For detailed information about this series, see: EarthBound Wiki

Mother, often referred to as EarthBound outside Japan, is an RPG video game series by Nintendo taking place in a modern-day western setting.

Each game in the series is a different story, with some recurring elements.

Video Games

Only three original games have been released:

• Mother (July 27th, 1989) for Famicom, Wii U Virtual Console, and Nintendo Switch Online. Initially only released in Japan, it was later released in North America and Europe as EarthBound Beginnings.
• Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back! (August 27th, 1994) for SNES, Wii U Virtual Console, New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, SNES Classic Edition, and Nintendo Switch Online. Known outside Japan as EarthBound.
• Mother 3 (April 20th, 2006) for Game Boy Advance, Wii U Virtual Console, and Nintendo Switch Online. Only released in Japan. Originally it was created as a Nintendo 64 game and would have been internationally released as EarthBound 64.

Compilation

• Mother 1 + 2 (June 20th, 2003) for Game Boy Advance

Publications

Gamebooks

• Mother: Invasion from the Unknown (1989)
• Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back (1994)

Novels

• Mother: The Original Story (1989)
• Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back (1994)

Manga / Comics

• Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back - Ness's Adventure Chronicles (September 15th, 1994)
• Pollyanna: MOTHER Official Comic (June 12th, 2020)
• Pollyanna2: MOTHER Official Comic (October 21st, 2021)

Other Books

• Encyclopedia Mother (1989, republished in 2003 for the release of Mother 1 + 2). Supplementary guide containing backstories and biographies for events and characters in Mother.

Board Game

• Slot Brothers (1994)

