Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Sep 1, 2024
Table of Contents
When ‘Gravity Falls’ premiered on Disney Channel in 2012, it must have been hard to imagine the cultural phenomenon that it would become in the following years, but that didn’t keep creator Alex Hirsch from dreaming big. Though it only ran for two seasons on Disney Channel and Disney XD, the impact of ‘Gravity Falls’ was massive. Since the show ended in 2016, Hirsch has gone on to create other hits such as ‘The Owl House’ and is an admirably outspoken advocate for animators, but ‘Gravity Falls’ didn’t really stop when the show ended. Hirsch has dropped not just Easter eggs online after the finale, but a series of books and a worldwide ARG that brought one of the most iconic characters in the series very nearly to life. All of it has been eaten up by loyal fans trained to always be looking for clues and to crack the litany of codes hidden inside and outside the show, but recent developments in the meta-saga of ‘Gravity Falls’ have audiences itching now more than ever for a return of one of the greatest cartoons ever made.
Buckle up and hold tight to your sleuthing hats, as we take a look back at ‘Gravity Falls’, Cipher Hunt, Easter eggs, paper publications, and most recently ‘The Book of Bill’ and the mysterious thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com.
For the uninitiated, ‘Gravity Falls’ is an animated series that follows Dipper (Jason Ritter) and Mabel Pines (Kristen Schaal), twins from California who get shipped off to live with their Grunkle Stan (Alex Hirsch) for the summer in the sleepy town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. Things are never what they seem at The Mystery Shack, Stan’s shameless tourist trap, or anywhere else in town, and the twins spend the summer solving mysteries about the town, their family, and ubiquitous paranormal phenomena. The big baddie throughout the series is Bill Cipher (also voiced by Alex Hirsch), a top-hat wearing triangle known to make shady deals with mortals to inhabit their minds and wreak havoc on the physical world, that ultimately the Pines gang defeats him before Dipper and Mabel return home at the end of the summer… or did they?
For a regular viewer, ‘Gravity Falls’ is entertaining, funny, visually appealing, extremely meta, and always pushing the boundaries of what Disney would allow on their kids channels. But, naturally, fans don’t treat this like a regular cartoon. Throughout every episode are hidden clues, be it items in the background that hint at future reveals, pages in the journal Dipper discovers in episode one and uses throughout the show, or lines of encrypted text hidden in plain sight. Viewers can use various ciphers, codes, and combinations of decoding techniques, both conventional and invented by Alex Hirsch specifically for ‘Gravity Falls’, to decrypt the secret messages at the end of every episode. These messages ranged from harmless jokes to huge breakthroughs in the mysteries surrounding the inhabitants of Gravity Falls, but there was always a little reward waiting for you at the end of the credits. One could always keep peeling back layers and falling further down the rabbit hole, and it made ‘Gravity Falls’ even more fun to watch.
At the end of the credits for “Weirdmaggedon 3: Take Back the Falls”, the final episode, something extremely unusual was waiting for viewers; rather than just a journal page with text to decode, there was grainy film footage of a stone statue of Bill Cipher in a forest in the real world. Hirsch tweeted out a new encrypted clue, and fans immediately got to work trying to find Bill. The search for Bill in our world was dubbed “Cipher Hunt”, an augmented reality game, or ARG, that spanned the globe and had fans working together to find Bill Cipher’s whereabouts. Physical clues were placed in Russia, Japan, Georgia, Rhode Island, and all over California and Oregon, eventually leading to the statue hidden out in the woods in Reedsport, Oregon. Once he was found and the title of Official Mayor of Gravity Falls was claimed by the winner, Bill was transported to Confusion Hill, California, one of the places fans went for clues and the original inspiration for the Mystery Shack, where pilgrims can now visit Bill whenever they please.
ARGs are incredibly difficult to plan and run, but “Cipher Hunt” managed to go pretty smoothly with minimal hints from Hirsch. Before the end of ‘Gravity Falls’ and the start of Cipher Hunt, someone actually found the statue of Bill by mistake, but Hirsch managed to keep the spoiler quiet until the end of the game. It is incredible how so many people came together to solve the puzzle (including Jason Ritter and other cast and crew who worked on the show) working internationally and side by side for weeks just for the satisfaction of finding Bill out in the woods somewhere. This was no ordinary show, with no ordinary fanbase, which allowed one of its most sinister characters to jump out of the screen and into the real world.
