The following is a list of allusions to works of fiction, people, places, events, and other cultural touchstones in the series Gravity Falls.
The allusions, references, similarities, homages, and other items on this list should be specific, detailed, unique, or identifying. Avoid adding incidental, broad, general, or tangential similarities.
When Dipper is exploring the cave, there are characters that look like runes. However, one of them does not match a known rune and the other do not translate into anything understandable in English.
In the ending, it shows a photo with the logo on it, and if you look on the top right corner, you see 2 UFO's, and the position is an allusion to the fake photo of two UFO's over the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Mabel makes a "wree wree wree" noise while swinging the ax. This is a reference to the musical score The Murder played during the shower scene in the film Psycho.
Mabelangelo which is a reference to the famous sculptor and painter Michelangelo
Groucho sans cigar
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 iconically for holding a 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 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."
Mabel "bezazzles" her face; a reference to the real product, the Bedazzler.
'Lil Gideon's appearance is based off of 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 where Dipper confronts Gideon is a direct reference to the "Red Room" in the Black and White Lodge from the TV series Twin Peaks.
When Wendy told Dipper that he was "surprisingly mature for his age", he replied "Yes, yes I am", which 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".
The two dogs on the bag look a bit like Pluto, Mickey Mouse's dog.
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.
When the ghost lifts everything on the ceiling, music plays that sounds similar to the Ghostbusters theme.
Pacifica Northwest's name is a pun on the U.S. region "Pacific Northwest," a region containing Oregon state.
Paper-Jam Dipper (and much of the rest of the episode's plot) may be a reference to the plot of the film Multiplicity, where a man creates a series of clones of himself and the 4th is very badly disabled.
The cracker pack is an allusion to the the Handi-Pak.
This may also be an allusion to the "First president conspiracy" that holds there was a president before George Washington, who was erased from history as he was not a member of the free masons.
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.
The title of the episode is an allusion to Street Fighter series.
Rumble McSkirmish is an amalgamation of Ken Masters, Ryu, and Sagat from the Street Fighter series.
Dipper chases Rumble McSkirmish and Robbie to "Barrel and Crates Incorperated," a reference to the classic Donkey Kong games.
The seen on the street where there are objects just lying around is a direct refrence from Scott Pilgrim Vs the World: The Game.
Rumble McSkirmish punching the car in the "bonus round" is a reference to an identical bonus level in Street Fighter 2 and Final Fight, and how you defecr objects like cars in Scott Pilgrim Vs the World: The Game.
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 Shoryuken move from Street Fighter.
Rumble McSkirmish kicks Robbie off the water tower and grabs him, the announcer says "Finish him!" which is a direct reference to Mortal Kombat
Rumble's pose when he defeats Dipper is an allusion to Sonic the Hedgehog.
In the end credits, Mabel's video game character says "It's a me, a Mabel", like the video game character Mario.
Most of the credits scene is a reference to the classic game Super Mario Bros. 2, including Soos sleeping.
In the end credits, Soos is shown as a large head eating the characters, a reference to Pac-Man.
The cryptogram reads "Sorry Dipper, but your Wendy is in another castle". This is a reference to Super Mario Bros, where Toad would tell you your princess in another castle.
When the pig 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 pop out of the human's chest, killing them.
