Tolstar

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

- Tolstar

Tolstar, the king of Stardust Fields, was a greedy trickster found in the game Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. His name probably derives from the fact Tolstar forces people (such as Mario and Luigi) to pay a toll in order to get across the border in Stardust Fields (he also has star patterns on his forehead and stomach). It could also be either a play on the Russian word толстый (tólstyj), meaning "fat" or a portmanteau of the Russian author Tolstoy and the word star.

When Bowser got stuck in a cannon, Tolstar charged the brothers all of their Coins to get Bowser out and keep the incident a secret. Mario offered up the coins, but they are all Mushroom Kingdom coins, and worth much less in the Beanbean Kingdom. Tolstar demanded 100 Beanbean Coins and the brothers had to search Stardust Fields for them. Upon collecting them, however, Tolstar still refused to set Bowser free and attacked Mario and Luigi. He was the first major boss in the game.

In battle, he attacks by throwing spiked balls at Mario or Luigi, and even gives a hint by saying that remembering which hand he throws it with won't help them. In battle, Tolstar will sometimes laugh before tossing a spiked ball; this means that the targeted brother shouldn't jump, as the ball will simply bounce over him. After defeating him, the Bros. are about to free Bowser, but Sergeant Starshade, fed up 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 Guards. However, a beat-up Tolstar flies over (using the tiny wings on his shoulders) to inform the guards that the two are Mario and Luigi, that they are tough and that they didn't kidnap the Prince. He's never seen again after that.

Trivia

 * Tolstar may possibly be related to Spike, a similar-looking species of minor enemy that made its debut in Super Mario Bros. 3. They even share a similar attack pattern, with Tolstar coughing up spike balls and throwing them at Mario or Luigi. Tolstar also bears some resemblance to Tubba Blubba, in Paper Mario, and Macho Grubba, in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.