Theory: Autistic Pines (Gravity Falls)
For those who don’t know, I am Autistic. However, there sadly are barely any characters with Autism for people to connect with, so therefore I’ve made this theory as a sort of way to find representation. Keep in mind, this is just my personal opinion, and I mean no offense to the Characters, the People who Made them, or the People who love these Characters! So, without further adieu, let’s get into the theory!
Claim: Dipper, Mabel, Ford, and Stan Pines all have Autism
Now, I know that is a very bold claim to make, but just hear me out, because I think this actually has quite a bit of evidence. To prove this theory, I’ll be looking at each individual known member of the Pines Family and looking at their possible symptoms. If you don’t know what symptoms are associated with Autism, I’ll be briefly explaining them here, but I do suggest you look at @lavender-sprinkles for a more in-depth analysis. And if you’re going to say that I’m looking too deep into things, I know I am, but this is all for fun so it’s not too serious okay? Now, onto the theory!
Dipper is a rather easy character to prove here, because he does exhibit behaviors that highly correlate with Autism. Not only is he shown to have intense difficulty in social situations, he is frequently shown to have trouble with hygiene, which can be a common problem for folks with Autism. And, of course, there is his intense special interest in the Supernatural, which lines up perfectly with him being Autistic. Some Autistic people have an intense interest and hyper-focus on a particular topic, and the same is true for Dipper. Him often rambling about his findings could also be considered a form of Info-dumping. Dipper is frequently shown to have sleep problems, and his nervousness and easiness to Overwhelm could be considered a product of Over-stimulation. Another Point, it is frequently mentioned that Dipper chews on his own shirt when tired, nervous, upset, etc. I believe this to be a form of Stimming, seeing as chewing on things is often used by Autistic People to calm themselves down. Overall, it’s fairly clear that Dipper is Autistic.
Mabel is a little less obvious than Dipper, but still easy to prove. While Dipper has difficulty in social situations because of his awkwardness, Mabel is more prone to Naivety, and she is shown to be odd and outgoing, which can also be a form of Autism. Autistic kids can sometimes be loud and overly-friendly, which lines up with Mabel quite well. Also, in the scene shown in the picture, Mabel is shown flailing her arms - while this is probably just a visual gag, it could be seen an a form of Stimming. Also, as shown with her love of Mabel Juice, Mabel has some… odd food tastes, which is also common in Autistic People. In “Dipper and Mabel vs the Future”, Mabel is shown to be highly resistant to change, seeing as she is scared for Summer to end, and is scared to lose Dipper, which is all too common in those with Autism. Mabel is also shown always wearing sweaters, which could be a sensory thing. And when Mabel pulls up her sweater over her head and is very sad, this could be interpreted as a form of Meltdown or Shutdown. Her form of Special Interest could be considered finding Love, with may sound a bit odd, but could possibly explain her behavior in the episode “Love God”. And heck, maybe Waddles could even be considered a comfort animal of sorts? Overall, this one’s pretty obvious too.
Ford behaviors much like Dipper, making him a prime candidate to have Autism as well. Ford has a lot of trouble with social situations, both with his own family (considering his former relationship with Stan), and as confirmed by Alex Hirsch in a tweet. He too has the Special Interest of the Supernatural, and it’s actually so passionate that he moved to Gravity Falls and wrote the journals, which is further proof of this theory. Ford is also shown to be gifted in Mathematics and Science, meaning this may be a form of Special Interest or Skill as well. In his High School, Ford was apparently voted “Most Paranoid” which would be explained by him having Autism. Ford is always seen wearing his signature Red Sweater, a possible Sensory issue, as well as the fact that he prefers setting his face on fire instead of actually shaving. Him moving the dice between his 6 fingers in “Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons” might possibly also be a form of Stimming for him. Again, fairly easy to see that he’s Autistic.
Now, while the other members of the Pines Family are fairly easy to prove, Stan here is somewhat more difficult. But, if you look at it from a certain angle, he very clearly has Autism as well. Yet, to fully explain why, I’m going to side-step into a little bit of context from my personal experience with Autism.
So, my oldest brother also has Autism. But he was the first child, so he didn’t quite get the help and support that he needed. Because of this, he was prone to lashing out and being cynical, because the world wasn’t very kind to him.
If you take into consideration Stan’s past as a sad Child and Con-man, it’s rather easy to see this point. I believe that Stan’s frequent crimes and proneness to lashing out may be because he has Autism, but did not receive the help he needed.
Now, many could make the point of “If Stan didn’t receive help, why isn’t Ford like this?”. Well, Ford may very well be like Stan, but also take a look at the episode “A Tale of Two Stans”. Here, it’s shown that Ford was treated like a gifted child because of his academic achievements, but Stan was always seen as a screw-up because he seemingly wasn’t as gifted. This offers a perfect explanation of why Stan lashes out.
But that’s not all. Stan also exhibits some symptoms of Autism! While Ford’s Autism is much like Dipper’s, Stan’s Autism is much like Mabel’s. While he’s nowhere near as Naive as Mabel, probably due to the lashing out deal, but he is shown to be much more outgoing and loud, yet he is still prone to awkwardness. His special interest could be considered Supernatural, hence his con-man business with the Mystery Shack. And his frequent examples of lashing out, such as when he fought with Ford and during “Not What he Seems”, can be considered a form of Meltdown. So, I do think Stan has Autism as well.
So, yeah. That’s my little theory on all of this! I hope you all enjoyed this!
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