[[file:Mystery Tour 2013 Oregon Vortex.jpg|250px|thumb|Hirsch and crew at the Oregon Vortex.]]
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[[File:Mystery Tour 2013 Oregon Vortex.jpg|250px|thumb|Hirsch and crew at the Oregon Vortex.]]
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'''Mystery Tour 2013''' was a 4-day road trip led by [[Alex Hirsch]] and the ''[[Gravity Falls (TV series)|Gravity Falls]]'' crew to find "the weirdest tourist traps in [[Wikipedia:Oregon|Oregon]]" and Northern California.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312241513025380352</ref>
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'''Mystery Tour 2013''' was a four-day road trip in early March 2013, led by [[Alex Hirsch]] and the ''[[Gravity Falls (TV series)|Gravity Falls]]'' crew to find "the weirdest tourist traps in [[Wikipedia:Oregon|Oregon]] and Northern California." Fans were prompted to find drawings of [[Bill Cipher]] left on these spots.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312241513025380352 |title=Tweet number 312241513025380352 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 14, 2013 |quote=MYSTERY TOUR 2013! My 4-day crew road trip to find the weirdest tourist traps in Oregon officially starts... NOW!}}</ref>
Hirsch and company left behind several drawings of [[Bill Cipher]] in various spots, such as telephone poles, signs and trash cans, and released photos of them over twitter for fans to find. The fans who took a picture of themselves in the same spots received Mystery Prizes.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312270020661104640</ref>
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== Overview ==
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As of April 10, 2013 drawings 3, 6, 7, & 9 still haven't been found. They are located somewhere along the road on the left.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313712496475267072</ref>
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With ''Gravity Falls'' having been renewed for a second season and series art director [[Ian Worrel]] about to have a baby, him and Alex Hirsch decided that they should go on a fun little trip before their lives as they put it, "basically going to be over soon." Together with 12 members of the show's art team, they rented a van and traveled up [[Wikipedia:U.S. Route 101|US Route 101]]. Over the course of 4 days, they visited various tourist traps, stayed at weird hotels, eating at ''"Twin Peaks"'' style diners, taking photos for references in season 2 and basically goofing off as much as possible!<ref>https://mediamikes.com/2013/04/alex-hirsch-talks-about-recent-trip-to-get-inspiration-for-disneys-gravity-falls/</ref>
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Among the places visited include the [[Wikipedia:Oregon Vortex|House of Mystery at the Orgeon Vortex]], a Masonic Temple,<ref name="Pyramid 6">https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312740815678107648</ref> [[Wikipedia:Trees of Mystery|Trees of Mystery]]'s [[Wikipedia:Paul_Bunyan|Paul Bunyan]] statue whichislocated along [[Wikipedia:US_Highway_101|Route 101]], the World Famous Grandfather Tree, and One Log House.
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Among the places visited included the [[Wikipedia:Oregon Vortex|House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex]] (southern Oregon) and [[Wikipedia:Confusion Hill|Confusion Hill]] in [[Wikipedia:Piercy, California|Piercy, California]], which both were inspirations for the Mystery Shack, a Masonic Temple,<ref name="Pyramid 6">{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312740815678107648 |title=Tweet number 312740815678107648 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 15, 2013 |quote=#6}}</ref> the [[Wikipedia:Trees of Mystery|Trees of Mystery's]] [[Wikipedia:Paul Bunyan|Paul Bunyan]] statue in [[Wikipedia:Klamath, California|Klamath, CA]], along [[Wikipedia:U.S. Route 101|Route 101]], the World Famous Grandfather Tree (Piercy, California), It's a Burl (Kerbyville, Oregon), the Mystery Spot (Santa Cruz, California), and One Log House. The crew stayed at the Benbow Historic Inn for one night while on the tour.<ref>https://www.google.com/maps/place/Benbow+Historic+Inn/@40.0681696,-123.7898463,423m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m8!3m7!1s0x54d4eb02dec26ae3:0xe211e13acb5cd9ca!5m2!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d40.0675152!4d-123.789982</ref><ref>https://jeffrowegifs.tumblr.com/post/46492231971/parpan-brothers-benbow-inn-gravity-falls</ref>
Hirsch and company left behind several drawings of [[Bill Cipher]] in various spots, such as telephone poles, signs and trash cans, and released photos of them over Twitter for fans to find. The fans who took a picture of themselves in the same spots received Mystery Prizes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312270020661104640 |title=Tweet number 312270020661104640 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 14, 2013 |quote=@_AlexHirsch First person to find one of these guys in real life and photograph themselves with it gets a mystery prize!}}</ref>