Links to Other Series

Direction	Series	Date	Description	Type
4	Pippi Longstocking	1989727 July 27, 1989	The character of Pippi in Mother is based off of Pippi Longstocking.	3
3	Mario	1989727 July 27, 1989	In the first Mother, a child talks about Super Mario Bros. 3 and the nonexisting Super Mario Bros. 7; Super Mario Maker features four costumes based on Mother characters. (see details)	2
4	Dragon Quest	1989727 July 27, 1989	In the Japanese version of Mother, specifically the Famicom version, the kid in Twinkle Elementary School asks Ninten if he has played Dragon Quest IV.	2
4	Ben Casey	1989727 July 27, 1989	In the Japanese version of Mother, the doctor in Merrysville/Thanksgiving is named "Big Ben Casey".	3
4	Stand by Me	1989727 July 27, 1989	An NPC's dialogue in Mother references Stand by Me.	3
4	Dirty Harry	1989 1989	Ken mentions Dirty Harry in the novel Mother: The Original Story.	2
4	Little Shop of Horrors	1989 1989	A scene in the novel Mother: The Original Story references Little Shop of Horrors.	3
4	Annie	1989 1989	The character Amy in Mother: The Original Story is based off of the titular character from Annie.	3
4	Superman	1989 1989	Encyclopedia Mother shows Lloyd owning a Superman doll.	2
4	Sim	1989 1989	Encyclopedia Mother shows Lloyd owning a copy of SimCity.	2
4	Ben-Hur	1989 1989	Encyclopedia Mother mentions Lloyd loving the Ben-Hur theme.	2
4	Donkey Kong	1994827 August 27, 1994	In EarthBound an arcade cabinet for a game very similar to Donkey Kong can be spotted. (see details)	2.5
4	Xevious	1994827 August 27, 1994	The background music in the Onett Arcade in Earthbound features sample notes similar to Xevious Arcade music.	2
4	Star Fox	1994 1994	Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back - Ness’s Adventure features a panel depicting characters watching Star Fox on the TV.	2
4	Father Knows Best	1994 1994	Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back - Ness’s Adventure features a reference to Father Knows Best.	2
4	Jaws	1994 1994	Jaws is mentioned in the novelization of Mother 2.	2
4	Rambo	199565 June 5, 1995	In EarthBound, an NPC in the Onett Arcade mentions Rambo.	2
5	Kirby	1996321 March 21, 1996	Mr. Saturn is an obtainable "item" in Kirby Super Star. (see details)	1
5	Game Boy Camera	1998221 February 21, 1998	An arranged version of the Twinkle Elementary School music from EarthBound Beginnings is featured in Game Boy Camera.	2
5	Super Smash Bros.	1999121 January 21, 1999	Ness is selectable in Super Smash Bros. and returns in its sequels with other elements from the series; in Super Smash Bros. Brawl Lucas is also selectable. (see details)	1
4	Star Wars	2006420 April 20, 2006	Mother 3 features a reference to the Star Wars movies.	3
4	The Notebook Trilogy	2006420 April 20, 2006	The Notebook Trilogy serves as an inspiration for Mother 3, with both featuring twins named Lucas and Claus.	3
3	The Legend of Zelda	2006420 April 20, 2006	The Rope Snake in Mother 3 might be based on the Rope enemy from Zelda, while the Whip in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is based on the Rope Snake.	3
4	Batman	2006420 April 20, 2006	The Mother 3 song "Mr. Batty Twist" references the theme song for the 1966 Batman TV Series.	3
4	Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends	2006519 May 19, 2006	One character from the series resemblances a similar character from the Mother series named Lucas, but the character’s name is possibly Young Man Rivers from “Neighbor Pains”, but returns in “Say It Isn’t Sew” and “Goodbye to Bloo”.	3
5	Scott Pilgrim	2006524 May 24, 2006	The night club "Chaos Theatre", first appearing in Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness, is named after the concert hall in Mother 2. In Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together, Scott wears a Mother 2 shirt.	2
5	World War Blue	2007730 July 30, 2007	Masa in World War Blue is based on the Mother series.	3
5	Natsu no Arashi!	2009524 May 24, 2009	Natsu no Arashi's episode "Suit Yourself" features a reference to Mother 2.	3
5	A Kappa's Trail	2009129 December 9, 2009	Ocho and other elements from Mother 3 make cameos in A Kappa's Trail.	1
5	Homestuck	2010 2010	Homestuck makes a number of references to Mother. The protagonists of EarthBound appear in a secret room in Homestuck. Joey Claire has a poster for Mother 2 in Hiveswap.	2
5	Animal Crossing	2012118 November 8, 2012	Animal Crossing: New Leaf features a reference to the Mother series.	2
5	Henry Stickmin	2013527 May 27, 2013	There's a spoof of the battle system from EarthBound in Infiltrating the Airship.	3
5	Steven Universe	2014514 May 14, 2014	The videogame "Mini Golf Quest" from the Steven Universe episode "Rose's Room" is partly inspired by Mother 2.	3
5	Miitopia	2016128 December 8, 2016	Miitopia features a costume based on Ness from Mother, obtainable by scanning the Ness amiibo.	2
5	Enter the Gungeon	2017126 January 26, 2017	Enter the Gungeon features a weapon called Casey that resembles Ness' most powerful weapon in Earthbound by the same name.	3
5	Angry Video Game Nerd	2018425 April 25, 2018	The 156th episode of The Angry Video Game Nerd reviews Earthbound for SNES.	2
5	GameCenter CX	20191115 November 15, 2019	Arino plays the GBA port of EarthBound through MOTHER 1+2 on a Game Boy Player in episodes 284, 285 and 286.	2
4	Undertale	2020612 June 12, 2020	An illustration of Toriel and Frisk from Undertale and Ness from Mother appear together in the Mother comic book Pollyanna. Undertale features various references to Mother.	1
5	DBX	2021615 June 15, 2021	Ness has been a subject for DBX.	2
5	Chibi Tiny Tales	202226 February 6, 2022	A background character that looks like Ness from Earthbound appears in "Doof Falls for Gamma".	3
5	Professor Chalk	2022923 September 23, 2022	A poster for Earthbound can be found in Professor Chalk's room in the music video for A Songus Amongus.	2
5	The Owl House	20221015 October 15, 2022	Ness's outfit from Earthbound can be found in The Owl House episode “Thanks to Them”.	2
5	Just Crow Things	2024417 April 17, 2024	A character based on Ness from Earthbound can be found in Just Crow Things.	3
5	Antonball	20241112 November 12, 2024	The "Motherly" and "Bound Upon Earth" sprays in Antonblast are based on the Mother series.	3