Toad lost the keys to the minigames! Once you talk to the Toad in the Rec Room, the rabbits will appear all over the castle grounds! These rabbits hold the minigame keys. Similar to MIPS, who appeared in the basement twice in the original game, giving 2 power stars, they'll run around when you get near them, making them hard to grab (and in Yoshi's case, stuff in his mouth which is easier). Catching them will earn you a key and the option to save. There are 28 rabbits to catch, seven for each character, and it will require all 150 stars to catch every one since you'll need the castle ground's cannon unlocked to catch one. They also appear in Super Mario 3D Land. Yoshi has eight, because one is for opening keys to the castle, at the beginning of the game.
Yoshi's Rabbits
- Rabbit #1: Outside the front of the castle, at the end of the bridge, near the door entrance.
- Rabbit #2: Next to #1.
- Rabbit #3: Next to #1 and #2.
- Rabbit #4: Outside the front of the castle, in a patch of yellow flowers to the right.
- Rabbit #5: Outside the front of the castle, in a small maze of hedges to the left.
- Rabbit #6: Outside the front of the castle, in the moat (the water must be drained first).
- Rabbit #7: In the basement, in front of the entrance to Lethal Lava Land portrait.
Mario's Rabbits
- Rabbit #1: Outside the front of the castle, nearby the waterfall.
- Rabbit #2: Outside the front of the castle, in the moat (the water must be drained first) nearby the Black Brick.
- Rabbit #3: In the room with the entrance to Jolly Roger Bay.
- Rabbit #4: In the basement, in front of the entrance to Lethal Lava Land portrait.
- Rabbit #5: Next to #4.
- Rabbit #6: On the second floor of the castle, in front of the entrance to Wet-Dry World.
- Rabbit #7: In the mirror room with the entrance to Snowman's Land.
Luigi's Rabbits
- Rabbit #1: Outside the front of the castle, in a small maze of hedges to the left.
- Rabbit #2: In the room with the entrance to Bob-omb Battlefield.
- Rabbit #3: In the room with the entrance to Mario's portrait, Goomboss Battle.
- Rabbit #4: Outside the back of the castle courtyard with the Boos, in an alcove above the doors.
- Rabbit #5: On the second floor, just to the right of the doorway.
- Rabbit #6: In the basement, in the room, with the tunnels where you ground-pound the two pillars. After doing so.
- Rabbit #7: On top of the roof of the castle (you'll need to use the cannon, but you will have to get all of the 150 Power Stars first) or scuttle jump up the green slope.
Wario's Rabbits
- Rabbit #1: Outside the front of the castle, nearby the trees past the wooden bridge, to the far right.
- Rabbit #2: In the room with the entrance to Whomp's Fortress.
- Rabbit #3: Outside the back of the castle in the courtyard with the Boos, behind the Star statue, near the two signs.
- Rabbit #4: In the basement, in the left hall with Toad.
- Rabbit #5: In the room with the entrances to Tiny-Huge Island.
- Rabbit #6: At the third floor, in the room with the entrances to Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, and Bowser In The Sky.
- Rabbit #7: Near the hole that goes to Over the Rainbows.
Glowing Rabbits
After collecting 8 Power Stars, there will be eight glowing rabbits that randomly take place of the ordinary ones. These rabbits have white sparkles on their body and red eyes. You can collect them with any character, however, there is a faster way. Switch to Yoshi and step out of the castle through the front door. Six of his rabbits are out there. The seventh one can be found in the basement next to the Lethal Lava Land painting. Just repeatedly and exit the castle to summon eight glowing rabbits. The final rabbit states "It's the fastest and oldest of the family". Each rabbit before state "second-fastest of my eight rabbits". After catching all eight you'll get the key to unlock the last white door in the character selection room, which contains a secret power star.