Dipper Pines

Mason "Dipper" Pines[1] is a fictional character and one of the main characters of the Disney Channel animated series Gravity Falls. The character is voiced by Jason Ritter, and designed by and loosely based on the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch.[2] The character first appeared on the unreleased, unnamed pilot created by Hirsch with which he pitched the show; he later appeared on the first episode "Tourist Trapped".[3] Dipper, along with his twin sister Mabel Pines, stars in every episode of the show. Dipper is the star of the Gravity Falls series of shorts titled "Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained" and also appears in the shorts "Fixin' it with Soos" and "Mabel's Guide to Life" Dipper is a 12-year-old (13-year-old by the end of the series) boy who, along with his twin sister Mabel, is sent to spend his summer vacation in his great uncle's tourist trap, "The Mystery Shack". He endeavors to uncover the secrets of the fictional town of Gravity Falls and to find explanations for assorted strange situations. He is helped by his energetic and boundlessly cheerful twin Mabel and the Shack's handyman Soos. They often end up dealing with or encountering various supernatural or legendary creatures, like gnomes, cryptids, demons, extraterrestrials, minotaurs, and Vampires. Dipper tackles these mysteries with the aid of a journal—a large, red-bound book with a gold hand and number "3" on the front cover—that he found in the forest. This journal describes many of the supernatural occurrences of Gravity Falls. In "Scary-oke", he discovered that there was a wealth of knowledge in the journal that is only visible under black light.

Dipper is uncommonly brave and determined for a pre-teen, and struggles with growing up. He is singularly devoted to solving the mysteries of Gravity Falls that he has discovered, which often puts him at odds with Grunkle Stan.

The adventures of Dipper and his sister are inspired by the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch and his own twin sister, Ariel Hirsch.[4] As a character, Dipper has been critically well received.[5] He appears in various Gravity Falls merchandise, such as on clothing and in video games.[ Dipper Pines is a curious, clever and inventive boy from Piedmont, California, forced to spending his summer together with his great uncle Stan in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.[7][8] He is accompanied by his twin sister Mabel Pines.[9] He is portrayed as smart, wise, gentle, conventional, and very logical, showing knowledge in various areas like history, cryptography, puzzle-solving, etc.

Dipper wears a trademark white and blue hat with a symbol of a blue pine tree on the front, which he got from the Shack's gift shop. He also wears a navy blue vest, orange T-shirt, gray shorts, black sneakers, and a wristwatch. In "Double Dipper", it is revealed that Dipper gets his nickname from a birth mark on his forehead in the form of the Big Dipper, which he hides with his bangs.[10] His formal name was never revealed in the series, however, in the book Gravity Falls: Journal 3, a guide book about the series, Dipper says his name is "Mason" to his great uncle Stanford Pines.[11]

In "The Inconveniencing", it is revealed that Dipper had a crush on local girl and Mystery Shack employee Wendy Corduroy, who is three years older than him. He usually attempts to impress her and frequently finds himself in sticky situations as a result. In the episode "Into the Bunker", Wendy finally learns Dipper's crush on her, although she also reveals that she always suspected it. Dipper also is extremely protective of his sister Mabel, doing everything to protect or save her from trouble. He first arrives in Gravity Falls upset with going to a small, boring town, with his twin sister Mabel for the summer,[12] but because of interest in mysteries and lust for adventure he starts to adjust to life in town and tries to solve mysteries, with his twin sister coming along for the journey. Dipper is shown as a very organized child, always working on a well-thought-out plan.[13]