List of allusions/Season 1

Tourist Trapped

 * See also: List of items in the Mystery Shack for allusions made by specific items.


 * The mask Grunkle Stan wears to scare Dipper is an allusion to the Gill-man from the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon.
 * When Mabel is tied down by the gnomes, the scene references when Gulliver is tied down by the Lilliputians in the book Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.
 * Mabel's pose with the grappling hook is a nod to The Legend of Zelda. The grappling hook itself is also a reference to the recurring Hookshot item, which first appeared in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
 * When Mabel shows Dipper the splinters on her hands, there is a poster behind her with a boy on it that resembles Justin Bieber.

The Legend of the Gobblewonker

 * The Gobblewonker is an obvious allusion to the Loch Ness Monster.
 * Soos' pose when he was on the boat is an allusion of the famous film of Bigfoot.
 * Scuttlebutt in Scuttlebutt Island is US Navy jargon for a rumor or gossip.
 * During Dipper's fantasy, his outfit is a clear reference to Indiana Jones.
 * The roar of the Gobblewonker is the same roar as the Tyrannosaurus Rex from Jurassic Park.

Headhunters

 * The hidden door behind the wallpaper is potentially a reference to the Neil Gaiman novella Coraline
 * When lamenting Wax Lincoln's death, Grunkle Stan references the assassination of Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth.
 * Mabel says, "wree, wree, wree!" while swinging the axe. This is a reference to the musical score The Murder played during the shower scene in the film Psycho.
 * The nickname "Mabelangelo" is a clear reference to the famous sculptor and painter Michelangelo.
 * Wax Sherlock Holmes falling off the Mystery Shack to his death while dueling Dipper may be an allusion to Holmes's original death in the Arthur Conan Doyle book series; falling of the Reichenbach Falls while dueling his nemesis, Professor Moriarty.
 * Wax Groucho Marx asks "Why is there nothing in my hand?" Groucho Marx is known for holding his iconic cigar; however by television content regulations, US children's shows cannot have tobacco products unless it is integral to the plot (such as a "Drug Free" special).
 * The machine Manly Dan is arm wrestling with, "Bicepticus," is a reference to Kirk Douglas in 1960's film Spartacus.
 * When Mabel asks Wax William Shakespeare if he knows any limericks, he says "There once was a dude from Kentucky." This is a reference to an opening line for many joke limericks,"There once was a man from Nantucket."

The Hand That Rocks the Mabel

 * The name of the episode "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" is a play on words of a 1992 movie title, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. It could also be an allusion of the somewhat commonly said phrase "The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world."
 * Dipper says that Gideon's tent is a Bizarro version of the Mystery Shack. Bizarro is a flawed clone of Superman who lives on a world where people are the opposite of their Earth counterparts.
 * Mabel "bezazzles" her face; a reference to the real product, the Bedazzler.
 * Gideon Gleeful's appearance is based on Benny Hinn, a famous Christian televangelist who claims to be a prophet.
 * While watching Gideon's commercial on TV, Mabel makes the same noise Scooby-Doo makes when questioning something.
 * The "Club Club" is a direct reference to the "Red Room" in the Black and White Lodge from the TV series Twin Peaks.

