Summary
- Gravity Falls ciphers add depth to show, thrilling fans with unique puzzles and hidden messages.
- Each cryptogram requires specific ciphers, such as Caesar or Atbash, making solutions rewarding for viewers.
- Show's rewatchability enhanced by continuous discovery of ciphers in episodes, books, and tie-in media.
The Gravity Falls ciphers that make up the show's notorious cryptogram have kept many fans coming back to the show looking for solutions - and, when solved, it adds yet another layer of enjoyment to the hit animated series. Created by Alex Hirsch, Gravity Falls only ran for two seasons before abruptly ending. This was all by Hirsch's design, though, and not a reflection on how the series was received, especially since the show developed a passionate fan base around a world with a surprisingly rich mythology.
Since Gravity Falls ended, the fandom has only grown. The show is primed for repeat viewings too, with Hirsch planting several pieces of information, cameos, and Easter eggs for hardcore fans to pick up on. A key reason the show is so rewatchable is the many hidden mysteries to be solved, such as the Mystery Shack's many names. One of the biggest pulls is easily the Gravity Falls ciphers for its numerous cryptograms, which are coded messages that require a special key to decipher.
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How To Solve The Gravity Falls Ciphers
The Cryptograms Can Be Unlocked With One Of Four Key Methods
There are almost too many Gravity Falls cryptograms to count that appear at different points in various episodes. However, a staple of Gravity Falls is the new cryptogram featured during the credits of each episode. These often go over the heads of casual viewers, dedicated fans of the show see them for the puzzle they are. While the end-of-episode cryptograms are understandably cryptic, they can be solved mainly with the help of four key Gravity Falls ciphers, which are as follows:
Cypher | How To Apply It To The Cryptogram |
|---|---|
Caesar Cipher | Substitute the original letter for the third letter before it in the alphabet (example: A = X) |
Atbash Cipher | Reverse letter ordering (example: A = Z) |
A1Z26 Cipher | Substitute the number shown with the appropriate letter in alphabetical order (example: 1 = A) |
Vigenère Cipher | A series of Caesar ciphers solved using a keyword and the Vigenère square |
How To Solve The Cryptograms In Gravity Falls Season 1
Three Ciphers Are Required For The First 20 End-Of-Episode Cryptograms
The Gravity Falls ciphers were a key draw for fans from the very first season of the show, which arrived in 2013. Since over a decade has passed since it aired, the cryptograms have, of course, been solved. A variety of different ciphers are needed to find the solution, but it's a worthwhile endeavor. Episodes 1-6 of Gravity Falls use the Ceasar cipher, 7-13 use the Atbash cipher, and 14-19 use the A1Z26 cipher. Episode 20 is a little more complex, as it requires three ciphers in a specific order — the A1Z26 cipher, then the Atbash cipher, and finally the Ceasar cipher.
The answers to most of the Gravity Falls cryptograms have already been discovered and cultivated in the Gravity Falls Fandom Wiki, so fans who want to simply know what the answers are without solving the ciphers themselves will find this a valuable source of information.
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How To Solve The Cryptograms In Gravity Falls Season 2
The Second Season Uses A Single (Albeit Complex) Cipher
The approach to the Gravity Falls ciphers was different in the second season. Rather than relying on four separate ciphers, the cryptograms in Gravity Falls season 2 are instead solved using the Vigenère cipher and a new keyword for each episode. Vigenère ciphers are an advanced version of the Caesar cipher. Rather than substituting each letter for the one that appears three spaces before it in the alphabet, a Vigenère cipher uses a keyword to denote exactly how far the letters shift.
The keywords to solve each cryptogram are hidden in the episodes themselves. Using the first episode of Gravity Falls season 2, "Scary-Oke" as an example, the solution is "WELCOME BACK", which is gleamed from the random jumble of letters "SMOFZQA JDFV". The keyword to solve the cryptogram is "WIDDLE", which is seen on the wall of Gideon's prison cell.
To solve this Gravity Falls cryptogram, the word "WIDDLE" should be repeated so that all 11 letters in "SMOFZQA JDFV" are allocated a character (so "WIDDLEW IDDL"). These can then be checked against a Vigenère square, which will then inform how far ahead/behind the letter of the intended message will be, as per a Caesar cipher.
Gravity Falls' Ciphers Made The Show More Rewatchable
The Puzzles Throughout Gravity Falls Kept Fans Coming Back For More
Gravity Falls has gained a cult following over the years, with a fandom that's remarkably dedicated when considering the fact that the show was only on the air for two seasons, both of which aired a decade ago. The Gravity Falls ciphers and the cryptograms they help solve are a key reason for this. The end-of-episode cryptograms aren't the only puzzles in the show either, as each episode contains a variety of hidden and coded messages for eager viewers to uncover the meaning of. These don't just extend to the shows, either.
While it's been years since there were any new episodes of the show, Gravity Falls fans have been well-fed by a continuous stream of tie-in media such as books and graphic novels. All of these contain ciphers and codes of their own. For example, real-life versions of Stanford's journals were released in 2016. These contained not only more codes to be deciphered using the same methods as the end-of-episode cryptograms, but also a unique symbolic Gravity Falls cipher which could then be applied to the episodes, graphic novels, and various other media.
While several other shows are littered with Easter-eggs and puzzles for fans to solve, few have incorporated them with the depth or dexterity of Gravity Falls. They're a continued source of discussion within the fandom, and even after a decade has passed since the first episode of the show aired, new solutions and puzzles are still being discovered.
Gravity Falls
TV-Y7
Where to Watch
- stream
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*Availability in US
When Dipper and Mabel Pines are dropped off to spend the summer with their uncle in Gravity Falls, they discover that all is not as it seems in this small town. When Dipper discovers a strange journal in the forest, the twins team up to solve the town's mysteries.
- Cast
- Jason Ritter , Alex Hirsch , Kristen Schaal , Linda Cardellini , Kevin Michael Richardson , Kari Wahlgren , John DiMaggio , Jennifer Coolidge
- Release Date
- June 15, 2012
- Seasons
- 2
- Showrunner
- Alex Hirsch
