Mr. and Mrs. Pines are the unseen parents of Dipper and Mabel Pines. During the summer of 2012, they send the twins to Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend the summer with their great uncle Stan.
History[]
Early life[]
They have been raising their twin children, Dipper and Mabel, since birth.[3][4] Their mother would dress Dipper in a lamb costume and have him perform the Lamby Lamby Dance when he was little.[5] At one point in the twins' childhood, their father returned from a Windows '95 conference (likely related to his computer-based occupation), and received a promotional bag containing a t-shirt. Lacking the intention to ever wear it, he handed the shirt down to Mabel, who now uses it as a sleep shirt.[1]
Season 1[]
Mr. and Mrs. Pines taking away their kids' things.
Early in the summer of 2012, Mr. and Mrs. Pines agreed the twins required some "fresh air," and sent them to Gravity Falls, Oregon to stay at their great uncle's house in the woods.[6] Apparently, they were in a hurry to get Dipper and Mabel out of the house for the summer because they had been having arguments about something that the kids didn't need to hear about.[7]
They are only briefly (and partially) shown in "Tourist Trapped", their arms and torsos showed as they trade their son and daughter's video games and cat for luggage and sunscreen.
A picture of Dipper in his lamb costume.
Mabel mentions their mother in "The Inconveniencing", recalling that she used to dress Dipper up in a lamb costume and have him perform the Lamby Lamby Dance.
In "Double Dipper", Wendy mentions she always assumed Dipper's nickname was derived out of his parents' hatred of him.
Both parents are briefly mentioned in "The Time Traveler's Pig", when Blendin Blandin threatens Dipper and Mabel by saying he will go back in time to prevent their parents from ever meeting. Because they still exist, the twins conclude that he forgot. However, it is later revealed in “Blendin's Game” that Blendin wasn't able to carry out his plan due to being fired and sentenced to jail.
The twins' father is mentioned throughout "Fight Fighters" by Rumble McSkirmish, who believes that Robbie killed him; however, it is made clear by Dipper that this was a lie and that their father is, in fact, alive and well.
In "The Deep End", Mabel shows Mermando a picture of the family kickboxing.
In "Gideon Rises", Stan tries to reassure Dipper and Mabel's parents over the phone that their children are doing fine, claiming that they are staying at a four-star hotel, though they are actually staying at Abuelita's run-down house.
Shorts[]
Mabel mentions their mother in "Mailbox", as she wishes to send her a video of her sticking one hundred gummy worms up her nose.
Season 2[]
They are mentioned in "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons", when Mabel is writing a letter to them, describing how her and Dipper's summer in Gravity Falls has been so far.
In "Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future", they are mentioned when Ford tells Dipper that his parents would be thrilled that he could give Dipper an advanced education as his apprentice.
In "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls", they are mentioned again when Mabel says that her parents wouldn't let her have Waddles at their home. After seeing Mabel's tearful goodbye to her pig, Stan demands that Waddles go home with her, saying that he put up with the pig all summer, so now it's Dipper and Mabel's parents' turn.
Personality[]
Mabel and Dipper's parents believe themselves to be slightly counter-culture, and purposefully chose somewhat archaic names for their children just so they'd stand out among more common names at the kids' preschool.[8]
Sightings[]
Season 1
- 101. "Tourist Trapped" (no lines)
- 105. "The Inconveniencing" (mentioned)
- 107. "Double Dipper" (mentioned)
- 109. "The Time Traveler's Pig" (mentioned)
- 110. "Fight Fighters" (mentioned)
- 120. "Gideon Rises" (mentioned)
Shorts
- 3. "Mailbox" (mentioned)
Season 2
- 212. "A Tale of Two Stans" (mentioned)
- 213. "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons" (mentioned)
- 216. "Roadside Attraction" (mentioned)
- 217. "Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future" (mentioned)
- 220-221. "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" (mentioned)
Trivia[]
- Dipper and Mabel's middle names are their parents' first names[9], like Alex and Ariel Hirsch. Though, neither of their middle names are mentioned throughout the series.
- Dipper and Mabel's father's occupation is related to computers.[10]
- According to Hirsch, Mr. Pines attended a Windows '95 conference and got a promotional shirt in a bag that he never wanted to wear, which became Mabel's sleep-time shirt with the floppy disk on it.[1]
- In the original pilot pitch bible for the series, their reason for sending Dipper and Mabel to Gravity Falls was not to give them "fresh air," but because they had won tickets for a summer-long luxury cruise and Stan was the only relative available to take them. They reasoned to them that "it'll be nice to get away from it all," and hoped that "Stan isn't under house arrest anymore."
- In The Book of Bill, Bill Cipher reveals that Dipper has nightmares about overhearing a fight between Mr. and Mrs. Pines that he wasn't supposed to hear, implying it was why the couple was in a rush to get him and Mabel out of the house for the summer. While not directly stated, this suggests that Mr. and Mrs. Pines' marriage may be going through a rough patch.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sims, Chris (August 24, 2012). Alex Hirsch On 'Gravity Falls,' Mabel's Sweater Collection And TV's Fear Of Sincerity. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020.
- ↑ In the theme song opening, Dipper's bag says Piedmont on it. Also, Dipper is based on creator Alex Hirsch who is from Piedmont, California.
- ↑ Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets by Ubisoft. Published October 20, 2015. Disney website.
- ↑ Alex Hirsch (July 28, 2016). Tweet Number 758547032554344448. Retrieved on July 28, 2016. “@reesegal Stan was raised Jewish but is now an atheist. Dip & Mab were raised unreligiously but celebrate all holidays at Mabels insistence”
- ↑ "The Inconveniencing." Michael Rianda, Aaron Springer (writers), Joe Pitt (director). Gravity Falls. Disney Channel. July 13, 2012. No. 5, season 1.
- ↑ "Tourist Trapped." Alex Hirsch (writer) & John Aoshima (director). Gravity Falls. Disney Channel. June 15, 2012. No. 1, season 1.
- ↑ The Book of Bill
- ↑ Stacy Conradt (September 12, 2016). Q&A: Alex Hirsch and Rob Renzetti on 'Gravity Falls' Fandom. Mental Floss. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved on September 12, 2016. “Alex Hirsch: I imagine that [their] parents see themselves as slightly counter-culture and chose purposefully archaic names just so their kids would stand out among the 12 Chrises and 14 Jessicas in Dipper and Mabel's preschool.”
- ↑ letter from Hirsch 1. Retrieved on August 4, 2015.
- ↑ Dipper's and Mabel's Guide to Mystery and Nonstop Fun! by Disney Book Group. October 7, 2014. Published by Disney Press. ISBN: 978-1484710807.