The Inconveniencing

 * The name of the haunted mini-mart "Dusk 2 Dawn" is an allusion to the 1996 Quentin Tarantino movie, From Dusk Till Dawn.
 * When Mabel "runs sideways" on the ground after she went over the fence, it's similar to what Curly Howard does in The Three Stooges.
 * The newspaper Dipper reads has a similar title and logo to USA Today.
 * The article about "cheese crust pizza" alludes to the introduction of Pizza Hut's Stuffed Crust Pizza on March 26, 1995
 * Some of the snacks appear similar to Ho Hos, Hostess Fruit Pies, and Hostess CupCakes.
 * The kids putting mints in the soda is an allusion to the Diet Coke and Mentos eruption.
 * The mints packaging is very similar to Mentos.
 * Thompson plays a game called Dancy Pants Revolution. This is a reference to the game Dance Dance Revolution.
 * Mabel twisting her head 180 degrees while being possessed by a ghost is a reference to a scene in The Exorcist.
 * Lee is put in a cereal box similar to Froot Loops with a blue toucan similar to Toucan Sam on it. The toucan says "I'm bonkers for eating you alive!" in the same way Sonny the Cuckoo Bird says "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!"
 * When Wendy told Dipper that he was "surprisingly mature for his age", he replied "Yes, yes I am," it may be an allusion of the "Too Young Line" gag of the animated television show Phineas and Ferb.
 * The candy "Smile Dip" is a reference to "Fun Dip."
 * When the ghost lifts everything on the ceiling, music plays that sounds similar to the famous Ghostbusters theme.
 * The Smile Dip dogs are similar to Lisa Frank's Casey and Camus. This also connects to Mabel's sticker books.

Dipper vs. Manliness

 * The song Disco Girl by girly Icelandic pop sensation BABBA is a reference to the song Dancing Queen by the Swedish pop group ABBA.
 * The BABBA CD cover style is similar to BAYER LOGO style.
 * ABBA's logo is the band's name with the first B facing backwards. BABBA has two B's on top of each other.
 * The Manotaurs are a reference to the mythological creature Minotaur.
 * The Manotaur "Chutzpar" references Orthodox Judaism is multiple ways. Unlike the other Manotaurs, he wears a head covering akin to a Kippah (i.e., yarmulke) and has hair similar to payot (sidecurls). Moreover, his name is a portmanteau of the Hebrew words חוצפה "Chutzpah" (heb: חוצפה, also loaned to Yiddish) and "Par" (heb: פר), which means "bull".
 * The jerky that Dipper is eating while in the forest has a picture of a man on the front of the bag bears a striking resemblance to Hulk Hogan.

Double Dipper

 * The song that Mabel sings, "Don't Start Un-Believing," is an allusion to the song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.
 * While performing "Don't Start Un-Believing", Mabel twirls the mic around by its cord, a trademark of Roger Daltrey from The Who.
 * Pacifica Northwest's name is a pun on the U.S. region "Pacific Northwest", the region containing Oregon state.
 * Paper-Jam Dipper may be a reference to the plot of the film Multiplicity, in which a man creates a series of clones of himself and the 4th is very badly disabled.
 * The cracker packs are an allusion to Handi-Snacks.
 * The scene where Dipper copies his arm and it crawls towards him and Mabel is a reference to the 1981 horror film, The Hand.
 * The tall man Dipper called "Stretch" does a dance which is an allusion to Michael Jackson's famous Moon Walk.
 * The Tapeman is a reference to the Sony Walkman, a portable audio cassette player.
 * On Dipper's list, steps 19 and 20 reference his knowledge of "Monstermon", likely a reference to the Pokémon franchise.

Irrational Treasure

 * The title of the episode is an allusion to National Treasure. Dipper's "We're in" line is also inspired by this.
 * The Depants-ipation Proclamation is an allusion to the Emancipation Proclamation made by United States President Abraham Lincoln.
 * Footage of Quentin Trembley's speech makes an allusion to the famous line "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" made by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first inaugural speech.
 * This may also be an allusion to the "First presidents conspiracy" that holds there were other presidents before George Washington, who were erased from history as he was not a member of the Freemasons. Technically, there were presidents before Washington, but these were presidents of the Continental Congress, a title that immediately lost all status once the United States became a nation.
 * The cryptogram decodes as "E PLURIBUS TREMBLEY" (Latin for "From Many, Trembley), a play on the phrase "E PLURIBUS UNUM" (Latin for "From Many, One") found on the Great Seal of the United States and on all US coins.