As of April 16, 2016, all of the drawings have been found. They are/were located somewhere along the road the ''Gravity Falls'' crew took.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313712496475267072 |title=Tweet number 313712496475267072 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 18, 2013 |quote=Somewhere along this road, Pyramids 3,6,7,8 & 9 still haven't been found! Photo one, win a Mystery Prize!}}</ref>
|@egoboystudios<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312668336842493952 |title=Tweet number 312668336842493952 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 15, 2013 |quote=“@egoboystudios: Found it! ” Congrats to DAMIEN for finding the FIRST secret pyramid! Expect your Mystery Prize soon!}}</ref><ref>{{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312694974032519169 |title=Tweet number 312694974032519169 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 15, 2013 |quote=@egoboystudios: Mystery Prize #1- A drawing of you as a GF character by amazing show designer Matt Braly! Well done!}}</ref>
|A drawing of the prize winner as a Gravity Falls character by show designer Matt Braly.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312694974032519169</ref><br>
|@kimallyn<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312669841855246336 |title=Tweet number 312669841855246336 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 15, 2013 |quote=“@kimallyn: I FOUND THE SECOND ONE! ” Congrats KIMBERLEE! Your Mystery Prize is coming! Everyone else- keep searching!}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |Alex Hirsch and [[Jason Ritter]] called the winner on the phone.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313046628649033729 |title=Tweet number 313046628649033729 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 16, 2013 |quote=“@kimallyn: AHHHHHHH @JasonRitter AND @_AlexHirsch JUST CALLED ME!!!!!! ” Congrats Kimberlee on your Mystery Prize for finding Pyramid #2!}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |No prize given, as the location was found in early 2016 after the Bill drawing was no longer there.<ref name=":0" group="note">Note from wtfanonpencil: ''This trip was taken in early 2016 before Bill was found. We came within 30 miles of Bill and had none of the books.''</ref>
|@rhaeme<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313726249153486848 |title=Tweet number 313726249153486848 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 18, 2013 |quote=“@ampereHope: hey i found something! https://rhaeme.tumblr.com/post/45448060377/so-alex-hirsch-tweeted-something-about-redding-and” Congrats! You'll get your Mystery Prize soon!}}</ref>
|@JoeyMSouza<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/312740378975539200 |title=Tweet number 312740378975539200 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 15, 2013 |quote=“@JoeyMSouza: Saw #5...also saw some squirrels fighting. ” Yes! You beautiful people have a Mystery Prize coming!!}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/321850388477263872 |title=Tweet number 321850388477263872 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=April 9, 2013 |quote=@JoeyMSouza You win this round Sousa!}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |[[File:pyramid 5 Prize.jpg|140px]]{{Clear}}A drawing by Alex Hirsch of him and Joey Souza riding on a "Mershaq's" back while holding hands.
|A drawing by Alex Hirsch of the winner and Hirsch riding a Mershaq.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/321850388477263872</ref><br>[[file:pyramid 5 Prize.jpg|140x140px]]
| rowspan="2" |No prize given, as the drawing was first found in September 2013, after the hunt was over with. It was later found by another fan in March 2016, completely independently. Neither party had prior knowledge of the hunt, so they never contacted Hirsch about receiving a prize.
|@pianoplayer1537<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/321851222237790208 |title=Tweet number 321851222237790208 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=April 9, 2013 |quote=“@pianoplayer1537: I found another... pic.twitter.com/6t4K9AaZI9” Amazing detective work! Your Mystery Prize: I will draw whatever you desire!}}</ref>
| rowspan="2" |No prize given, because it was eaten.
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|Not available because it was eaten soon after.<ref>https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313422462446624768</ref>
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|Not available because it was eaten.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/313422462446624768 |title=Tweet number 313422462446624768 |accessdate= |author=[[Alex Hirsch|Hirsch, Alex]] |date=March 17, 2013 |quote=#10 will never be found (because it's in our stomachs)}}</ref>
*Another photo of the gang at the Oregon Vortex was photographed with a polaroid camera. However, the picture was left at the Oregon Vortex for undisclosed reasons, most likely because the picture was not high quality. On closer inspection, the House of Mystery in the abandoned photo looks almost completely straight.
