Gravity Falls is one of those animated shows that attracts both children and adults, and even though it has not been on the air for several years, it continues to maintain a large fan base around the world. This Disney Television Animation production, created by Alex Hirsch, aired for two seasons, starting in June 2012 and wrapping in November 2015. Gravity Falls follows twins Dipper and Mabel Pines, two 12-year-olds from Piedmont, California who are sent to Gravity Falls to spend the summer with their great-uncle Stan, a con man who scams tourists with his Mystery Shack. Although the twins are both resigned to spending a very dull summer away from home, they soon discover that the town holds all sorts of more mysteries that they didn’t expect, so they embark on an adventure to unravel them all.
This show culminated with a series finale episode titled “Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls,” which became the most watched telecast in the history of Disney XD, beating the record of another episode of the same show. Throughout its years on the air, Gravity Falls was widely acclaimed by critics and popular with audiences, earning two Emmy Awards and becoming an influence for other shows in recent years. Part of this series’ success was due to the development of its often-hilarious characters, who are as eccentric as they are relatable in many ways. Here are the most relatable characters of Gravity Falls, ranked.
10 Bill Cipher
Generally speaking, villains are the characters we identify with the least. However, Gravity Falls‘ main antagonist seems to have more in common with humans than is widely believed. Bill Cipher is a triangular inter-dimensional demon who made his way to Gravity Falls after Stanford Pines summoned him, thus gaining access to the real world. This character has the ability to unleash himself on anyone’s mind at will. He also possesses many negative qualities: he is sadistic, manipulative, and his wickedness knows no bounds when it comes to achieving his goals. However, the character is still relatable: he tends to play by his own rules according to what he believes in and, at the end of the day, he is nothing more than a demon who wants to be accepted by others, although he doesn’t know exactly how to achieve that.
9 Stan Pines
Stan Pines is, along with his nephews Dipper and Mabel, a main character in Gravity Falls. This man has devoted his whole life to swindling people, his latest and greatest scam being the Mystery Shack, where he exploits the ingenuity of tourists to make a lot of money. Despite being an extremely greedy, cheap and grumpy con man, Stan is, hands down, one of the audience’s favorite characters and has delivered some of the show’s best scenes. What makes him so relatable is his ability to put everything aside to help his family. Naturally, Stan wasn’t particularly happy to welcome two restless, curious children for the entire summer, but he still did it, because they’re family. And, despite being estranged from his brother Ford for over thirty years and having a rocky relationship, he never stopped trying to get him back from the dimension he was in, and came to his aid when needed.
8 Ford Pines
Before the audience meets Ford Pines, they become familiar with his work: this character was responsible for writing the journals that Dipper found, although this information is revealed later in the series. Ford is Stan’s brother, and he arrived in Gravity Falls with the intention of investigating the supernatural phenomena surrounding the town before vanishing to another dimension following a fight with his brother. It is quite clear that this mysterious character is passionate about the events he is investigating, and has no qualms about getting involved in dangerous situations in order to get the answers he is looking for. Moreover, he is highly skilled at performing certain activities, but, like the rest of us, lacks in many other areas: since he has not been in touch with his own dimension for many years, he has completely missed out on the great advances in technology and society.
7 Pacifica Northwest
It’s hard to empathize with Pacifica Northwest. This young girl, the great-great-granddaughter of Gravity Falls’ alleged founder, bears all the hallmarks of the typical mean girl: she’s uptight, self-centered, popular, and tries her best to annoy those she considers her inferiors. However, as the story unfolds, the audience discovers that Pacifica’s nasty attitudes are not really hers, but those of her family, who spoil her and encourage each of her bad habits hoping that, in the future, she will become exactly like them. Fortunately, she eventually realized the bad influence her family had on her, and changed her attitude completely. From then on, Pacifica learned from her mistakes, modified her behavior and mended her relationship with Dipper, Mabel and the rest of the residents of Gravity Falls.