The Time Traveler's Pig

 * The title of the episode is an allusion to the novel The Time Traveler's Wife.
 * The cryptogram at the end of the episode says "NOT H.G. WELLS APPROVED". This references the science fiction novella The Time Machine, by H. G. Wells.
 * At the end of the episode, Dipper quotes the line "That'll do, pig. That'll do." from the novel and the film Babe.
 * The two Time Police are named Lolph and Dundgren, a reference to the actor Dolph Lundgren and the character he starred in Universal Soldier.
 * The episode also makes direct references to the video game The Oregon Trail, including a joke about a common cause of death in the game: dysentery.
 * Fertilia Mecc and Grady Mecc's surname refers to Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) which produced the video game The Oregon Trail.
 * Mabel and Waddles eating the same slice of pizza from different ends is a reference to the Disney animated film Lady and the Tramp.

Fight Fighters

 * The title of the episode and the arcade game Fight Fighters is an allusion to the Street Fighter series.
 * The character "Beastor" appears to be similar to Blanka from the Street Fighter series.
 * Rumble McSkirmish is an amalgamation of Ken Masters, Ryu, and Sagat from the Street Fighter series.
 * Rumble's catchphrase "Winners don't lose" is likely a reference to the slogan "Winners Don't Use Drugs".
 * Dipper chases Rumble McSkirmish and Robbie to "Barrel and Crates Incorporated," a reference to the classic Donkey Kong games.
 * Rumble's pipe that he got "from punching an oil drum" is a reference to the Final Fight or Streets Of Rage game series.
 * Rumble McSkirmish punching the car in the "bonus round" is a reference to an identical bonus level in Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight.
 * When Rumble does the uppercut at the all you can eat buffet, he shouts, "ALL YOU CAN EAT!" The way he shouts it and the way he does the move is a reference to the uppercut move used by Ryu and Ken from Street Fighter.
 * Rumble uses a move similar to E. Honda's Hundred Hand Slap move to destroy the car.
 * When Rumble McSkirmish knocks Robbie off the water tower and grabs him, an announcer says "Finish him!", a direct reference to the Mortal Kombat series.
 * When Soos asks Dipper if he needs a sidekick with a pickup truck, this may be a reference to the 1989 movie The Wizard, a film about video games, in which one of the characters is a sidekick with a pickup truck.
 * When Dipper is talking about power-ups to Rumble, he references a few video games:
 * Turkey legs, which might be a reference to the Meat powerup in the Castlevania series
 * Pizza boxes is a reference to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle games
 * Gold rings which is a reference to the Sonic the Hedgehog series in which Sonic collects gold rings in his video games.
 * Robbie's cellphone resembles an iPhone.
 * Games in the Arcade:
 * Nort, is a backwards spelling of the classic sci-fi movie Tron, and appears to be like the light cycle game, only with Segways.
 * Soos trying to "enter the game" is a reference to the plot of Tron.
 * Ho-Down Hero, a reference to Guitar Hero series and Dance Dance Revolution series.
 * Ghost Maze, a reference to Pac-Man.
 * Nerd Punch, a reference to the Punch-Out!! series.
 * FrogTime, a reference to Frogger.
 * PizzaTime, a reference to BurgerTime.
 * A game at the beginning that could be a reference to Mario games (similar character design, and blocks with "!" on them)
 * The game The Claw is a reference to the film Toy Story, in which the three aliens' "master" is the claw of a prize machine.
 * The end credits contains several references:
 * Mabel's video game character says "It's a-me, a-Mabel!" in an Italian accent like that of Nintendo's famous video game character Mario.
 * Stan says he jumps higher, which was Luigi's special quality in the Mario games.
 * Soos is shown as a large head eating the characters, a reference to Pac-Man.
 * Most of the credits scene is a reference to the classic game Super Mario Bros. 2, including Soos sleeping.
 * The cryptogram reads "Sorry Dipper, but your Wendy is in another castle". This is a reference to Super Mario Bros, in which Toad would tell players, "Thank you Mario, but our Princess is in another castle."