*[[File:Mystery Tour 2013 group photo.jpg|thumb|194x194px|The instant photo that Alex Hirsch and the crew left at the Oregon Vortex.]]The crew left an instant camera photo at the Oregon Vortex.<ref>https://thehuntforbillcipher-blog.tumblr.com/post/140615895860/asking-the-staff-about-the-statue-did-provide-some</ref>
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*[[Jeff Rowe|Jeffrey Rowe]] made a series of 11 GIFs of the crew and locations that were visited while on Mystery Tour that are still up on his Tumblr page.<ref>jeffrowegifs.tumblr.com</ref><ref>https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jeffrowegifs/45739646245</ref>
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*More images were taken by crew members [[Josh Parpan|Josh]] and Justin Parpan, [[Erik Fountain]] and [[Sean Jimenez]].<ref>https://www.parpancreative.com/new-project</ref><ref>https://imgur.com/gallery/5SBGg6g</ref>
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*A visit to the locations of the Bills 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were done by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] during the summer of 2014.
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*Bill Cipher 3, 6, and 9 were not found in 2013. They were located in March and April 2016.
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* Bill no. 3 and no. 9 were found by Twitter user wtfanonpencil by happenstance while on a roadtrip.<ref name=":2" />
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*The group which found Bill no. 6 cataloged the trip on a Tumblr blog called [https://thehuntforbillcipher-blog.tumblr.com/ thehuntforbillcipher-blog.]
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*As it turns out, Bill drawing no. 7, which was thought to have been also refound in 2016 by thehuntforbillcipher team, was actually found in September 2013 by a fan named linneac.<ref>https://linneac.tumblr.com/post/61248805874/i-was-up-at-the-trees-of-mystery-in-northern</ref> However, unaware of the trip or the fact Alex Hirsch himself drew the drawing, they never contacted him about it.<ref>https://twitter.com/forever_gf618/status/1523087710818340864</ref>
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*[[File:Tumblr o3lqo0m4DG1vns1aeo3 1280.jpg|thumb|A Dipper hat that Alex Hirsch and the crew left at Confusion Hill.]]As linneac found Bill no. 7 three years before thehuntforbillcipher team did, they technically were the first and therefore are owed the Mystery Prize for it from Alex while thehuntforbillcipher team still retains the prize for number 6 as they discovered it on the same trip in 2016.
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*Alongside finding the Bills, thehuntforbillcipher team also learned that Alex and the crew had left a Dipper hat at Confusion Hill while on the trip.<ref>https://thehuntforbillcipher-blog.tumblr.com/post/140546934865/as-for-the-actual-gravity-falls-connections-there</ref>
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*The currently known status of the drawings is as follows:
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**A visit to the locations of several of the Bills in 2014 by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] revealed that Bill 1 was still on the trash can. Its current fate is unknown.<ref name=":3">https://twitter.com/NewsGF/status/500851015227174912</ref>
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**As of 2023, Bill no. 2 was no longer there on the trash can it was drawn on, with a redrawing of him in black marker now remaining.<ref>https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/comments/15oxlmj/remnants_of_a_past_era/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3</ref>
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**As of 2016, Bill no. 3 was no longer there, as the area it was located in has been renovated since.<ref>https://twitter.com/ThePartyLincoln/status/721049548064296960</ref>
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** The 2014 visit by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] revealed that Bill no. 4 had already been removed, making it likely the first Bill lost.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">https://twitter.com/NewsGF/status/500852065308909569?s=20</ref>
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**Bill no. 5's current fate remains unknown.
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**Bill no. 6 was found by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] to still be there in 2014. By the time thehuntforbillcipher found him in 2016, he had greatly deteriorated. His current fate is unknown.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":0" />
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** Bill no. 7 was found to be intact still as of 2014 by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] and still there when ''American Ride'' filmed there in 2015. However, he was virtually gone when thehuntforbillcipher team found him in 2016. All traces of that Bill are likely gone now.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":1" />
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**Bill no. 8 was found by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] to still be there in 2014. It's current fate remains unknown however.<ref name=":4" />
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**Bill no. 9 was found by [https://twitter.com/NewsGF ''Gravity Falls News''] to still be there in 2014 as well and again there in 2016 when wtfanonpencil found it. However he likely is no longer around now given the pole it was located on was repainted in 2020.<ref name=":2" /> <ref name=":4" /><ref>https://twitter.com/forever_gf618/status/1446913868492689417</ref>
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* As of 2023, the fates of Bill 1, 5, 6, and 8 remain unknown, but given the Bills found in 2016 were in poor condition or gone and no. 2 was no longer there when revisited, it is likely many of them are no longer around either as many were on temporary and movable objects like signs or bins, or in public places that have since been cleaned up, renovated or graffitied over. <ref>https://youtu.be/_lMDP7azRMw</ref>
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*Despite promising to give prizes to every person who found each Bill drawing first, Alex Hirsch only ever gave out three prizes for the nine possible prizes that could have been claimed.
