Super Star

"Here's a rare item! I'm sure it'll come in handy..."

- Toad

Super Stars (also referred to as Starmen or Invincible Stars ) are items used in many Mario games, including the Super Mario series and the Mario Kart series. If the player gets a Star, they will become invincible. The user becomes temporarily invulnerable to all damage, being able to defeat anything and carrying up points, except to hazards that would normally be fatal regardless of power-ups (lava, pits, time-over, getting crushed, etc). Most projectiles or enemies that come into contact with the user of the Star while it is activated are destroyed, damaged, or knocked off screen (depending on the type of enemy and what game it is). The Star also increases the speed of the user substantially.

Starting with Super Mario World, if the player collides with and defeats eight enemies while invincible (five in Super Mario Land 2 and Super Mario 3D Land), they will get an Extra life. The point chain from the New Super Mario Bros. games is 200 - 400 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 8000 - 1UP - 1UP - 1UP... As they continue defeating enemies, they will keep getting extra lives for each additional enemy defeated until the Star's power wears off and they are no longer invulnerable, with the exception of Super Mario 3D World, where after getting an 1-Up the chain of points restarts again (... 4000 - 8000 - 1UP - 200 - 400...). Touching another Star while already invincible will prolong the effect and allow the player to continue getting more lives.

Super Mario Bros.
Super Stars made their debut in the game Super Mario Bros.. It is a very rare item, only found in some levels. When Mario or Luigi get it, they will turn invincible, allowing them to destroy enemies and go through hazards without getting hurt (though they will still lose a life if they fall in a pit or run out of time). However, the star's power is only temporary and it will disappear after a certain amount of time. This is the first Mario power-up to have eyes.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
The Super Star returns in the same manner as everything else that returns in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. They still grant Mario invincibility and the ability to defeat any enemy he touches.

Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Stars return in Super Mario Bros. 2, but the only way to get one is to collect five cherries in a level. The stars have the exact same effect as in the previous games; it will grant the player invincibility and the ability to defeat any enemy. Instead of bouncing, it will float upwards from the bottom of the screen in a zig-zag fashion.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Stars are more common in Super Mario Bros. 3. Just like the preceding games, they grant Mario the ability to be invincible, but in addition, Mario can run slightly faster than normal. If Mario jumps, he'll do flips in the air. Stars also appear in the goal roulette, which must be hit in order to clear a level. If the player gets three Stars they receive five extra lives. This game also introduces "Star Chains," where if Mario collects a star from a ? Block, certain ? blocks that normally contain coins will contain additional stars instead. If Mario is fast/efficient enough he can complete large sections of the level while invulnerable. This is achievable on Worlds 3-2, 5-1, 5-7, 7-3, and 7-7. Except for using a P-Wing to fly across this level, it is the only way to complete World 7-7. Unlike most other games, the star's power is shorter than normal.

Super Mario World
Super Stars are very rare in Super Mario World, just like the preceding games. Stars are mostly found in Roulette Blocks. If the player manages to get a star while the items are getting changed, they will be able to defeat any enemy and become invincible to any attacks for a limited amount of time, as in past games.

The main difference, however, is that the player gains a combo, similar to a shell or a jump combo, when they defeat enemies. This results in increasing point values for each enemy, eventually scoring Extra lives for each enemy starting on the eighth enemy, which became a recurring trait of the power-up, including in remakes of previous games where this trait was not present.

New Super Mario Bros.
Super Stars make the player turn invincible in New Super Mario Bros., as always. They are much rarer in this game and sometimes appear in hidden ? blocks. None of them can be found in Toad Houses, and there is no way to put one in the Item Stock. Mario and Luigi can run a lot faster when they are invincible, as the star's power doesn't last as long. The star is the rarest item and can only be found in some levels, such as 1-1, 1-2, 4-6, 4-Castle, 6-2, 8-4, and 8-7. There is a new ability for the Super Star: a trail of Silver Coins will appear behind the player, though it only works in certain levels. A different type of Star also appears exclusively in the multiplayer mode, a Big Star. Mario or Luigi has to collect most of them to win.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Stars are mostly found through Roulette Blocks or just regular Question Blocks. They behave very similarly to the previous game, but with a different theme cover version and they now have the ability to light up dark places entirely. The player can now obtain them from Toad Houses and store them in the inventory. If an invincible player grabs another player, they too will gain the power of invincibility.