Little Dipper

 * The title of the episode refers to the constellation Ursa Minor, often referred to as the Little Dipper.
 * The book Gideon has in his room is titled "In the Art of War" which is a reference to the Chinese military treatise The Art of War.
 * Gummy Koalas are a spoof of Gummy Bears.
 * Mabel shouts into the closet "Expecto Wizarium!", a reference to the Harry Potter spell "Expecto Patronum!"
 * The scene in which Dipper and Mabel escape from Gideon's is similar to the scene where Homer and Marge try to get home in The Simpsons episode "Natural Born Kissers."
 * Specifically, Homer and Marge escape from a used car lot, they use a balloon, and there is a sign that says "Our prices are sky-high!" (similar to when Bud says "My sky-high prices!").

Summerween

 * In the scene where the boys show Stan a video of a kitten about to sleep but unexpectedly changes into a demon screaming, it resembles Regan's demon face from The Exorcist, which got infamous from Scary Maze Game and other pranks from YouTube videos (commonly referred to as "screamers"), and many other tricks.
 * When Waddles jumps out of Grunkle Stan's stomach, it is a reference to the Ridley Scott film Alien, in which the aliens impregnate the humans by laying their eggs in the human's mouths. When the eggs hatch, they burst out of the human's chest, killing them. The same reference occurs when Soos bursts out of the Summerween Trickster, screeching.
 * When Grunkle Stan is unable to scare the fearless pair of boys, they tell him they're not scared. Stan replies, "You will be. You, will, be", alluding to a similar scene between Luke Skywalker and Yoda in Star Wars Episode V.
 * The Summerween Trickster's first form and the overall events are similar to the movie Trick 'r Treat, where people are killed by a small monster if they do not respect Halloween's traditions.
 * The candy Mr. Adequate-bar is a reference to the Mr. Goodbar candy bars, and Count Discount to Count Chocula.
 * The Summerween Trickster is an homage to Spirited Away's No Face.
 * At the end of the episode, the pictures of Waddles with humorous captions are a reference to the well-known I Can Haz Cheezburger meme pictures.
 * The sword and shield that Dipper fights the Summerween Trickster with is a reference to the Master Sword and Hylian Shield that Link uses in various games from The Legend of Zelda series. The shield has the Eye of Providence on it as well.
 * Dipper sliding between the Summerween Trickster's legs and attacking his back is a reference to the final boss in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, where one of the (more difficult) ways to attack his weak spot is to have Link roll between Ganondorf's legs and attack his tail.
 * Waddles' costume is similar to the novel Animal Farm where, at the very end, the pigs start wearing suits.
 * Grunkle Stan calls himself the "Master of Fright," this quote, along with Stan's gesture, is another reference to The Nightmare Before Christmas in the song "Jack's Lament"
 * A candy called Blorch makes several cameos. This sweet shares the same name as a planet in Nickelodeon's Invader Zim, a planet that is home to slaughtering rat people.
 * The horror movie that Stan was watching at the end of the episode, is a parody of Invasion of the Saucer Men.
 * Stan is dressed as Sam Dracula, Count of Transylvania, aka Grandpa from The Munsters.
 * The score playing during the shower scene with Stan is The Murder from Psycho.

Boss Mabel

 * The game show Cash Wheel is a clear reference to Wheel of Fortune.
 * The Singin' Salmon is an allusion to Big Mouth Billy Bass.
 * Mabel being the #2 boss may be a refrence to the British television show "The Prisoner".

Bottomless Pit!

 * In Soos' story, when a ball is rolling after the miniaturized Dipper, Mabel, and Soos it is possibly a reference to Indiana Jones being chased by a rolling boulder during one of his adventures.
 * Ballway Games, the pinball table's maker, is an allusion to Bally-Midway, a pinball manufacturer.
 * Dipper says, "How you diddly-doing, Soos?" is a reference to Ned Flanders of The Simpsons.
 * Stan's story, "Grunkle Stan wins the football bowl", is a reference to the Super Bowl. Also, the uniforms of the football players in the story resemble the uniforms of the Green Bay Packers.

