Ness's dad's persona has always been an enigma. When asked the question "who is Ness's dad", I've taken into account not only his absence and his obvious wealth, but also his mannerisms, personality, and that one image that we see of him at the end of Mother. Let's get one thing settled before we continue - Ninten is not Ness's father, but his step-brother. This would make all the sisters step-sisters and so forth, and thus explain why "dad" acts the same in both games, at both times (late 1980s - 199X). So just who is Ness's dad, and why is he so rich, yet never home?
Ness's dad is deceased Canadian comedic actor, John Candy (of Cool Runnings fame).
But wait, that would make Ness half Canadian, right? Exactly! How else would you explain the cracked bat? Obviously, Mr Candy got annoyed at the fact that his son was trying to make it in Baseball, and tried to break his bat in an attempt to lure him to Football or Ice Hockey instead. This also explains why it inevitably becomes Ness's weapon of choice; a symbolic confrontation towards his pushy father, whipping out his aggression with the sporting equipment he least desires his son touch.
And what about the multiple families? Well, with the money comes the honeys, and it just so happens that Mr Candy realised that his fame could land him a sweeter dame, meeting Ness's mom sometime after 1981, after his first breakthrough appearance with Bill Murray in "Stripes", and eventually starting a family. This could also be an explanation as to why he is never at home, being too busy committing bigamy and such, but not the main reason.
During the events of Mother, John Candy is reaping the monetary rewards for starring in the box office hit "Cool Runnings", but the divorce process between him and Ninten's mom has already began, after having found out he had been starting another family for over 5 years. He still loves his eldest son, and still calls him regularly to make sure he is well and has enough money to buy the things he wants, but his objectivity to woman still shines through whenever Ninten refuses to have a rest, him not being old enough to completely comprehend the meaning of innuendo - "your mother never wanted to stop either". At the end of Mother, we see a man on the phone, wearing a hat and a long jacket. As you may know, John Candy suffered from obesity throughout his life, and even from the back you can plainly see that the hat-and-jacket figure is suffering from the same condition. As to where he's phoning from, it is presumably from the film set of "Uncle Buck" - in the movie he is seen wearing this attire. Note that, being the strong-willed woman she is, Ninten's mom manages to hold back the pain of her divorce to keep it from the children, while providing a loving, motherly-adoration dialogue towards her newly grown-up son.
Which leads us to Ness, the lovechild of a rich actor and his adoring fan. By 199X - being between 1990 and 1994, with the game being released in 1995 - Mr Candy had become a popular celebrity in the acting world, and like most actors in their prime, he was getting gig after gig after gig, drawing him further from his family, but still getting a 5-to-7-figure paycheque for each movie, tv appearance, and interview. With all this success however came reflection, and realising that his obesity had only became worse thanks to his success, he was aware of his deteriorating health by the time Ness had set out on his adventure. This leads to the dialogue, which shows a distinct difference in tone between Mother and EarthBound. He is constantly reminding Ness of how proud he is of his son, always wishing him good luck and reminding him that it's ok to kick back and relax from time to time, even when the shop owners try to rip him off because of his rich dad. Obviously, Candy is having a minor revelation within himself that his work has led to a life of divorce, poor health, and fast women. We don't know for sure if Ness's mom and dad are separated or not, but it becomes evident that it's another broken family when he reveals he will be home to see his son for his birthday - only making time for his son, not his (ex) wife/lover.
And so, while after the events of EarthBound, Candy did have a fatal heart attack, he is carried on through Ninten Candy, and Ness Candy-(Ness's Mom's surname).
His sudden death could also explain how there was never a third Candy family in Mother 3.
Ness's dad is deceased Canadian comedic actor, John Candy (of Cool Runnings fame).
But wait, that would make Ness half Canadian, right? Exactly! How else would you explain the cracked bat? Obviously, Mr Candy got annoyed at the fact that his son was trying to make it in Baseball, and tried to break his bat in an attempt to lure him to Football or Ice Hockey instead. This also explains why it inevitably becomes Ness's weapon of choice; a symbolic confrontation towards his pushy father, whipping out his aggression with the sporting equipment he least desires his son touch.
And what about the multiple families? Well, with the money comes the honeys, and it just so happens that Mr Candy realised that his fame could land him a sweeter dame, meeting Ness's mom sometime after 1981, after his first breakthrough appearance with Bill Murray in "Stripes", and eventually starting a family. This could also be an explanation as to why he is never at home, being too busy committing bigamy and such, but not the main reason.
During the events of Mother, John Candy is reaping the monetary rewards for starring in the box office hit "Cool Runnings", but the divorce process between him and Ninten's mom has already began, after having found out he had been starting another family for over 5 years. He still loves his eldest son, and still calls him regularly to make sure he is well and has enough money to buy the things he wants, but his objectivity to woman still shines through whenever Ninten refuses to have a rest, him not being old enough to completely comprehend the meaning of innuendo - "your mother never wanted to stop either". At the end of Mother, we see a man on the phone, wearing a hat and a long jacket. As you may know, John Candy suffered from obesity throughout his life, and even from the back you can plainly see that the hat-and-jacket figure is suffering from the same condition. As to where he's phoning from, it is presumably from the film set of "Uncle Buck" - in the movie he is seen wearing this attire. Note that, being the strong-willed woman she is, Ninten's mom manages to hold back the pain of her divorce to keep it from the children, while providing a loving, motherly-adoration dialogue towards her newly grown-up son.
Which leads us to Ness, the lovechild of a rich actor and his adoring fan. By 199X - being between 1990 and 1994, with the game being released in 1995 - Mr Candy had become a popular celebrity in the acting world, and like most actors in their prime, he was getting gig after gig after gig, drawing him further from his family, but still getting a 5-to-7-figure paycheque for each movie, tv appearance, and interview. With all this success however came reflection, and realising that his obesity had only became worse thanks to his success, he was aware of his deteriorating health by the time Ness had set out on his adventure. This leads to the dialogue, which shows a distinct difference in tone between Mother and EarthBound. He is constantly reminding Ness of how proud he is of his son, always wishing him good luck and reminding him that it's ok to kick back and relax from time to time, even when the shop owners try to rip him off because of his rich dad. Obviously, Candy is having a minor revelation within himself that his work has led to a life of divorce, poor health, and fast women. We don't know for sure if Ness's mom and dad are separated or not, but it becomes evident that it's another broken family when he reveals he will be home to see his son for his birthday - only making time for his son, not his (ex) wife/lover.
And so, while after the events of EarthBound, Candy did have a fatal heart attack, he is carried on through Ninten Candy, and Ness Candy-(Ness's Mom's surname).
His sudden death could also explain how there was never a third Candy family in Mother 3.
