Shine Sprite

"Mario, you witnessed this object at the Airstrip, correct? It is a Shine Sprite. Shine Sprites are the source of power on Isle Delfino. They used to gather in great numbers at the Shine Gate. But, the graffiti incident has polluted the island and most of the Shine Sprites have fled. There is no longer any power to support the peaceful lifestyle of the islanders. It is most pitiable. The only way to ensure the return of the Shine Sprites is to keep the island from becoming any dirtier."

- F.L.U.D.D.

Shine Sprites are golden entities formed in the sun's image that first appear in Super Mario Sunshine. They act as guardians of Isle Delfino and are the source of the island's sunshine. They are also Super Mario Sunshines equivalent to Super Mario 64s Power Stars. Their presence is necessary to sustain the lifestyle of Isle Delfino's population, so they are thus held very dear to the island's inhabitants. Under normal circumstances, Shine Sprites gather in great numbers at the Shine Gate, a large structure in the center of Delfino Plaza. They can be scared away from their gathering spot though. When Shine Sprites scatter, their collective power weakens and the island gets covered in a haze that blocks out sunlight.

There are 120 Shine Sprites on Isle Delfino. Although they are mainly associated with the island, Shine Sprites can appear in other places as well.

Super Mario Sunshine
The Shine Sprites of Isle Delfino play a key role in Super Mario Sunshine. They are a factor in Bowser Jr.'s plot to get Mario sent to prison. At some point prior to the events of the game, Bowser Jr., posing as Mario, attacks the Shine Gate and defaces the monument with Graffiti. Having their gathering spot polluted caused the Shine Sprites to scatter throughout the entire island, leaving the population engulfed in darkness. When Mario then arrives on Isle Delfino at the start of the game, he is promptly tried for upsetting the Shine Sprites. Mario's objective from that point on is to collect the scattered Shine Sprites and restore the original conditions of Isle Delfino.

Gameplay-wise, Shine Sprites function in a similar way as Power Stars did in Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2. The 120 Shine Sprites can be found all over Isle Delfino. Some are hidden in obscure or remote places, while others are held captive by bosses or, in some cases, the islanders themselves. Each world has eleven of them: eight regular ones, two secret ones, and one that appears if Mario collects a hundred coins. 43 Shine Sprites can be found in Delfino Plaza and Delfino Airstrip; 24 of them can be traded for Blue Coins (ten coins per Shine Sprite). Only the seventh regular Shine Sprite of each world is required to access the final boss in Corona Mountain; the rest are optional.

If the game is completed with all 120 Shine Sprites, the picture of Il Piantissimo shown after the credits will be replaced with a large group picture showing several characters from the game. The player will also be rewarded with a red sun sign next to his or her file block in the file select screen. The Shine Sprite also appears in the game's title screen.

Although the majority of the Shine Sprites have only been scattered relatively recently by Shadow Mario prior to the events of the game, the Noki Elder tells Mario of a hidden Shine Sprite in Noki Bay that has been there since ancient times.

Mario Kart series
Shine Sprites are also the focus of various mini games in the Mario Kart games, namely Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS.

One game, based somewhat on Capture the Flag, has characters attempting to hold onto a Shine Sprite until the timer is expired. Being struck with any of the game's weaponry, including Koopa Shells, Banana Peels, and the like causes the character to forfeit his or her hold on the Shine Sprite, allowing another character to pick it up. In the DS version, there are nine sprites, with a timer resetting every 30 seconds or so. Whoever has or is tied for the least sprites is then eliminated. In Double Dash!!, there is only one sprite, and whoever holds it when time runs out wins. Shine Sprites are also featured on a few billboards in the races in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7. In Mario Kart 8, Sunshine Airport's logo is a Shine Sprite itself.

Super Mario-Kun
Mario collects Shine Sprites also in the Super Mario-Kun adaption of Super Mario Sunshine. He receives his first one after defeating a Polluted Piranha Plant, as in the game. Shortly after, a Pianta explains to him about the Shine Sprite, also as in the game (this time, however, Mario does not get sent to jail; he went to jail prior to this).

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, three Shine Sprites can be traded for a partner's level-up. There are 42 in the game, with each of the 7 partners being able to upgrade twice. The fortune teller Merluvlee can tell where the Shine Sprites are. The Shine Sprite also makes a minor (but commonly-seen) other appearance as the icon for Mario's partners' "Attack" choice. If the player lines up three Shine Sprite icons in the Bingo! wheel during battle, the effect refills all of Mario's and his partner's HP, FP, and SP, and fills every seat in the audiences.

Mario Golf: Advance Tour
Shine Sprites appear in Item Boxes on Star Courses. When recieved, the Shine Sprite will stop the rain.