The Deep End

 * After Mermando is freed into Lake Gravity Falls, Mabel runs forward and he leaps over her in the same manner as the famous scene in Free Willy.
 * Before Mabel gives Mermando the sandwich, the score when Mabel bobs her head in and out of the water sounds similar to the famous Jaws score.
 * When Gideon put on his glasses he says "Deal with it" in reference to the meme catchphrase.
 * The dolphin sound Mermando makes, upon being set free into the lake, is a very specific soundbite from TVs Flipper.

Carpet Diem

 * The title is a play on the Latin aphorism carpe diem meaning "seize the day."
 * The boy band movie, "Boyz World" is a parody of the Spice Girls movie, "Spice World."
 * Soos makes an allusion to Tetris when explaining how he fits in his break room.
 * When Grenda is banging the floor, it is similar to Wreck-It-Ralph; it could be possible that Joe Pitt and/or Andre Medina did this as they both worked on the movie Wreck-It-Ralph and this episode of Gravity Falls.
 * Calling All Boys: Preteen Edition is an allusion to such games as "Girl Talk" and "Dream Phone," in which players can talk to male characters on electronic phones.

Boyz Crazy

 * The band "aggressively dancing at" Candy and Grenda is a reference to the play West Side Story.
 * In the beginning of the song "Cray Cray," the set is from the N'Sync song "Bye bye bye."
 * When Ergman Bratsman told the clone to dance, the last part of it was a reference to the N'Sync's dance in their hit song "Bye Bye Bye."
 * When Creggy G jumps between Deep Chris, he appears to land in JC Chasez's pose in the second verse of "Bye Bye Bye."
 * Tapeman is an allusion to Walkman.
 * Stan references the apocalypse (2012) several times.

Land Before Swine

 * The title is a play on the title of the film series The Land Before Time.
 * Several of Mabel's dance moves during her "Pig Dance Party" is a reference to the famous montage scene in The Breakfast Club.
 * Soos' saying, "Bros before dinos" is a take off of a popular phrase.
 * Referring to a potential new theme park site, Stan says "Jurassic Sap Hole," referencing the Jurassic Park franchise.
 * The mosquito stuck in the tree sap is also a reference to Jurassic Park where they get the dinosaurs' DNA from mosquitoes stuck in tree sap.
 * Bobby Renzobbi is a parody of Billy Mays, who was a television direct-response advertisement salesperson in real life.
 * Stan yells, "From Heck's heart, I stab at thee" referencing the quote "From Hell's heart, I stab at thee" by Ahab from the Herman Melville novel Moby-Dick.

