Beardy the Buffalo is a taxidermy Bison (referred to as a buffalo) that served as the mascot of the Gravity Falls crew production crew/offices. It had been purchased by Alex Hirsch on Ebay in 2011 and remained at the offices until the end of production of the series.
Whenever people visited the production offices, they would take photos on top of or next to Beardy.
History[]
During production of the first season of Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch found a listing on Ebay for a life sized taxidermy bison. The bison was located in Oregon and being sold for cheap from a liquidation sale. Realizing he could cover the cost with a few voice overs, Alex purchased it. However, not being in Oregon, he sent someone up there to go get it for him. The person in question ended up being series writer Jeff Rowe, storyboard artist Tyler Chen and Skyler, while he was on a roadtrip in the area during a 2 week break. According to Gideon's voice actor, Thurop Van Orman, in the series box set, Skyler, Jeff, and Tyler had to stop and spend the night at his home on the way back to the offices.
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"The reason it was so cheap was because they were liquidating and it was in Oregon. But I was like, āoh, but Iām not in Oregon.ā So I called up Jeff and I was like, āhey, uh, I- I know that you were taking the next two weeks off, and uh, you wouldnāt happen to be going to the Pacific Northwest anyway?ā And he was like āoh, I will absolutely pick up your buffalo, that sounds awesome. I wanna go on a buffalo quest.ā He was overjoyed to do it, so him and a couple friends got a pick-up truck, picked it up, and drove it in. And I didnāt ask Disneyās permission, we just, all of us took the buffalo off the truck, walked it into the office, plunked it down in the center, and my thought was, if they have a problem with it, they can drag it away. But the next day everybody came in, and all the executives were delighted by it. It became the mascot of the studio and a beloved thing. I have it in my garage now. Itās come with me through my life, I love it dearly." |
Alex taking a nap with Beardy
Once there, the buffalo, named Beardy, quickly became a beloved member of the office. The entire first day he was there was spent by the crew trying to climb on top of it and take photos. This became a common thing for people visiting the offices to do. They would climb on top of Beardy for photos. This however was not the best idea, as according to Matt Braly, Beardy was very unstable. Even so, they retained a ladder nearby to help visitors climb on top.
Beardy became a de facto mascot of the Gravity Falls production crew and an area there for them to gather around and take photos or partake in activities like Halloween or Christmas parties, during which Beardy was decorated accordingly. Beardy also at some point was given a fishing hat to wear. Alex Hirsch even referred to Beardy in his original Twitter bio during the production of the series. It read, "Mayor of Gravity Falls. I ride a buffalo to work." Beardy (albeit a similar buffalo) appeared in the launch image used by the crew for their production Tumblr page.[1]
Beardy was also part of a contest Alex held on his Twitter page where fans drew art of him and was where from on top of, Alex announced the winners for on his Vine page.[2]
Buffaloaf and Buff_a_lord[]
As part of the journey to pick up Beardy, Jeff and Alex ran two Twitter accounts to maintain communication. One was called "Skyler Jeffrey Tyler" (named after the 3 crew members who made the trip) with the handle @buffaloaf, while the other was called "THE BOSS" and had the handle @Buff_a_lord.[3][4] Used from October 2 to October 8, 2011, Buffaloaf was used to provide updates in regards to the progress of the trip to Oregon, with Jeff tweeting everything from lunch stops, sightings they made and issues run into while picking up Beardy. The account is also notable for containing the earliest known mention of the Mystery Shack online in the context of Gravity Falls. The tweet simply read "Mystery Shack found," and was made when they arrived at the Oregon Vortex; a tourist trap that heavily inspired the shack.[5]It's likely after making the last tweet, the trio stopped at Thurop Van Orman's house, as per what he said in the box set.
Drawing of Alex as a bison that he drew and tweeted using @Buff_a_lord
Used from October 3rd to October 14th, 2011, Buff_a_lord had a profile pic of a bison and the bio, "The Mysterious Benefactor of Operation: Get Buff." This and the fact it was called "THE BOSS" is a clear indication it was used by Alex Hirsch himself. He used it to tweet the location of the buffalo so that Buffaloaf knew where to go, as well as tweeted an image Alex likely made himself, with his face on a bison and the caption, "Buffalord is WATCHING".[6] Alex used the account to figure out when the buffalo was to be picked up and tweeted the following after it was, "@Buffaloaf Buffalord is pleased. Bring the package safely to its rightful place and eternal glory shall be your reward!" The accounts final tweet on October 14th was randomly directed at Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and was of a gif called "Beard slap."
After an update in 2023 that saw the deletion of inactive accounts, Buff_a_lord was deleted, with Buffaloaf remaining up as of 2024.
Post Series[]
Alex Hirsch on top of Beardy in 2020 during a New Years party
Beardy was last officially seen being taken out of the offices as production on Gravity Falls wrapped up.[7] He was also the first image Alex posted on his newly launched Instagram page.[8] Beardy has been seen in some Instagram stories by Alex since, implying that he still retains Beardy. This includes Beardy being seen at a New Years party he hosted.
Trivia[]
- Despite being referred to as a Buffalo by Alex, the crew and everyone, Beardy is in fact a taxidermy of a Bison. It is actually a common practice for people in the United States and Canada to colloquially refer to the American Bison as Buffalos. Actual Buffalos, or Bubalina, are native to Africa and Asia and resemble cows more, like the Water Buffalo.
- Jeff Rowe posted a series of photos regarding him delivering Beardy back in 2011.
- One of the Manotaurs who appear in "Dipper vs. Manliness" is named Beardy. This is likely a nod to Beardy, with the character named after him.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- That GF FAN (July 16, 2024). The Story of Beardy - The Gravity Falls Office "Buffalo!". YouTube.
- Crew talking about Beardy
- Buffaloaf
- Buff_a_lord
References[]
- ā https://gravi-teamfalls.tumblr.com/post/93846890578/hey-tumblr-im-alex-hirsch-creator-of-the
- ā https://vine.co/v/ObaqaYmDD7J
- ā https://x.com/Buffaloaf
- ā https://web.archive.org/web/20230510035844/https://twitter.com/Buff_a_lord
- ā https://x.com/Buffaloaf/status/121375683942432769
- ā https://twitpic.com/6ufx2r
- ā https://x.com/_AlexHirsch/status/688119275710644226
- ā https://www.instagram.com/p/BAnzkMkx_nC/