Tolstar

"Nyeck nyeck! You're not in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore! Outsiders begone!"

- Tolstar

Tolstar, the king of Stardust Fields, is a large, greedy Spike who appears in the game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. His name likely derives from "toll star", as he forces people (such as Mario and Luigi) to pay a toll to get across the border in Stardust Fields, or a play on the Russian word толстый (tólstyj), meaning "fat."

Unlike regular Spikes, Tolstar is a large Spike with orange lips, pink hair, a cream-colored underbelly, white collar, and small wings (and in turn, the ability to fly). He also has a yellow star on his forehead, as well as a large pink one on his stomach. He is also shown to blush when he is angry in the original game, though not in the remake.

When Bowser is stuck in a cannon in Stardust Fields, Tolstar charges the brothers all their Coins to get Bowser out the cannon and keep the incident a secret. Mario offers the coins, but they are all Mushroom Kingdom coins, and they are worth much less in the Beanbean Kingdom. The total amount of Mushroom Kingdom coins will always total 10 Beanbean Coins, regardless of how many the player has. Tolstar then demands an additional 100 Beanbean Coins, and the brothers must search Stardust Fields for them, either by defeating enemies or from ? Blocks. Upon collecting them, however, Tolstar still refuses to set Bowser free and attacks Mario and Luigi. He is the first major boss in the game.

In battle, he attacks by throwing spiked balls at Mario or Luigi, and he even gives a hint by saying that remembering which hand he throws it. Tolstar sometimes laughs before tossing a spiked ball; this means that the ball bounces over the brother. If said brother jumps while the ball is thrown, they will take damage. Unlike Spikes, the spike balls Tolstar throws just appear in his hands.

After defeating him, the Bros. are about to free Bowser, but Sergeant Starshade, annoyed with the Koopa King's complaints, shoots him out of the cannon (causing him to crash through the unconscious Tolstar) into parts unknown. The brothers advance to Hoohoo Village, where they are accused of kidnapping Prince Peasley by the Beanbean Knights. However, a beat-up Tolstar flies over (using the miniature wings on his shoulders) to inform the guards that the two are Mario and Luigi, that they are tough, and that they did not kidnap the Prince. He is never seen again after that.

Tolstar also has his own laugh, much like Cackletta, Fawful, Prince Peasley and Queen Bean.

Trivia

 * In the original game, Tolstar's talking voice changes to a more gruff voice during the battle, while in the overworld, he has a high-pitched talking voice.

Stella Magastro