Star Chip


 * Not to be confused with Star Bits.

Star Chips are items that appear in Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. They always appear in sets of five, obviously representing the five points of a star. When Mario collects all five of the yellow pieces, a Launch Star will appear. There are also blue Star Chips in addition to the regular yellow ones. Blue Star Chips are far less common, though they do prove integral to the successful completion of several levels. When all five are collected, they create a Pull Star. Sometimes, upon completing a set of yellow Star Chips, several Pull Stars will appear in addition to the Launch Star. When the first Star Chip is collected, a small icon representing the Launch Star (or Pull Star) will appear at the top middle of the screen, and will gradually fill up as Mario collects more Star Chips.

Super Mario Galaxy
Levels marked with * feature blue Star Chips as opposed to the regular yellow ones.

Trivia

 * In the Supermassive Galaxy, there are several platforms toward the middle of the level that are shaped like gigantic Star Chips.