Time stop

Time Stop (also known as Timestop) is a glitch exclusive to the J 1.0 version of Super Mario 64, which allows Mario to move around when objects are frozen since a text box is supposed to have appeared.

Execution

There are a two ways to activate the Time Stop glitch, proximity textboxes and textboxes from holdable objects. Neither way works with all textboxes of either type.

Proximity Textboxes

"Proximity Textboxes" are defined as textboxes that appear when Mario is near an object. If Mario jumps right when the textbox is about to activate, then Mario will be able to move in midair until he touches ground again, after which the textbox will start. While Mario is in the air, time will be stopped.

Holdable Object Textbooks

By picking up an object that normally triggers a text box and then dropping it before it gets a chance to, time stop can be activated. Mario can safely touch the ground and move around at this point without restarting time.

Time is not stopped for the object that was used to stop it in this case.

Effects

Objects (in most cases) stay inanimate, and keep the exact same state they were in when time was stopped. If an object was intangible due to being far from Mario, it will stay intangible even when Mario comes near it until time is started again, because objects do not update in time stop.

Other Versions of SM64

The developers patched this glitch in all versions of the game besides J 1.0. Time still stops for textboxes on other versions, but there is no known way to move around during this state.

Jumping right when a textbox begins is still possible in other versions, but time does not stop.