6 Mermando
Despite being a minor character, Mermando managed to impress the audience big time. This young merman arrived in Gravity Falls after a long and eventful journey looking for survival. Originally, Mermando lived very quietly in the Gulf of Mexico until a captain hunted him down, and from then on, he tried to escape from fateful situations until he ended up at the town pool, where he was found by Mabel. In many ways, this overly dramatic merman is reminiscent of our own teenage days: Mermando lives in fear of not being accepted by others, and hides from them seeking to go back to his family. However, once he manages to establish a bond with another person, his funny, intelligent and sensitive personality shines through.
5 Grenda Grendinator & Candy Chiu
Grenda Grendinator and Candy Chiu are Mabel’s best friends, and the three of them constitute the typical group of unconditional childhood friends that every woman has had. They enjoy sleepovers, talking about boys, applying make-up, and all the things a girl that age loves to do. Grenda and Candy are very different from one another, although they have something that brings them together and makes them relatable: they both have a lot of insecurities with their physique and personality that were brought on by being teased by other girls from Gravity Falls. Candy is mocked for her eccentric manner and innovative ideas, while Grenda, for her thick voice and body. Still, they draw strength from their friendship to ignore the criticism of others and try to show themselves exactly as they are.
4 Soos Ramirez
Soos Ramirez is one of Stan’s employees at the Mystery Shack and, despite being a few years older than Dipper and Mabel, he gets along very well with both of them. This amusing character is going through a phase we’ve all gone through: the passage from youth to adulthood, with all that entails. Generally, Soos tries to be a responsible adult, a good employee and to stay out of unnecessary trouble, although his childish nature and his desire to be involved in everything that happens in Gravity Falls make it very difficult for him. However, he works very hard towards making his dreams come true, and that is how, by the end of the show, he manages to become the new owner of the Mystery Shack and thus avoid its definitive closure.
3 Wendy Corduroy
Wendy Corduroy is another employee of the Mystery Shack, although unlike Soos, she works part-time. She is a few years younger than her co-worker, and does not share his desire to succeed there: it is very clear that Wendy does not enjoy her job, and she wanders off whenever she gets the chance, looking for plans that will amuse her more. She is still at a stage where she hasn’t quite figured out what she wants to do with her life, and there is still time for her to do so. However, she is the typical teenager who pretends to be an adult without the responsibilities that this entails, something that surely many of us have done at some point in our lives. Plus, her upbeat, fun, and friendly personality makes her the perfect friend for anyone.
2 Dipper Pines
Dipper Pines displays many of the features that can be found in a 12-year-old child, so it is very easy to relate to him, or at least to see a resemblance to a childhood friend or family member. The main character of the show is extremely curious and smart, and like many children, hates to sit still or have nothing to do for too long. These traits are what motivate him to set out on an adventure once he discovers the mysteries of Gravity Falls, although he is not quite conscious of the fact that he is going to put his life at risk along the way. Dipper desperately wishes that the adults around him would consider him a peer, and he can’t wait for years to pass for them to value his wisdom and take him seriously. And, despite being more mature than many children his age, his constant quest for recognition often causes him to make the wrong decisions and come across as a very serious and self-absorbed child.
1 Mabel Pines
Just as Dipper embodies a lot of 12-year-olds, Mabel Pines is the spitting image of many others: the eccentric, optimistic, and sensitive children who are not afraid to show themselves just the way they are. She makes a great team with her brother because she tends to adopt a much more relaxed attitude that goes very well with Dipper’s constant worry and seriousness. Mabel is funny, a bit clumsy, and very curious, and she tries to look on the bright side of every situation she faces. Despite having great self-esteem and loving her personality and beauty, this girl is not insensitive to criticism, and just like her friends Grenda and Candy, she suffers when other girls her age tease her for her thoughts or looks. Mabel is a daydreamer, a hopeless romantic, and, despite her occasional self-centered behavior, she doesn’t hesitate to put everything aside to help the ones she loves.
