Starlow: the Mario & Luigi mascot

CharacterStarlowMario & Luigi

Starlow, a blend of “star” and “yellow”. A Star Sprite introduced in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story on DS in 2009, Starlow guides the brothers and speaks on their behalf. This profile covers her debut, the Chippy alias she uses with Bowser, what she brings you controller in hand, her fiery temper and her return appearances in the series.

A little yellow star with a quick tongue, Starlow (Star Sprite ) is one of the most endearing characters in the Mario & Luigi series. Without her, the plumber brothers' adventures are hard to picture: she is the one who talks, who guides and who keeps everyone in line.

Introduced in 2009 in Bowser's Inside Story, the DS adventure set inside Bowser, this guide mascot has since accompanied several entries in the saga. Here is a look back at her origins, her very particular role and that famous alias, “ Chippy ”, which she uses to lead Bowser around by the nose.

Contents

• Who is Starlow?
• Her debut in Bowser's Inside Story
• Chippy, Bowser's secret informant
• What does she do, controller in hand?
• A fiery personality
• Her return appearances in the series
• Quick facts
• FAQ

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Who is Starlow?

Starlow is a Star Sprite: a living little yellow star with an expressive face and a voice all her own. Her English name, Starlow, blends star and yellow — an origin echoed exactly in the Japanese name, イエロースター (“Yellow Star”), and in the European French name, Étoile d'or.

Far from being a simple tutorial tool, she has a real personality and real narrative weight. She travels with Mario and Luigi throughout their adventures, comments on every situation, hands out advice and often acts as the team's third member. Since the plumber brothers stay silent, she carries most of the dialogue: she is, in many ways, the voice of Mario & Luigi.

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Her debut in Bowser's Inside Story

Starlow makes her debut in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Bowser's Inside Story), released on Nintendo DS in 2009 (February in Japan, October in Europe). She is sent there as the Star Sprites' representative to a crisis meeting held at the castle of Princess Peach, just as a strange epidemic is striking the Toads of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The meeting is cut short. Manipulated by the villainous Fawful , Bowser inhales everything in front of him thanks to a booby-trapped mushroom: Mario, Luigi, several Toads and Starlow included. Sucked inside the Koopa king's body, she finds the two brothers again and becomes their guide for the whole rest of the adventure. The game plays on that idea across two levels — you control Bowser on the outside and the brothers inside his body — and Starlow is the link between those two worlds.

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Chippy, Bowser's secret informant

This is where the character really shines. Inside Bowser, Starlow is in fact playing a double game. She guides Mario and Luigi through the Koopa king's organs, but she also whispers instructions to Bowser himself — without ever admitting that she is helping his worst enemies.

To cover her tracks, she introduces herself to Bowser under an alias: Chippy. Hot-tempered Bowser, convinced he is getting help from a mysterious ally, follows her instructions without suspecting that the very same voice is orchestrating the counterattack of the Mario brothers lodged in his belly. That misunderstanding fuels a good chunk of the game's humour.

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What does she do, controller in hand?

In practice, Starlow is the true guide mascot of the series. Her functions are extremely practical:

• Advice and tutorials: she explains the controls, points out the clues and reminds you of your objectives whenever you feel lost.
• Storage: she acts as a living inventory, holding on to the items and information you need to progress.
• Menu and attacks: she is partly how you reach the special attacks menu (the Bros. Attacks) and various settings.
• Storytelling: she reacts to every situation, teases the other characters and sets the tone of each scene.

That role makes her the direct heir to the series' guide companions, halfway between a tutorial and an endearing supporting character.

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A fiery personality

Starlow never minces her words. She is described as cheerful, kind and sharp, but also stubborn and quick to lose her patience. Her favourite targets? Bowser, whose arrogance she cannot stand, and Luigi, whose cowardice regularly makes her sigh.

That lively temperament contrasts with the comic silence of Mario and Luigi and gives the series a genuine mouthpiece. By commenting on the action with complete frankness, she makes every scene livelier and acts as an emotional relay for the player.

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Her return appearances in the series

After Bowser's Inside Story, Starlow became a fixture of Mario & Luigi:

• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013, Nintendo 3DS), where she once again guides the brothers through an adventure built around Luigi's dreams.
• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015 in Europe, 3DS), alongside Mario, Luigi and their paper double, Paper Mario.
• Mario & Luigi: Brothership (2024, Nintendo Switch), where she turns up again, even though the main guide role goes this time to a new companion.
• She also slips in as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018).

From one entry to the next, she has established herself as one of the recurring faces of the saga, to the point of ranking among the characters fans immediately associate with Mario & Luigi.

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Starlow at a glance

French name (Europe)	Gold Star
English name	Starlow (star + yellow)
Japanese name	イエロースター (Yellow Star)
Type	Star Sprite
First appearance	Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009, DS)
Role	Guide, tutorials, item storage
Alias	Chippy (with Bowser)
Other games	Dream Team, Paper Jam, Brothership

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FAQ

• Who is Starlow in Mario & Luigi?
  Starlow is a Star Sprite who acts as a guide and spokesperson for Mario and Luigi. She comments on the adventure, hands out advice and manages the team's items.
• Which game does Starlow first appear in?
  She makes her debut in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, released on Nintendo DS in 2009 (February in Japan, October in Europe).
• Why does Starlow call herself Chippy?
  In Bowser's Inside Story, she guides Bowser from inside his own body under the alias Chippy, so she can help him without revealing that she is also backing Mario and Luigi.
• What are Starlow's English and Japanese names?
  In English she is called Starlow, a contraction of star and yellow. In Japan, her name is イエロースター, meaning “Yellow Star”.
• Does Starlow come back after Bowser's Inside Story?
  Yes: she reappears in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (2013), Paper Jam (2015) and Brothership (2024), where the main guide role does, however, pass to a new character.

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