buzzy Beetle shell while on a very steep slope and faces the slope, it is not be able to climb it, so it goes right through it.

Smuggle in a coin
If the player presses as Mario is collecting a coin on the title screen demo, it will count as collected if the player then starts a new game in an empty save file. This allows the player to start the game with one coin instead of zero.

Stomp after death
If Mario or Luigi loses a life above a Wiggler, he stomps it, and even gains points, on his way off-screen.

Switch Block color swap
The player must take a Gray P Switch and go into the pipe. Though it has still its gray coloration, it will act like a blue Switch Block.

Timer Bonus
If the player finishes with more than 400 seconds left, the score counter will not add up correctly. It will calculate the 400 seconds by 128000 instead of 20000 (displays 62464, because maximum number is 65536). . Because there are no levels in the original Super Mario World with a time limit of more than 400 seconds, this glitch is only seen in hacked games.
 * Time left: 0, time bonus: 0
 * Time left: 100, time bonus: 100
 * Time left: 200, time bonus: 200
 * Time left: 300, time bonus: 300
 * Time left: 400, time bonus: 2560
 * Time left: 500, time bonus: 7700
 * Time left: 600, time bonus: 12840
 * Time left: 700, time bonus: 17980
 * Time left: 800, time bonus: 23120
 * Time left: 900, time bonus: 270530

Wrong Warp
If the player goes through 256 pipes or doors in a single level, on the 256th entry the game will not load the normal exit of the pipe or door and instead load something else, which is dependent on the level and can be manipulated with block duplication. Actually entering a enough pipes or doors to trigger the glitch takes so long that the timer will usually kill the player before the glitch can be performed. This can be solved by using the infinite time glitch.

The glitch can be used to, access unintended levels and to obtain more than 96 exits, although this would only be visible on the Japanese version of the game.

The glitch happens because the game counts how many level transitions the player has been through. Since the value is set to 0 after every level completion, the game assumes that when it loads a new area, it is a main level when the counter is 0, and a sublevel, such as an underground section that a pipe leads to, when the value is more than 0. Ordinarily this is fine, however this counter can only store up to 255 before overflowing back to 0, which causes the game to think it is loading a main level even though it would normally be a sublevel.