Super Mario 3D Land
Super Stars make their 3D Mario debut in Super Mario 3D Land, and have the same abilities as in previous games. They are exceptionally more common in this game. Unlike in most other games, in order to start getting extra lives for hitting enemies, the player only needs to hit five enemies, instead of the standard eight.

New Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Stars reappear in New Super Mario Bros. 2, functioning and behaving as in the previous 2D Mario games. Also, the player is able to store a Star in the Item Stock, but it is only possible in the World Star Toad House (by obtaining all the Star Coins and the Moon Coins).

New Super Mario Bros. U
Super Stars return in New Super Mario Bros. U and function the same way they did in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Super Mario 3D World
Super Stars reappear in Super Mario 3D World, this time working like they do in most other games, though the sharing feature from New Super Mario Bros. Wii is retained: when one player acquires a Super Star, they can touch other players and make them invincible as well. Unlike in most other games, though, they only award an extra life for every eighth enemy defeated on contact. They do not appear as frequently as they do in Super Mario 3D Land.

DIC cartoons
Starmen also made several appearances throughout the three Mario animated cartoon series produced by DIC Entertainment.

In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, they did not grant invincibility; they instead could power-up Mario and Luigi into Fire Mario and Fire Luigi, giving them increased strength and the ability to shoot fireballs. The person wielding the Starman, often Mario, would usually recite, "Starman, star bright, give me pasta power, give me pasta might!", before powering up. This power would last until either a fair bit of time elapsed, or they were attacked by an enemy. However, Fire Flowers, along with other powerful artifacts such as Magic Pendants, could also be used in lieu of Starmen in order to power-up. In "Toad Warriors", Toad managed to transform into the Toad Warrior by using a Starman, although in the next episode, "The Fire of Hercufleas", he transformed into Super Toad by using a Fire Flower.

Starmen continued to make appearances into The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. In these appearances, they no longer followed the rules of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!. Instead, they granted temporary invincibility, just like in the games.

Super Mario Land
Stars make a return in the game, Super Mario Land. Little has changed between the preceding game and this game regarding gameplay effects. The music, however, is different than the ordinary music. The music is actually 2 loops of an excerpt of the famous Infernal Galop, a tune most commonly associated with the ''can-can.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins stars can be found. They make Mario turn invincible and move faster, much like the other games before, except the stars do not bounce. The music was changed once again: this time, it's a unique song.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
Stars also appear in the third installment of the Super Mario Land series, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3. Here, Wario is able to use the Star for the first time. Besides the theme that plays while invincible, the Star's effects haven't changed much from the previous games. The Star also makes Wario run even faster.

Yoshi's Island series
Super Stars appear as rare power-ups in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3. In this appearance, it turns Yoshi into a giant Yoshi's Egg, and Baby Mario into Superstar Mario, a form which highly resembles Cape Mario from Super Mario World.

The Super Star reappears in Yoshi's Island DS, having the same effects as in the previous game. They only appear in the levels Baby Mario and Baby Peach: Dynamic Duo, Castle of Big Guy the Stilted, Superhard Acrobatics and Yoshi's Island Easter Eggs.

A similar item, the Yoshi Star, appears in two colors in Yoshi's New Island; they both turn Yoshi into Super Yoshi. The yellow ones make him invincible and let him run on walls and ceilings, while the red ones let him blast through enemies and walls for a brief time. Both forms can be prolonged by grabbing more Yoshi Stars of the same color.