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*The person who found drawing no. 4 has yet to receive one and drawing no. 8's prize status remains unknown, due to the person finding it no longer being online. Though, as Alex never followed up with a prize tweet for them, it is likely they never got one or did privately. Given the final four were found three years after the trip, it can't be determined whether Alex Hirsch is aware of this or not.
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*The Bill drawing left by Alex and the crew at the Trees of Mystery appeared in the BYUtv series ''[[Wikipedia:American Ride (TV series)|American Ride]].'' In episode 7 of season 8, the host Stan Ellsworth visits Redwood National Park. As he leans on a guardrail, the drawing is visible on the railing.
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== Notes ==
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<references group="note" />
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==External links==
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*{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lMDP7azRMw|title=The First Gravity Falls ARG - The Story of Mystery Tour 2013|author=That GF FAN|date=October 30, 2021|publisher=YouTube}}
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*{{Cite web|url=https://thehuntforbillcipher-blog.tumblr.com/|title=The Hunt for Bill Cipher|publisher=Tumblr|author=SacramentoAnon}}
Mystery Tour 2013 was a four-day road trip in early March 2013, led by Alex Hirsch and the Gravity Falls crew to find "the weirdest tourist traps in Oregon and Northern California." Fans were prompted to find drawings of Bill Cipher left on these spots.[1]
With Gravity Falls having been renewed for a second season and series art director Ian Worrel about to have a baby, him and Alex Hirsch decided that they should go on a fun little trip before their lives as they put it, "basically going to be over soon." Together with 12 members of the show's art team, they rented a van and traveled up US Route 101. Over the course of 4 days, they visited various tourist traps, stayed at weird hotels, eating at "Twin Peaks" style diners, taking photos for references in season 2 and basically goofing off as much as possible![2]
Among the places visited included the House of Mystery at the Oregon Vortex (southern Oregon) and Confusion Hill in Piercy, California, which both were inspirations for the Mystery Shack, a Masonic Temple,[3] the Trees of Mystery'sPaul Bunyan statue in Klamath, CA, along Route 101, the World Famous Grandfather Tree (Piercy, California), It's a Burl (Kerbyville, Oregon), the Mystery Spot (Santa Cruz, California), and One Log House. The crew stayed at the Benbow Historic Inn for one night while on the tour.[4][5]
The Bill Cipher Drawings
The route of the Mystery Tour 2013.
Hirsch and company left behind several drawings of Bill Cipher in various spots, such as telephone poles, signs and trash cans, and released photos of them over Twitter for fans to find. The fans who took a picture of themselves in the same spots received Mystery Prizes.[6]
As of April 16, 2016, all of the drawings have been found. They are/were located somewhere along the road the Gravity Falls crew took.[7]
No prize given, as the drawing was first found in September 2013, after the hunt was over with. It was later found by another fan in March 2016, completely independently. Neither party had prior knowledge of the hunt, so they never contacted Hirsch about receiving a prize.
As it turns out, Bill drawing no. 7, which was thought to have been also refound in 2016 by thehuntforbillcipher team, was actually found in September 2013 by a fan named linneac.[30] However, unaware of the trip or the fact Alex Hirsch himself drew the drawing, they never contacted him about it.[31]
A Dipper hat that Alex Hirsch and the crew left at Confusion Hill.
As linneac found Bill no. 7 three years before thehuntforbillcipher team did, they technically were the first and therefore are owed the Mystery Prize for it from Alex while thehuntforbillcipher team still retains the prize for number 6 as they discovered it on the same trip in 2016.
