Power Star

Power stars are the main collectible of Super Mario 64. There are 120 total in the game, with 150 in the DS remake. They are rotating yellow stars with black eyes. They unlock several things, such as doors and new levels.

Ways To Collect
There are several ways to collect stars. These include


 * Defeating bosses.
 * Finding them in the map.
 * Collecting 8 red coins.
 * Collecting 100 coins.
 * Collecting 5 secrets.
 * Defeating enemies.
 * Obtaining them from a character.
 * Reaching an area before a time limit.
 * Breaking yellow ! boxes.
 * Going through 5 rings.
 * Activating 4 chests in a correct order.
 * Pressing star switches and reaching them before time runs out. (DS Exclusive)
 * Collecting 5 silver stars. (DS Exclusive)
 * Breaking black bricks. (DS Exclusive)

Silver Stars
Silver stars are smaller, grey versions of power stars. They appear in specific missions in certain levels of the DS remake of Super Mario 64. There are 5 in each silver star mission.

Grand Star
The grand star is a larger star that appears after beating Bowser in Bowser in the Sky. Collecting it begins the ending sequence. It does not increment the star counter, and is considered the 121st star by some.