Mario Kart series
Stars appear in all Mario Kart games, serving as a rare item that only low-ranking drivers can get. Stars make the player who uses it invincible to all attacks and able to knock over items, course obstacles and other drivers, making them lose their current items. The player receives a speed boost increasing their average speed by 1/3 and is able to cross off-road terrain without losing any speed (Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit are exceptions), However, the Star only lasts for seven and a half seconds before wearing off.

In some places, Stars can be obtained through special blocks. One is in DK Pass, where there is a super item block on top of a hill. If the player, in any position, touches the item block, the player may receive a Star, Triple Mushrooms, a single Mushroom, or a single Red Shell. The same rule applies for Chain Chomp Wheel, except that Red Shells and Triple Mushrooms are absent.

The Star is also the emblem of the Star Cup in every Mario Kart game to date.

Since Mario Kart: Super Circuit, players can also earn ranks that can be one, two or three stars. The best rank is three stars. Players can also gain an overall star rank; when having earned minimally one star on every cup, the player gains a one-star rank. Minimally two stars on each cup means a two-star rank, and three stars on each cup means an overall rank of three stars, which is the highest.

In Mario Kart Wii, the Sugarscoot has a star emblem on its spare tire on the rear. In this game, when characters acquire this item, their voice will echo, with the exception of Rosalina, whose voice already echoes. One of the leaf piles on the Wiggler portion of the track Maple Treeway also has the potential to drop Stars when driven through.

In Mario Kart 7 on the Shy Guy Bazaar course, there are Vases. If the racers hit a Vase while driving at high speeds, the Vase will break and a Star may pop out for them to grab.

In all iterations of SNES Rainbow Road (excluding Mario Kart: Super Circuit), Thwomps have permanent invincibility. Like other invincible players, making contact with one will cause the player to tumble and lose coins. But, if the player is invincible as well, the collision would be normal.

Super Smash Bros. series
Stars appear in every game of the Super Smash Bros. series. If players touch a Star, they will become invincible, allowing them to attack foes, without worrying about damage. However, unlike with the actual Mario games, players will not be able to hurt their opponents just by touching them.

Mario Tennis series
Stars appear in the Bowser Stage from Mario Tennis. Stars also appear in Item Battle from Mario Power Tennis.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour
Stars appear in Mario Golf: Advance Tour. It appeared only Star Courses by Dunes and Links. Odd Star Courses unlocked by game record condition and Even Star Courses unlocked by NGC connectivity with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour record condition. A starred ball has no effect from landform.

Mario Golf: World Tour
When Mario gets a Birdie in this game, he grabs a Star and runs around while invincible and gives a pose when the results screen pops up. Also, when he gets an Eagle in this game, he grabs a star, defeats a few enemies, and jumps. These are the only appearances of Stars in this game.

Mario Superstar Baseball
Stars only appear in Toy Field and Star Dash in Mario Superstar Baseball. A star can only be obtained by making the ball land on the slot and acquiring an item from the item slot. When a star is received, the star will take 30 coins from all other players and gives the player the 30 coins from each player. In Star Dash, the star may come out along with the coins that come out of the pipe-like mechanism. When the star is received, the player will receive 10 coins. When the player hits another player while the star is in effect, the player will steal 10 coins. The player can defeat Thwomps on the field also. The player must watch out for the Poison Mushrooms that come out. If the player touches a Poison Mushroom while invincible, the player will feel the Poison Mushroom effects and lose the star power up.

Mario Super Sluggers
Since the item slot was dismissed in the Toy Field of Mario Super Sluggers, it appears in a minigame called Graffiti Runner. In this game, the star is one of the many power-ups found inside treasure chest, in which the player must use the tackle button to open up. If the player acquires the star, they are invincible and impervious to almost all forms of attack, plus can be able to knock anyone else aside. However, the player is not fully invincible and will still get stunned by an earthquake caused by a larger player or a Chain Chomp. It also appeared in the Blooper Baserun minigame and shares the same thing.

