The Mystery of “Gravity Falls”

The Show

      “Gravity Falls” is an animated kids TV show created by Alexander (Alex) Robert Hirsh. Hirsh is an American animator, storyboard artist, director, producer, and voice actor. Hirsh was most famous for the creation and production of “Gravity Falls”, but he also helped in other cartoons such as: “Fish Hooks”, “Phineas and Ferb”, “Star vs. the Forces of Evil”, and “The Owl House”. 

Alex was born in Piedmont, California, on June 18, 1985. His parents divorced when he was young. He has a twin sister named Ariel, as well as three half sisters: Lauren, Katrina, and Jessica. Many of the events in the show, are inspired by real life experiences while he lived in California. 

The show itself, “Gravity Falls”, is about Dipper and Mabel pines and their adventures in Gravity Falls, Oregon. They are sent off by their parents to their great uncle, Grunkle Stan, for the summer. Stan immediately enlists the kids to help him run the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap. Although, the twins find out Mystery Shack is a scam, they very quickly figure out that Gravity Falls is pretty strange. Its filled with secrets, monsters and mystery. While Dipper is focused on solving the mysteries of Gravity Falls, Mable is more worried about summer romance. 

The Characters 

Dipper Pines (voiced by Jason Ritter) is the 12-year old twin brother of Mable Pines. He is portrayed as an intelligent adventurer who has an issue with sitting still. He is also very goal-oriented and rooted in details. Dipper is known for sometimes overthinking situations and making obsessive lists/plans. It is later revealed that Dipper is not his real name. He got this nickname from the birthmark on his forehead that looks like the The Big Dipper (the constellation). His real name is Mason. 

Mable Pines (voiced by Kristen Schaal) is the 12-year old twin sister of Dipper Pines. She is portrayed as an eccentric, buoyant, and energetic optimist. She often wears brightly colored sweaters she knitted herself. Her silliness is seen as a burden most of the time, and is like a comic relief character. She also has a pet pig named Waddles. 

Grunkle Stan (voiced by Alex Hirsh) is the great uncle of Mable and Dipper pines. He is in charge of taking care of the kids during summer. He is a con man who runs a tourist trap. His flair for showmanship is oddly hypnotizing, and thus he is able to make money by peddling the bogus trinkets and baubles in his store. He is money driven so when he’s not making money, he is usually sitting at home watching TV. 

Soos (voiced by Alex Hirsh) is a handy man that works for Grunkle Stan. He often goes on adventures with the twins. He is a very loveable and child-like character who loves driving the twins around and hanging out with them. He also says “dude” after almost every sentence. 

Wendy Corduroy (voiced by Linda Cardellni) is a 15-year old girl who works part time at the Mystery Shack. She is also Dipper’s crush, who tries to impress Wendy in several of the episodes. She is sociable, with many friends who are around her age, and is somewhat tomboyish. Dipper hangs out with Wendy and her friends in multiple episodes. 

Bill Cipher (voiced by Alex Hirsh) is an interdimensional being who terrorizes the twins. He is one of the main antagonists of the series. He can control people’s mind as long as he makes a deal with them and shakes their hand. His main intention is to take over the world and be the ruler of the 3rd Dimension. 

The Game 

The Cipher Hunt was an ARG (alternate reality game) about “Gravity Falls” that was also created by Alex. The whole point was to locate the real life Bill Cipher statue, briefly glimpsed in the series finale, by retrieving and decoding clues hidden in various locations around the world. The first ones to reach the statue was given a prize. It started on July 20, 2016 and finished on August 2, 2016. Alex discussed in the documentary “One Crazy Summer” that he wanted to leave his fans one last mystery. 

The clues were found all around the world and online. 

Clues were found in:

• St. Petersburg, Russia
• Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Newport, Rhode Island
• Griffith Park, Los Angeles
• Century City, Los Angeles
• CSSSA Campus, Los Angeles
• Piedmont, California
• 1825 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles
• Portland, Oregon
• Confusion Hill, California
• Amity, Oregon
• Enchanted Forest, Turner, Oregon
• Reedsport, Oregon – Cipher’s Statue

The Bill Cipher Statue was found in Reedsport, Oregon but was later relocated to Confusion Hill in California. 

Although the statue was hidden, someone from Reedsport, Oregon, found the statue and treasure before the hunt even started. His name is Bradley and he even signed some of the “Stan Bucks” in the treasure chest. Bradley had never heard of the show and posted a picture of the statue to a unsolved mysteries Sub Reddit (Social media platform). Very soon after, Alex got in touch with Bradley and asked him to take down the pictures. Alex said he didn’t want the puzzle to be ruined. Bradley got $100 in prize money and was claimed the official winner of the ARG. 

In conclusion, the show was a great success during its air time from June 29, 2012 to February 15, 2016. The show garnered millions of viewers and is loved around the world. 

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Gravity_Falls

https://gravityfalls.fandom.com/wiki/Cipher_Hunt