- For the item in EarthBound, see Teddy Bear.
- "Brute strength is not enough to beat them. I know now that peace can be brought back to us. I believe."
- — Teddy
Teddy (テディ), also known as the Boss of the BB Gang (BBだんのボス, B.B.'s Boss in EarthBound Beginnings), is both an enemy boss and an optional playable character in EarthBound Beginnings.
Normally, he is the fourth character to join Ninten, as he can only join if the party consists of Ninten, Lloyd, and Ana, but replaces Lloyd when he joins. Though he has no PSI, Teddy has high stats across the board and equips an assortment of different swords and knives. His strongest weapon is the Katana.
As a boss, he shares his battle theme with the Hippie.
Appearance
Teddy is a young man whose age is implied to be in the early twenties or late teens. He has fair skin; a large, crooked nose; jet-black hair; short sideburns; an angular face with a prominent chin; and a disproportionate body, with a muscular torso and arms, and skinny legs. His hair is styled into a pompadour.
Teddy wears a red, sleeveless shirt; bright yellow pants that are supported by a black belt with a silver buckle; and a pair of red shoes with white laces and soles. He is never seen without his red sunglasses.
Personality
According to Encyclopedia MOTHER, Teddy's favorite things are his sunglasses; his guitar; a personal pack of "Horse Shit" brand cigarettes; his pet iguana; and an autobiography written in Japanese by the famous rock n' roll star, E. Yazawa.
As a gang leader, Teddy is brutal and had no qualms attacking young kids such as Ninten and his party, or using violence to get what he wants. According to Encyclopedia MOTHER, Teddy got his sunglasses by punching the owner of an eyeglasses store and forcing the man to sell Teddy a pair to appease him. His original Famicom boss sprite carried a knife, which indicated his violent personality. He's the reason why the Bla-Bla Gang was feared in Ellay.
His fellow Bla-Bla Gang members are friendly to him, as having Teddy in the party will only make B.B. Gang enemies greet Teddy; however, it is implied in Encyclopedia MOTHER that he secretly dislikes hanging around them and never wears the membership jackets his gang provides. In MOTHER 1+2, Teddy decides to leave the gang for good and shape himself up, getting himself a career as a singer who performs at the Live House.
Despite his ruthlessness, Teddy was said to be much nicer when he was younger. He loved his parents very much; in Encyclopedia MOTHER, shortly after his parents died in Mt. Itoi, Teddy was so despondent that he drank himself silly and started a bar fight to distract himself. Their deaths are what fueled his revenge, though his defeat and subsequent death/injury at the hands of R-7038 prevented him from fulfilling his quest.
History
According to Encyclopedia MOTHER, he was born in Ellay. His parents owned a repair shop named "TEDDY", and that he was named after it. From the age of 3, he showed an interest in Elvis Presley's music and tried imitating adult behavior by buying chocolate cigarettes.
At age 5, he became a troublemaker when he discovered a love for fighting. He grew past 170 cm and started smoking real cigarettes at age 10, was brought home in a patrol car for the first time at age 11, then got a graveyard shift at the Live House at age 12 by lying he was twice his age.
At age 14, Teddy joined and led the fearsome Bla-Bla Gang, which was also around the same time his parents were killed by monsters living in Mt. Itoi. With Teddy's help, the Bla-Bla Gang took over and dominated Ellay.
In the game, Teddy confronts Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd after their performance in the Live House, accusing them of attacking his gang, and challenges Ninten to a fight. After three turns, he decides to join Ninten's group to avenge his parents, booting Lloyd from the team. Later in the game, Ninten, Ana, and Teddy can rest at a cottage near the lake on Mt. Itoi. At this point, Ninten shares a dance with Ana, but soon afterwards, the group are attacked by R7038. The party is saved by Lloyd, but Teddy is injured, forcing Lloyd to rejoin the group.
In EarthBound Beginnings and MOTHER 1+2's endings, it's revealed that he later makes a full recovery and leaves the Bla-Bla gang to pursue a music career, and starts performing at the Live House every day.
Keeping Teddy in the Party
It is possible to complete the game with Teddy in the party instead of Lloyd. In order to do so, the player must avoid triggering the karaoke performance event in the Live House until the seventh Melody has been acquired from EVE. In order to accomplish this, the player must ascend Mt. Itoi with Lloyd still in the party and have him repair the motorboat needed to access the underwater laboratory and recruit EVE. Once EVE is in the party, either proceed as normal until R7038XX attacks the party near the mountain's peak, or attempt to backtrack in order to trigger the battle on the way back down. With EVE's melody acquired, the player can safely return to Ellay, activate the karaoke event, and recruit Teddy into the party. While visiting the healer's house on Mt. Itoi will still trigger the event that removes Teddy from the party, visiting the house is no longer necessary to complete the game.
One of the few prices to pay in preforming this technique is that if you keep Teddy, Lloyd's gadgets and weapons, such as the Super Bomb, will be rendered unusable unless the player decides to recruit Lloyd back into the party.
In the original Famicom version, another way to avoid losing Teddy is to use the Flea Bag on R7038, and after 255 turns the battle will automatically end in a draw. If this happens, the party will be invisible, and Lloyd will never arrive to take Teddy's place, making the game unwinnable if the seventh melody is not yet acquired.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Teddy appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a sticker. Attaching this sticker to the bottom of any character's trophy in The Subspace Emissary increases their resistance to battering attacks by 10.
Trivia
- Teddy's equivalent in the sequel, EarthBound, is said to be Frank Fly. Both are misguided leaders of delinquent gangs who eventually see the error of their ways and support the protagonists; however, unlike Teddy, Frank is not a playable character. Also, both have the Hippie's theme play when they are fought. Another equivalent to Teddy in EarthBound is said to be Poo, although the only commonality between the two of them is their shared preference for bladed weapons in combat.
- If Ninten refuses to let Teddy join the party three times, Ninten's Father calls and tells Ninten and co. to let Teddy join immediately. If Ninten refuses again, then his party will be teleported back to Ninten's House, regardless of whether Ninten or Ana have learned PSI Teleport.
- Perhaps due to the game's nonlinear nature, the Family Computer version of Mother does not state if Teddy heals from his injuries, which leaves his fate unknown. In EarthBound Beginnings and Mother 1 + 2, he fully recovers and sings daily at The Live Show, even if he didn't join the party.
- Jack was his early fan-name among English fans, originating from the shop in Youngtown being named "Jack"; Teddy happens to bear a resemblance to the boy running the shop. When his real name was discovered, it was phased out.
- Both EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound also contain a sprite used for NPCs that somewhat resembles Teddy, although the NPC sprite in EarthBound Beginnings appears considerably less muscular.
- Teddy originally carried a knife during the boss battle against him, but this was removed during localization; the differences are shown below. His left elbow was also changed for unknown reasons.
