The Starmie doll is a hidden treasure buried inside the cave you explore with Frillish in Bubbly Basin, and grabbing it is part of the “Build the beautiful building!” task that Popplio hands you. It stays invisible even when you stand right next to it, so you break through a specific stack of rocks to reveal it.
Quick answer: In the cave you explored with Frillish, go to the area lined with minecart tracks, use Rock Smash on the destructible block wall, then pick up the treasure bag that drops to claim the Starmie doll. Talk to Frillish afterward to complete the step.
What you need before the Starmie doll is reachable
Bubbly Basin is part of the paid Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass. You cannot start looking for the Starmie doll until you have opened up the underwater town and progressed the local story enough to meet Frillish.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Expansion Pass DLC | Part 1: Bubbly Basin must be installed alongside the base game. |
| Dive move | Learned through the free Ver. 2.0.0 update; needed to reach the town. |
| Bleak Beach task | Complete “Raise the environment level!” and speak to Popplio to open the underwater gate. |
| Environment level 3 | Bubbly Basin must reach environment level three before Frillish appears. |
The doll itself technically exists in the cave before Frillish shows up, but it is tied to the Frillish request. Waiting until the questline is active means picking it up also ticks off a required story step instead of wasting the trip.
How to find the Starmie doll in the cave
Tip: If you cannot spot the breakable wall, equip the Dowsing Machine and bring a Pokémon with the Search specialty. It points you straight to the glowing block, and keeping Frillish along handles story progress at the same time.
How to confirm you got it
You know the pickup worked when the treasure prompt appears and the Starmie doll lands in your inventory. Speaking to Frillish afterward triggers the “Is that…?” and doll dialogue, which marks the “Find a Starmie doll in the cave you explored with Frillish!” objective as done under the “Build the beautiful building!” task.
If the doll never appears, the most common reasons are hitting the wrong wall or skipping the Frillish step. Only the destructible rock stack in the minecart-track area drops the treasure, and Rock Smash is the move that breaks it.
What the Starmie doll unlocks
Beyond clearing the story step, the Starmie doll behaves like the other dolls in Pokopia. It works as decoration and, more importantly, opens the door to a new Dream Island that you can also visit in multiplayer to swim and play underwater with friends.
That Dream Island is a strong farming spot. You can gather resources such as Grubby Pearls, Sea Grapes, Coral, Gold, and Iron Ore to keep developing Bubbly Basin. The island also carries a chance to encounter the Legendary Pokémon Phione, though its appearance is random rather than guaranteed.
