Headhunters

"Headhunters" is the third episode in Season 1 of Gravity Falls. It premeired after the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine: Rap Battle Edition on June 30, 2012.

Overview
When someone tampers with Mabel's life-size wax statue, she and Dipper set out to find the culprit. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan mourns over the loss of his wax doppelganger.

Synopsis
It's almost bedtime at the Mystery Shack. Dipper and Mabel are watching a show called Duck-tective. Soos runs in and want to show Dipper and Mabel what he found while he was cleaning. He takes them to see a secret door hidden behind the wallpaper. They open it and discover a secret wax museum. Mabel is admiring how lifelike they are. Dipper points out one that he thinks isn't so lifelike. It's actually Grunkle Stan, which scares Dipper, Mabel and Soos and they run screaming. Grunkle Stan introduces the Gravity Falls Wax Museum. He says it was one of their most popular attractions before he forgot all about it. He then notices that Wax Abraham Lincoln has been melted by the sun. Mabel offers to create a new wax figure to replace it. Grunkle Stan likes Mabel's idea and agrees to let her do it.

Mabel begins to think of ideas for her wax figure. Her first idea is a girl that is part fairy princess and part horse fairy princess. Dipper suggests she carve something from real life and Mabel thinks of a waffle with big arms. Dipper then suggests she draws someone in her family. Mabel then gets the idea to sculpt Grunkle Stan. Once she is done, Grunkle Stan loves it and declares that the Wax Museum is back in business. The next day, they have a grand re-opening of the Wax Museum. There is a mini press conference where Mabel takes questions. A reporter named Shandra Jimenez questions where the pizza that was promised on the flyers is. Grunkle Stan claims it was a typo, shuts down the press conferences and runs off with the admission money. The customers leave infuriated due to there not being any pizza. Mabel thinks it went well.

It's night again at the Mystery Shack and Grunkle Stan is counting the money he made today. He tells Dipper and Mabel to go wash up because they have a long day tomorrow. Grunkle Stan sits down to watch Duck-tective with his wax figure while Dipper and Mabel are brushing their teeth. Grunkle Stan gets up to use the bathroom, but when he comes back, his wax figure is headless. He calls over Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland, but they deem the case as unsolvable. Dipper believes he can solve the case and takes on the job. He and Mabel come up with a list of suspects. Dipper says it could be months before they find their first clue. Mabel then notices a clue. She sees footprints that lead them to an axe which the believe is the murder weapon. Mabel realizes that the axe could belong to Manly Dan. They take the axe to Soos who tells them that Manly Dan hangs out at a crazy intense biker joint downtown.

Dipper and Mabel head to the biker joint called Skull Fracture and use fake IDs to get inside. Mabel begins talking to one of the customers there while Dipper questions Manly Dan. Manly Dan has proof that proves he couldn't be the murderer. Manly Dan also points out that the axe is left handed and he only uses his right hand. Dipper and Mabel go through their list of suspects to see who is left handed. Once they go through several suspects, their is only one person left on the list - Toby Determined. Dipper and Mabel get Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland to raid Toby's office, but he also has proof that proves he is not the murderer. Dipper believes that Toby has to be guilty. Toby reveals he was in his office making out with a cardboard version of Shandra Jimenez. Dipper tells Sheriff Blubs to check the prints on the axe. He says there are none, leaving Dipper and Mabel confused and embarrassed.

We then see Stan having a funeral for his wax figure with Dipper, Mabel and Soos in attendance. Stan runs out crying while reciting a eulogy. Dipper then notices that Wax Stan's shoe has a hole in it. He pieces together the clues and realizes that it was the wax figures. The wax figures come to life and threaten to kill Dipper and Mabel. Mabel asks if they are magic and Sherlock Holmes says they're cursed. He reveals how Stan forgot about them & why they tried to kill him. The wax figures then begin attacking Dipper and Mabel. Dipper leads Sherlock Holmes outside where he is melted by the sun. Mabel gets rid of the rest of the wax figures by throwing them in the fire. Grunkle Stan walks in and thanks Dipper and Mabel for finding his wax head. Mabel says she is 99% sure she got rid of all the wax figures, but Wax Larry's head is still in the vents.

The end credits show Mabel trying to decide which sweater to wear, the purple sequins or the yellow llama hair. She asks Dipper which sweater she should pick and, unknown to her, the wax head of Larry King peeks at her through the heat vents and suggests the one with the llama. Mabel thinks she heard Dipper and thanks him and leaves to change, while Dipper looks around in confusion.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Aury Wallington
 * Alex Hirsch


 * Directed by:
 * John Aoshima


 * Storyboards by:
 * Tyler Chen
 * Erik Fountain
 * Niki Yang


 * With the Voice Talents of:
 * Kristen Schaal - Mabel Pines
 * Jason Ritter - Dipper Pines
 * Alex Hirsch - Grunkle Stan and Soos
 * Coolio - Wax Coolio
 * Larry King - Wax Larry King
 * John Oliver - Wax Sherlock Holmes
 * Linda Cardellini - Wendy
 * John DiMaggio - Manly Dan
 * Keith Ferguson - Deputy Durland
 * Will Forte - Cute Biker
 * Adam Baldwin - Tough Biker
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Sheriff Blubs
 * Gregg Turkington - Toby Determined


 * Additional Voices:
 * James Adomian
 * Eric Bauza
 * Walter Massey
 * Thomas F. Wilson
 * Greg Ellis - Wax William Shakespeare
 * Michael Gough - Wax Groucho Marx
 * Alex Hirsch - Old Man McGucket
 * Graham McTavish - Duck-tective Police Officer
 * Elizabeth Banks - Wax Lillian Muldoon (uncredited)
 * Kevin Michael Richardson - Skull Fracture security guard
 * Mark Hamill - Bats Biker
 * Marc Diraison
 * Scott McNeil - Biker
 * Danny Cooksey
 * Jim Cummings
 * Horatio Sanz
 * Kari Wahlgren - Shandra Jimenez

Production notes

 * See also: List of allusions and List of goofs.

Trivia

 * One of the prominent wax figures is Richard Nixon. Alex Hirsch did a short animation featuring Nixon called "Imaginary Friend."
 * There is no such thing as a left-handed ax.
 * Blendin Blandin's picture is seen in the pictures of the suspects.
 * Viewership: 2.710 million.
 * This is the only episode to premiere on a Saturday.
 * Interestingly, according to Toby Determined's alibi camera footage, the wax figure's beheading took place on Saturday.
 * The title of the episode is a reference to the term "headhunter," which is a personnel recruiter for a corporation.
 * When Old Man McGucket is talking, you can see Blendin Blandin running off in the background.
 * Wax Larry King is the only surviving wax figure.

Cryptogram

 * During the end credits of this episode, there was a cryptogram that read "KH'V VWLOO LQ WKH YHQWV." Once decoded, it reads "HE'S STILL IN THE VENTS." It is referring to Wax Larry King's head.