Though stars do not appear as an item obtained in Toy Field, it can be found when the player makes the ball land on the "Jackpot" space. In one of these jackpots, there is an event where the player must choose a treasure chest to find a star. If the player did, they will receive coins.

Mario Sports Mix
Stars also make an appearance in Mario Sports Mix and in addition to making the character invincible, it has two theme songs. They also increase the speed and accuracy of the ball. In basketball and hockey, players cannot intercept the ball/puck when it is thrown. In volleyball, opposing players who touch the ball will be heavily immobilized for a while. In dodgeball, opposing players will immediately lose some health when hit, regardless of if the ball touches the ground or not. Stars are rare in this game.

In some missions, an item restriction may limit the items to Stars, making it possible for both teams to get that item at the same time.

Other appearances
Super Stars appear in Yoshi's Safari, dropped from Flying ? Blocks. When dropped from a yellow Flying ? Block, a Super Star's invincibility for Yoshi immediately takes effect, allowing him to defeat any enemies he touches for a limited time. The player also earns 2,000 bonus points. Super Stars can also be dropped from dark green Flying ? Blocks and are used for boss battles only, functioning the same way they do outside the battle. When not used at all, 5,000 bonus points are added to the player's score.

Stars have made very few appearances in games such as the Mario RPG series. Their first appearance as an item was in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, where Mario could occasionally find the rare item and use it to defeat enemies on the overworld (without having to go into battle with them). Doing this would, quite helpfully, still earn Mario Experience Points. Stars, despite being such rare items in the RPGs, are briefly mentioned in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, where they are said to be an ingredient of Invincishrooms, and in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, in which a camera-wielding Lakitu near the Glitz Pit remarks, "Stars make you invincible?".

Super Stars appear for the second time in a Mario RPG in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, where they can be found in levels and grant Mario invincibility which lets him defeat enemies without battling them, much like Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. However, they are very rare, appearing only in three levels (Whammino Mountain, Rustle Burrow and Gauntlet Pond). In Paper Mario: Color Splash, Super Stars appear in several locations and is used the same way as Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Stars also appeared in Mario Party: Island Tour, which doubles the total number of spaces the player gets to move with the Dice Block. Stars also appear in Mario Party 10 where they feature in the Cheep Cheep Leap minigame. In this minigame, the player has to use the Star to defeat as many Cheep Cheeps as they can in thirty seconds.

In the Game Boy Advance version of Mario Bros. included with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and the Super Mario Advance series, Super Stars can be found in the Mario Bros. Battle multi-player mode. Specifically, they can hatch from Eggs, which are one of the items the player can obtain after busting out of a garbage can. They do not appear in the Mario Bros. Classic single-player mode or any other version of the game.

In Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition Super Stars appear as the symbol for Light Orbs. They are also used as Skill Items. They raise the Skill levels of teammates whose Skill levels are under level 4 such as both forms of Peach, Bob-ombs, and all types/forms of Lakitus and Boos. Super Stars can be obtained by opening up ? Blocks; winning them from the Lucky ? Blocks game at Toad Houses; or from defeating Lakitus or Bob-ombs with a 10+ Combo attack.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U
Blue indicates exclusive to the Wii U version.

Trivia

 * Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins are the only games to have a completely different Starman theme. In Super Mario Land, it is the chorus to the famous can-can music.
 * If the player touches another power-up while invincible in Super Mario Galaxy, it flies high into the air, coming back down a minute or less later.
 * In the Paper Mario series, running around one of many Candy Canes that appear causes the invincibility theme to play in an old-fashioned jukebox style as it drops several Heart Points.
 * The Super Star's theme can be faintly heard in the background of Fire Mario's theme in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
 * A slowed-down cover of the Super Star's theme is played on the map of Star World in Super Mario World.
 * The Super Star's theme in New Super Mario Bros. is the Wing Cap/Vanish Cap music from Super Mario 64 reused, which in turn is an arrangement of Superstar Mario's theme from Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.