What is Pollyanna, the Mother official comic?

Pollyanna, marketed as the MOTHER Official Comic, was published by Hobonichi in June 2020 as the print centerpiece of the Hobonichi MOTHER Project, which Itoi's company had launched that April. It sold for ¥2,400 (about $22 at the time), with Hobonichi's store selling from June 12, 2020 and general bookstores from June 25.

The book gathers tribute comics and essays from 35 manga artists and writers, each answering the same assignment: what this series is to you. Its most discussed contribution internationally came from Toby Fox, the creator of Undertale and a lifelong Mother devotee, who drew an essay comic in Japanese for the book, with staff cooperation, and called the invitation an honor.

The title is the thesis. Pollyanna, the hopeful vocal theme Catherine Warwick sang on the 1989 Mother album and the melody that recurs across all three games, lends the book its name and its tone: belief as the series' defining stance, the thing 35 professionals came to testify about.

A Hobonichi sticker sheet accompanied copies sold through Hobonichi's own store, the kind of small pack-in distinction collectors of the two printings note. A second volume followed in 2021.