The wax figures are cursed statues made of wax, that come to life at night whenever the moon is waxing. They seek revenge on Stan for locking them away.
History
Many years before the events of Gravity Falls, Stan Pines came across the figures at a yard sale. Not wanting to pay the full price of twenty dollars, he decided to steal them, and then opened a wax museum. For a time, the figures were a star attraction at the Mystery Shack, and they led happy lives during the night. However, when the tourists lost interest in them and stopped coming, Stan put the figures into storage for ten years, and the figures began to crave revenge.
In "Headhunters," Soos stumbles upon the door to the storage room and soon shows it to Dipper and Mabel. There they encounter Stan, who shows them the figures. Upon seeing a melted wax Abraham Lincoln, Mabel decides to build a sculpture of Stan to replace it. The wax figures are unveiled the next morning, but due to false advertising circulated by Stan, the crowd leaves soon after. That night, after the real Stan leaves momentarily to use the bathroom while he is watching television with his wax counterpart, Wax Sherlock Holmes comes to try to avenge himself and the other figures by decapitating Stan, but ends up beheading the wax version. After the twins' search for Wax Stan's "murderer," they attend the statue's funeral, and come to the conclusion that it was the other figures.
The figures then sarcastically and condescendingly congratulate them for solving the case, and they proceed to tell the children their back story. Then, they decide to try and kill the Pines twins and their uncle, and the battle to the death begins. After the kids stumble upon their foes' weakness (heat), they use coffee and candles to melt their enemies. While Mabel takes on the majority of them, Dipper engages in a one-on-one sword fight with their leader, Sherlock Holmes, whom he defeats by leading outside in the sun. Meanwhile, Mabel burns all the wax figures, except Larry King's head, in the fireplace. The head observes the Pines as he hides in the vents, and soon must chase after a rat that steals his ear. In the credits, he is seen helping Mabel choose which sweater to wear.
In "The Time Traveler's Pig," the figures can be seen when the twins travel back in time to the grand unveiling of Wax Stan.
List of wax figures
Wax Sherlock Holmes
Wax Sherlock Holmes appears to be the leader of the group. He fights with Dipper in the Mystery Shack and eventually on the roof. He killed Wax Stan—even though Wax Stan wasn't alive in the first place—by decapitation. He melts when exposed to the rising sun. He is based on the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, and is voiced by John Oliver.
"You really think you can outwit me, boy? I'm Sherlock bleeding Holmes? Have you seen my magnifying glass? It's enormous!" |
Wax Larry King
When discovered, Grunkle Stan called Wax Larry King a "goblin man" because he didn't know who he really was. When Wax Larry King attacks the twins, his head is cut off his body and falls into a vent, where a rat bites off his ear and runs away with it, prompting him to give chase. Later, he hops in the vent near the living room and answers Mabel's question about which sweater she should wear, saying that the llama hair sweater would be better, as llamas are "nature's greatest warriors." He is also mentioned in the coded message in the credits which, when decoded, says "HE'S STILL IN THE VENTS." He is based on and voiced by the TV host Larry King.
Wax Coolio
Wax Coolio assaults Dipper and Mabel along with the wax figures. Later, Mabel uses his head to hit the other wax figures when they are surrounding her. Wax Coolio is based on and voiced by the rapper, Coolio.
Wax Richard Nixon
Wax Richard Nixon is based on the 37th President of the United States of America, Richard Nixon. He is seen doing his signature "V for victory" sign. In the flashback scene, he stands with Wax Queen Elizabeth as they drink water/soda. During the fight he was kicked away by Dipper.
Wax Abraham Lincoln
Wax Abraham Lincoln melted in the storage room because of exposure to sunlight from a window with open blinds. Stan accused Wax John Wilkes Booth of the murder before Mabel volunteered to create a new statue to replace it. He is based on the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln.
Wax John Wilkes Booth
Wax John Wilkes Booth is accused by Grunkle Stan of leaving the blinds open, which melted Wax Abraham Lincoln. He is based on Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth. He was never actually seen during the epsiode.