Mario Power Tennis
Shine Sprites appear in Mario Power Tennis in the special game Tic Tac Glow. In that game, the player must hit the water balls at Goop puddles at the opposite side of the court. If the player manages to get rid of enough Goop, Shine Sprites will appear granting points. They also appear on the menu screen as outlines of the six modes.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Shine Sprites also appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time as the result of hitting any of the semi-rare Shine Blocks. Their purpose is to light dark spike rooms for the babies.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
One of the Ranks available to Mario and Luigi is the Shine rank, which they attain at level 18. Once this rank is reached, they may shop at the Shine store in Toad Town.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, a Shine Sprite appears as the sun in the background of Tropical Island, but without eyes.

Merluvlee's predictions in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's east side... You ride Yoshi across the canal and climb to the roof. You jump from one rooftop to the next and find it on top of the red roof.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's east side... It is in the back room of the sea bomb's house.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's west side... On the right of the second floor of the rightmost house... You roll up and drop through a gap to find it in the backyard.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's west side... You blow up the wall on the side of the store. It is back there.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's east side... You ride Yoshi across the canal and climb to the roof. You turn sideways to get between the cargo there and fall to get it at the bottom.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... You leave this building, roll up, and go to the left. You perform a Spring Jump next to the pipe beyond the up-and-down platform. You follow the pipe, drop onto the roof, drop to the next roof, and continue on...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... You leave this building and go to the right... When you see water, you get on the glowing panel, transform, and sail on... It is on a platform beyond there.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Deep beneath Rogueport... On the left side of the room with the great door... On the platform above the jump pad...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On Rogueport's west side... Underground, where you fall by turning sideways... It is there on the left...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... By an up-and-down platform where water flows in front. It is on the high platform in the back.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... Near a glowing panel where water flows in front... You stand on the panel, transform, and sail far to the right... It is in the room there.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... Near a glowing panel where water flows in front... You stand on the panel, transform, and sail far to the right... It is in the room there. You stand under it and do a Spring Jump.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Underneath Rogueport... Near a glowing panel where water flows in front... You stand on the panel, transform, and sail far to the right... It is in the room there.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the big castle... Beyond the many cells... It is next to a window in front of the large staircase.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the big castle... In the room with the moving yellow and green blocks... Next to the window in the highest place...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the big castle... In a storeroom with several chests... It is there among the chests and boxes...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the thick woods... To the left of a high, glowing panel...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the Great Tree where the little ones live... Near the bubble pond... You go down from there... It is on the right.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the Great Tree... You go down from where you arranged the four symbols. It is on top of a high platform.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the Great Tree... I see a lot of water... It is on the vegetation floating on the water...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Inside the Great Tree... Go down from the room that has two glowing panels... It is on top of the large high platform.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the city in the clouds... Next to the entrance to the arena... You hit the hidden block below to get to it...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the city in the clouds... In the storeroom on the second floor of the arena...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the dense, eerie woods... Behind a tree beyond the big rock...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the scary steeple... In the storeroom that you have to roll up to get into...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Outside the scary steeple... In the room at the bottom of the well...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. Outside the scary steeple... Past the door on one side of the room at the well bottom.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the jungle on the isle... Beyond the Nibbles pond... Near the steep cliff on the left...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the jungle on the isle... Behind the leaves of the tree beyond the rope bridge...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the Pirate's Grotto... Where the two boats are floating near the entrance... On the bow of the left-hand boat...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the Pirate's Grotto... Where you see many barrels on the left-hand side. You climb onto something, rise to a high place, and find it atop a barrel.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the Pirate's Grotto... At the top of the stairs beyond the sluice gate... You find the hidden block next to it first to get it.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the Pirate's Grotto... Where there are many waves and many spikes... It is on the left there. You find the hidden block next to it first to get it...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the Pirate's Grotto... Where there are many waves and many spikes... It is floating above the sea there.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On a beautiful, shiny train... It is in cabin 5.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On a beautiful, shiny train... The small Bob-omb in cabin 8 has it... You fulfill his request to get it.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. At the train-refueling depot... In the place outside where you can see the sunset... Next to the stairs there...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. At the train-refueling depot... At the top of the stairs that go up from left to right...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the town of wealth... Next to the sanctum...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the sanctum in the town of extraordinary wealth... In the room beyond the pipe... It is in a high place near the entrance.
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. In the cold village... In the very back of the village, covered in snow...
 * ''I see...a Shine Sprite. On the cold village path... You go right from the pipe that leads to Rogueport... You find it behind the tree on the left and in the front.

Super Mario Sunshine description
''The revered symbols of Isle Delfino normally gather at the Shine Gate. Their collective power sustains the island.''

Names in other languages
Insignie der Sonne