Mabel is an energetic 12-year-old girl (she and her brother turn 13 at the end of the series finale) who is sent with her brother to spend her summer vacation in her great-uncle's tourist trap called the "Mystery Shack". She helps her brother Dipper as he endeavors to uncover the secrets of the fictional town of Gravity Falls and to find an explanation for the strange situations they experience. They are helped by the handyman that works there, Soos, Wendy, Dipper's crush and the twins' best friend/co-worker, and other characters throughout the series. The situations that they encounter include dealing with various supernatural or legendary creatures, like gnomes, cryptids, demons, aliens, minotaurs and the ever nefarious Bill Cipher.
Mabel is both fun and brave, as well as determined in whatever she sets out to do. Like her brother, she struggles with growing up and wants to be seen as more than she is. She is smarter than she often is portrayed and will always look out for her brother, no matter what.
The adventures of Mabel and her brother are inspired by the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch and his own twin sister.[2] As a character, Mabel has been critically well received.[3] She appears in various Gravity Falls merchandise, such as on clothing, in video games,[4] and in music videos.[1]
Mabel Pines is an energetic and optimistic girl from Piedmont, California, forced to spend her summer together with her great uncle Stan in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.[5][6] She is accompanied by her twin brother Dipper Pines. Their parents aren't revealed in the show.[7]
Mabel wears a variety of colorful sweaters and skirts. She is a self-proclaimed arts and crafts master, going so far as to make a wax figure of her uncle Stan with the leftover wax of a melted figure during the episode "Headhunters". She grew to like Grunkle Stan and he likes her, too, and is often protective of her and Dipper.
Mabel is boy-crazy and dislikes anyone who opposes her brother. She has a pet pig named Waddles who she won in the episode "The Time Traveler's Pig".[8] Despite seeming as just being there for comic relief, Mabel is frequently instrumental in helping her brother solve the mysteries of Gravity Falls and played a pivotal role in all three of the fights that the twins have had against the main antagonist, Bill Cipher, to the point that Dipper says that he has no chance of defeating Bill without Mabel's help.[9]
Show and character creator Alex Hirsch has stated on occasions that Mabel is much smarter than she seems, saying in a 2013 Reddit AMA that:[10]
"Mabel's not stupid. She's a ham! There's a big difference. Mabel's love of goofing off is a natural force of her personality, but she can still understand when people she cares about need help or are in danger. Don't just make her a catchphrase machine. She really cares about the people around her. (Secret: Mabel's secretly jealous that her brother's better academically than she is)."[10]
In the graphic novel Gravity Falls: Lost Legends storyline Don't Dimension It by Alex Hirsch and Serina Hernandez,[12][14] on an expedition through the forests of Gravity Falls to check for any dimensional rifts in the aftermath of "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls", Mabel falls into a wormhole when retrieving Waddles, and ends up in a pocket dimension along with other lost Mabels of the Multiverse (including Mortabel). However, as all of the various Mabels are too preoccupied with their own tasks, none are able to help Mabels return back to her dimension, as Grunkles Stan and Ford attempt to track down Mabel through the multiverse. Meanwhile, Mabel meets another Mabel who closely resembles her and shares her determination to leave the dimension. Both work together to retrieve a flare gun and manage to alert the Grunkles to their location. However, the other Mabel locks Mabel into an outhouse, revealing herself to be the Anti-Mabel, an evil version of her, and intends to take over another Mabel's life and her dimension. The Grunkles, unaware of the switch, pick up the Anti-Mabel. Getting out of the outhouse, Mabel tries to get help from the other Mabels but becomes aggravated when they are too preoccupied too help. Coming to realize just how similar to past actions of hers they are like, Mabel manages rallies the other Mabels for help in defeating Anti-Mabel. En-route back to their dimension, the Grunkles are overpowered by the Anti-Mabel, who seeks to conquer the multiverse. Mabel and her alternate versions arrive, fighting against the Anti-Mabel while rescuing Stan and Ford. The Anti-Mabel is overpowered and the Pines ejects her into space. Dropping the Pines off at the rift leading back to their dimension, the other Mabels thank them for their help before returning to their home dimensions. Upon their return, the Grunkles seal the rift and Mabel apologizes to Dipper for her past actions and gives a blue journal with a pine tree on it which she got from Mabipper (a composite version of the siblings) and hopes to start new adventures together.[15]
Behind the scenes
Mabel is based on series' creator Alex Hirsch's own twin sister Ariel Hirsch. Growing up, she had a personality that was close to that of Mabel's, similarly to Alex having one that was like Dipper's.[7] Mabel was voiced by actress Kristen Schaal. Alex has stated in the past that Kristen was always his first choice as the voice of Mabel. She first appeared in the unreleased pilot made for Gravity Falls in 2010 by House of Cool Studios, which Alex Hirsch used to pitch the series to Disney Channel.
