Franklin Badge is an item in the EarthBound (Mother) series, and an item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In the original series, it could deflect electric based attacks back at the enemy, but its effects are slightly altered in Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, once it is collected, it will automatically cling to the player that picked it up. If a projectile is shot or thrown at a player wearing the Franklin Badge, it will automatically be deflected right back at the attacker. However, the effects will wear off after a while.
The appearance of the Franklin Badge in Super Smash Bros. Brawl does not match with the appearance of the item in any of the original games. The badge has a background picture of the northern hemisphere on it, as well as a large picture with the Mother series logo. In EarthBound, it did not have any appearance because like most RPG games EarthBound does not have sprites for each item, so instead the item is based off the appearance of the Franklin Badge promotional item that came with the Mother 1+2 compilation that was only released in Japan. In Mother 3, the Franklin Badge reappears, and unlike EarthBound, Mother 3 has sprites for each item, but its appearance is completely different from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, looking like a yellow badge with a grey bolt.
A badge you can put on to gain the ability to reflect all projectiles. It has exactly the same effect as other reflectors in the game, like the one Fox uses. In EarthBound, it was used to counter Thunder attacks. The lightning bolt on the badge is proof of its capacity. Its importance and usefulness made a deep impression on players.
While not the most flashy of accessories, the Franklin Badge is actually incredibly useful. When wearing it, any projectiles launched your way will be reflected harmlessly off you. There is no downside, so grab this as soon as it appears. Don't get too confident, though - the bonus doesn't last long.
The Franklin Badge is named after one of the United States of America's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, who discovered the power of electricity.[1]