Dreamscaperers

 * "Conflict Boat" is a reference to the game Battleship.
 * The Nyarf toy guns are references to Nerf toy guns.
 * Grandpa the Kid is probably a reference to Billy the Kid.
 * When Bill says he knows lots of things, a number of images flash in him. Some are conspiracies-related references to the following, in order of appearance:
 * The assassination of US President John F. Kennedy.
 * UFO sightings
 * Aztec calendar
 * Apollo moon landing
 * Stonehenge
 * The pyramids of Giza
 * Crop circles
 * Bill's claim to know many things may echo a similar one by the demon Mephistopheles in Goethe's Faust (I., vii., l. 1572).
 * The dance Xyler and Craz do when threatened by Bill Cipher is the same as Jonathan Knight (in red vest) and Joey McIntyre (in the green jacket) from the 1990 cartoon New Kids on the Block.
 * Soos's attack on Bill, "Soos Love Stomach Beam Stare" is a reference to the "Care Bear Stare" from the Care Bears.
 * The logo on the "Dream Boy High" VHS cover is a reference to Jem and the Holograms.
 * The end credits are an homage to the opening credits of the TV series Twin Peaks.
 * Like Angelo Badalamenti's instrumental Falling, the Gravity Falls Theme Song plays over a very slow pan across a waterfall and down a lazy river through the forest.
 * A woodpecker can be heard, echoing the Bewick's Wren seen at the start of the Twin Peaks opening credit montage.
 * The Gravity Falls Theme Song has been muted and drastically slowed from its familiar racing beat down to the tempo of very relaxed breathing, matching the tempo of the Twin Peaks theme.
 * At this pace, the Gravity Falls theme only plays through halfway, trailing off just when our ears anticipate the theme's bridge picking up in intensity. This surprising tempo change is borrowed from a second track, the title track from Badalamenti and David Lynch's album Into the Night, sung by Julee Cruise.
 * Once Twin Peaks had been cancelled, Lynch wrote the finale to be the most dramatic and disturbing cliffhanger possible. When the frantic S1e19 The real Bijou theater.png.]]pace of the Mystery Shack's imminent destruction suddenly shifts into tranquility, the abrupt transition is familiarly Lynchean.
 * The Bijou Theater is an homage to the Bijou Theater at CalArts which is the campus projection room at the school Alex Hirsch attended.

Gideon Rises

 * "Gideonland" and its logo design is a reference to Disneyland.
 * Robbie chasing Wendy with the boombox is similar to a scene in the movie Say Anything....
 * Soos squirts Dipper and Mabel with squirt guns resembling Super Soaker brand hand pistols.
 * When Deputy Edwin Durland said, "What on Earth happened here," it may be an allusion of the "Zoomates" gag of the animated television show Oh Yeah! Cartoons!.

Candy Monster

 * The "Mobius Chicken Strip" is an allusion to the Möbius strip.

Stan's Tattoo

 * One of the "secret society symbols" is Oroborus, a serpent eating its own tail, in a lemniscate.

Mailbox

 * The mailbox tells Dipper that the end of the world is in 3012, this is a reference to the apocalyptic theory based on Mayan calendar that the world would end in 2012.

Lefty

 * Mabel's theory that the man was a "half man, half lizard man," is a reference to the Reptilian conspiracies.

Tooth

 * Bear-O is based off of Billy Bob Brockali of the animatronic band, The Rock-afire Explosion.

The Hide Behind

 * The Hide Behind creature is a reference to a mystical creature know as the Hidebehind.

Mabel's Guide to Stickers

 * The Aztec text's story about a talking dog is a reference to the 1997 movie Air Bud and its sequel series, including Air Buddies and Santa Buddies.

Mabel's Guide to Fashion

 * Mabel makes over Soos to look like Jareth, the Goblin King, the main antagonist of the 1986 fantasy movie Labyrinth.

Mabel's Guide to Colors

 * Mabel's sweater is a reference to the cover of Pink Floyd's 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon.
 * The name of the wizard "Crandalf" who gave the world color is very similar to the name of the wizard Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings.
 * Her story of color entering the world may also be a reference to The Wizard of Oz, the first color movie, which started in black and white and transitioned into color later on.

Mabel's Guide to Art

 * Mabel's costume while experimenting on flight, and the words "Amelia Awesomeheart" is a reference to American aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart.

Fixin' It with Soos: Cuckoo Clock

 * While Soos' computer is rendering his video, the mouse pointer is Apple's spinning pinwheel.

TV Shorts 1

 * The scene where Gideon is being painted references the scene where Jack draws Rose in the movie Titanic.

Mabel's Scrapbook

 * Both shorts start with Mabel in a rocking chair by a fireplace, an homage to Masterpiece Theatre.
 * The picture of Mabel surrounded by dogsled dogs is in the exact arrangement of one of the posters for the 2002 Disney movie "Snow Dogs," with Mabel taking the place of the Cuba Gooding Jr. character, Ted Brooks.