Podunk (マザーズデイの町, Mother's Day Town) is a town in EarthBound Beginnings. It is home to a number of characters in the game, among them Ninten and Pippi. Podunk is where the game's protagonist, Ninten, begins his adventure.
The Crow, Centipede, and Snake are enemies Ninten can consistently beat at level 2. Once Ninten reaches level 3, it is safe to fight the Stray Dog, The Hippie, and Wally because of PSI LifeUp α.
2 PseudoZombi NPCs can be interacted with near the path to the Cemetery. Although optional, upon defeating them, they give high amounts of EXP early that can make the trek to save Pippi easier. They do not respawn afterwards.
Background information
The prologue of EarthBound Beginnings is set in the town of Podunk. One night, a poltergeist appears in Ninten's House and takes control of several household items. The chaos subsides when Ninten overpowers one of his sister Mimmie's possessed Dolls. Ninten can arm himself with a Plastic Bat before traveling into the rural area of Podunk.
On the way, he can encounter the mother of a local girl named Pippi standing outside their house, from whom Ninten learns that Pippi has gone missing. In the urban areas of Podunk, Mr. Mayor, the head of Podunk, is preparing for re-elections at then time and enlists Ninten to rescue Pippi from the Cemetery to make himself out to be a hero and have the town vote in his favor.
Pippi is locked in a coffin in an underground tomb. Upon being rescued, Pippi may give Ninten a Franklin Badge if two questions are answered correctly (if not, the Franklin Badge can still be received if she is spoken to in her home). Pippi then joins Ninten's party as a playable character, and the two return to Podunk. When the two arrive at Podunk's City Hall, Mr. Mayor, eager for his name to be in the headlines as a hero, bribes Ninten with money and the key to the City Zoo. The police to the north-east of Podunk will only let Ninten pass by them if the Starman Jr. making the Zoo's animals run wild has been defeated. Once Ninten goes through the First XX Cave and leaves Magicant, the curfew blocking access to Merrysville will be lifted.
Services
Podunk Hotel, Central
- 1 Person ($39)
- 2 People ($78)
- 3 People ($117)
Podunk Burger Shop, West Central
- OrangeJuice ($5)
- FrenchFries ($15)
- Hamburger ($25)
City Hall, West Central
Needed for the story to progress. Talk to the Mayor after saving Pippi to gain access to the City Zoo.
Podunk Department Store, South Central
First Floor, Services
Sell any items here.
Second Floor, Drugs
- Antidote ($20)
- AsthmaSpray ($148)
- LifeUpCream ($194)
- Insecticide ($300)
Third Floor, Sports Goods
- Plastic Bat ($80)
- Slingshot ($120)
- Wooden Bat ($500)
Fourth Floor, Foods
- OrangeJuice ($5)
- Bread ($30)
- SportsDrink ($75)
Fifth Floor, Pet
- CanaryChick ($85)
Needed to get the Second Melody in Canary Village.
Podunk Hospital, South
Treatment: $125
Cure: $25
Northern Podunk
This area is accessed north of the main town of Podunk. It comprises of the City Zoo, the path to the first XX Cave to Magicant, and an open area north of the City Zoo lined with intermittent bridges and rivers. The open area that can be traversed north of the City Zoo is completely optional and offers no items. The enemies that can spawn here are fewer, with the Stray Dog, The Hippie, and Wally only spawning in the central area of Podunk. However, it does offer one new enemy, the BionicCenti, offering more than double the XP of a PseudoZombi, alongside being the first poisonous enemy in the game.
Trivia
- The equivalent of Podunk in EarthBound is said to be Onett. Both towns are the starting point of the protagonist's adventures, and feature a similar appearance in architecture. They are also similarly surrounded by a forest, have a Mayor running a town hall, need to progress the story by getting a key from the Mayor to unlock a certain area, and have a blockage to the next town until the issue is resolved.
- Podunk's name likely comes from the word's definition as a place in the middle of nowhere.
- The Encyclopedia Mother gives additional information on Podunk:
- Area: 16,790 m² (about 10.43 mi²)
- Pop.: 31
- Avg. Temp.: 15℃ (59℉)
- Main Industries: Agriculture & Sightseeing
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