Alongside finding the Bills, thehuntforbillcipher team also learned that Alex and the crew had left a Dipper hat at Confusion Hill while on the trip.[32]
The currently known status of the drawings is as follows:
A visit to the locations of several of the Bills in 2014 by Gravity Falls News revealed that Bill 1 was still on the trash can. Its current fate is unknown.[33]
As of 2023, Bill no. 2 was no longer there on the trash can it was drawn on, with a redrawing of him in black marker now remaining.[34]
As of 2016, Bill no. 3 was no longer there, as the area it was located in has been renovated since.[35]
The 2014 visit by Gravity Falls News revealed that Bill no. 4 had already been removed, making it likely the first Bill lost.[33][36]
Bill no. 5's current fate remains unknown.
Bill no. 6 was found by Gravity Falls News to still be there in 2014. By the time thehuntforbillcipher found him in 2016, he had greatly deteriorated. His current fate is unknown.[33][18]
Bill no. 7 was found to be intact still as of 2014 by Gravity Falls News and still there when American Ride filmed there in 2015. However, he was virtually gone when thehuntforbillcipher team found him in 2016. All traces of that Bill are likely gone now.[36][21]
Bill no. 8 was found by Gravity Falls News to still be there in 2014. It's current fate remains unknown however.[36]
Bill no. 9 was found by Gravity Falls News to still be there in 2014 as well and again there in 2016 when wtfanonpencil found it. However he likely is no longer around now given the pole it was located on was repainted in 2020.[23][36][37]
As of 2023, the fates of Bill 1, 5, 6, and 8 remain unknown, but given the Bills found in 2016 were in poor condition or gone and no. 2 was no longer there when revisited, it is likely many of them are no longer around either as many were on temporary and movable objects like signs or bins, or in public places that have since been cleaned up, renovated or graffitied over. [38]
Despite promising to give prizes to every person who found each Bill drawing first, Alex Hirsch only ever gave out three prizes for the nine possible prizes that could have been claimed.
The person who found drawing no. 4 has yet to receive one and drawing no. 8's prize status remains unknown, due to the person finding it no longer being online. Though, as Alex never followed up with a prize tweet for them, it is likely they never got one or did privately. Given the final four were found three years after the trip, it can't be determined whether Alex Hirsch is aware of this or not.
The Bill drawing left by Alex and the crew at the Trees of Mystery appeared in the BYUtv series American Ride. In episode 7 of season 8, the host Stan Ellsworth visits Redwood National Park. As he leans on a guardrail, the drawing is visible on the railing.
Notes
↑ 1.01.1Note from wtfanonpencil: This trip was taken in early 2016 before Bill was found. We came within 30 miles of Bill and had none of the books.
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 14, 2013). Tweet number 312241513025380352. “MYSTERY TOUR 2013! My 4-day crew road trip to find the weirdest tourist traps in Oregon officially starts... NOW!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 14, 2013). Tweet number 312270020661104640. “@_AlexHirsch First person to find one of these guys in real life and photograph themselves with it gets a mystery prize!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 15, 2013). Tweet number 312668336842493952. ““@egoboystudios: Found it! ” Congrats to DAMIEN for finding the FIRST secret pyramid! Expect your Mystery Prize soon!”
↑{Hirsch, Alex (March 15, 2013). Tweet number 312694974032519169. “@egoboystudios: Mystery Prize #1- A drawing of you as a GF character by amazing show designer Matt Braly! Well done!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 15, 2013). Tweet number 312669841855246336. ““@kimallyn: I FOUND THE SECOND ONE! ” Congrats KIMBERLEE! Your Mystery Prize is coming! Everyone else- keep searching!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 16, 2013). Tweet number 313046628649033729. ““@kimallyn: AHHHHHHH @JasonRitter AND @_AlexHirsch JUST CALLED ME!!!!!! ” Congrats Kimberlee on your Mystery Prize for finding Pyramid #2!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (March 15, 2013). Tweet number 312740378975539200. ““@JoeyMSouza: Saw #5...also saw some squirrels fighting. ” Yes! You beautiful people have a Mystery Prize coming!!”
↑Hirsch, Alex (April 9, 2013). Tweet number 321851222237790208. ““@pianoplayer1537: I found another... pic.twitter.com/6t4K9AaZI9” Amazing detective work! Your Mystery Prize: I will draw whatever you desire!”
A drawing by Alex Hirsch of him and Joey Souza riding on a "Mershaq's" back while holding hands.
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