Wax Groucho Marx
After attacking the twins, Wax Groucho is sliced in half by Dipper and makes his final joke before falling apart. He asks why there is nothing in his hand, as he is iconically known for holding a cigar. He is based on the famous comedian Groucho Marx, who was a part of the famous comedic act known as The Marx Brothers.
"I've heard about a cutting remark, but this is ridiculous!" |
Wax William Shakespeare
Wax William Shakespeare's arms are melted off by Mabel, but one of them puts her in a headlock. While in the headlock, Mabel opens a door and jams it on the arm, so she could attack the other wax figures. After the battle is over, Mabel tosses his head into a fire while it recites poetry. He is based on the world-famous playwright William Shakespeare, and is voiced by Greg Ellis.
"Though our group be left in twain, man of wax shall rise again!" |
Wax Genghis Khan
Wax Genghis Khan is seen holding a sword when the wax figures are advancing towards Dipper and Mabel. He is the biggest and the strongest of the wax figures in the group. His face melts when Dipper splashes coffee on it. Later, he gets lured into the fireplace by Dipper, and Dipper makes a joke after he lured him in. He is based on the Mongol Empire emperor Genghis Khan.
Wax Lizzie Borden
Wax Lizzie Borden is based on the axe murderess Lizzie Borden. In the fighting scene, she is seen with Wax Robin Hood running towards Mabel to kill her. When she swings her axe where Mabel is, she accidentally cuts off Wax Robin Hood's head. Her axe was the weapon Wax Sherlock Holmes used to behead Wax Stan.
Wax Queen Elizabeth II
Wax Queen Elizabeth II is based on the Commonwealth monarch, and English queen Queen Elizabeth II. At one part of the flashback scene, she and Wax Richard Nixon can be seen drinking a beverage.
Wax Robin Hood
Wax Robin Hood was seen trying to grab Mabel along with Wax Lizzie Borden. She later accidentally cuts his head off when she tried to swing the axe at Mabel. He is based on heroic fictional outlaw, Robin Hood.
Wax Thomas Edison
Wax Thomas Edison appears in the room when it was first discovered, and shortly in the background right before the fight scene. He is based on the American inventor, Thomas Edison.
Wax Edgar Allen Poe
Wax Edgar Allen Poe was first seen in the fight scene. He was one of the wax figures that got slapped in the face by Mabel by using wax Coolio's head. During the flashback scene, he and Wax Sherlock Holmes were taking funny pictures of Grunkle Stan. But when Grunkle Stan woke up they reverted to their original form. After Grunkle Stan goes to sleep, they continue taking funny pictures of him sleeping. He is based on famous author, Edgar Allen Poe.
Personality
The figures possess some of the same personality traits as their namesakes, although they have many in common with each other. They enjoy hanging out during the night, and, after Stan locked them away, they waited ten years just to seek vengeance on him. When Soos finds them, they come to life once again and attempt to murder Stan, but accidentally decapitate the wax replica of him instead. When Dipper and Mabel discover their supernatural nature, they duel them to the death. They seek revenge on Stan because he locked them away for ten years.
Appearance
Each wax figure resembles a famous figure or a character from history, literature or show business. Thus, they vary greatly in appearance from each other.
Sightings
Season 1
- 103. "Headhunters"
- 109. "The Time Traveler's Pig" (flashback, no lines)
Season 2
- 208. "Blendin's Game" (no lines)
Games
Quotes
"Bravo, Dipper Pines, you've discovered our little secret. Applaud, everyone, applaud sarcastically. No, that sounds too sincere, slow clap. There we go, nice and condescending." |
"You sneeze like a kitten! Those policemen were right! You're adorable! Adorable!!" |
"The llama hair. Llamas are nature's greatest warriors." |
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! What's up with that?!" |
"Fiddlesticks! Humbug! It's a total kerfuffle! What a hullabaloo..." |
"I've heard about a cutting remark, but this is ridiculous!" |
Trivia
- It seems once the wax is completely melted the curse is broken, seeing as Wax Stan (who was made from Wax Abraham Lincoln's cursed wax) did not come to life after a waxing moon.
- According to the cryptogram at the end of "Headhunters," Wax Larry King's head is still in the vents of the Mystery Shack.
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