‘Gravity Falls’ was no stranger to Easter eggs while it was on the air, and Alex Hirsch has certainly never been shy when it comes to talking about how the proverbial sausage gets made. His Twitter and Tumblr accounts in particular are a treasure trove of behind the scenes stories, outtakes, and gag reels, including an April Fools video containing dramatic readings of emails between the writers of ‘Gravity Falls’ and Disney’s S&P (standards and practices) department. When I say they were pushing the boundaries of what Disney would allow, I meant it, but some of them are just silly.
Hirsch has also been known to talk pretty openly about the production of the show, and why he chose to end it when he did. According to him, ‘Gravity Falls’ was always meant to have a defined ending, a payoff to the mystery, so it wouldn’t go on forever and ever and lose its spark. It’s an admirable mission in a world of sequels, spinoffs, and endless series, which for better or for worse make up most of the entertainment produced by large studios nowadays. That devotion to the vision is part of why it was such a good show. Maybe it’s finality and sort of scarcity also make it even more special. But, that doesn’t mean this sleepy Oregon town is gone forever.
Books
Enter: the written page. Shortly before the end of the series, ‘Gravity Falls: Journal 3’ was released, a real, physical version of the journal Dipper and friends refer to throughout the series to solve mysteries and log their weird encounters around the Mystery Shack. Not only does it contain pages and stories referred to in the show, it had hundreds of new ones depicting never-before-seen creatures, monsters, and writing by the fictional author of the journals. Not only that, but ‘Journal 3’ also contains all of the substitution ciphers used in the coded messages on screen and throughout other ‘Gravity Falls’ materials, as well as tons of messages for cryptology inclined readers to decipher.
On the two year anniversary of the show’s end, Alex Hirsch revealed the cover of ‘Gravity Falls: Lost Legends’, the first official graphic novel with new stories since the end of the show, in a mini ARG. The book was released later in 2018, and included four vignettes starring the beloved characters of the franchise. This release proved ‘Gravity Falls’ lives on in the mind of its creator, if not on screen airing new episodes. However, it would take a few more years for the next big project…
It’s safe to say that over eight years, ‘Gravity Falls’ and its fanbase have grown up a bit. In Alex Hirsch’s latest addition to the franchise, he made it abundantly clear that this next installment was for older readers. ‘The Book of Bill’ hit shelves earlier this year, and brought fans worldwide back out of the woodwork. An all new novel from the point of view of Bill Cipher, the most dapper triangle on television, chronicling his history, the collapse of his home dimension, and his escapades on Earth prior to his arrival in Gravity Falls, Oregon seems to have been exactly what the doctor ordered. In typical fashion, the marketing prior to the book’s release was handled by Alex Hirsch and an account supposedly run by the fictional Oregon Parks Department on Twitter, which documented their top ranger Gus finding the book and how its discovery led to him going missing (again, all fictional, but very spooky and effective). The last Barnes and Noble I went to was still out of copies, because the hype only continued to grow after its release.
Clues at the end of ‘The Book of Bill’ led to a website called thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com. For a few days, it was password protected by the name “TJ Eckleberg”, a reference to ‘The Book of Bill’ which in turn was referencing ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but all there was was behind the login was a countdown to an unknown event. Once the countdown ended (and Soos, the Mystery Shack’s handyman, fixed it), it was transformed into a secret lab familiar to fans of the original show. On the terminal, fans began entering passwords, character names, questions, phrases from the book, encoded words, anything they could think of to crack the mystery at the heart of the website. Other book releases had sites of their own, but nothing like this. To date, over 300 passwords have been found, and a string of riddles was eventually solved by a community Discord server a few days after the website went live to figure out who defeated Bill Cipher before he went on to terrorize Gravity Falls. Still, people are plugging in new codes and the occasional new detail is dropped by contributors to the book.
What’s next? It’s hard to say. Responses coded into thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com allude to a non-existent prequel series, which coupled with Disney’s tease that they’re currently in talks with Alex Hirsch has sent fans spiraling. Add the first official Disney social media releases in years, and we have a real rumor on our hands. ‘Gravity Falls’ got the perfect ending it deserves, but it’s hard to find a fan that doesn’t want more of the show they love. In a fandom that runs on mysteries and was trained over years to find and solve cryptic messages, everything feels like a clue to what’s next, something’s up, we need to have this figured out before the creator himself even puts pen to paper.
All I know is that ‘Gravity Falls’ was an incredible show with an incredible team of cast and crew, and while it would be a dream come true if it were to return to broadcast, it’s also perfect the way it is. I and fans like me will keep eating up what does come out of the world of ‘Gravity Falls’, and making sure our post notifications are on for Alex’s Twitter account, and praying that “we’ll meet again some sunny day…”
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
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