List of cryptograms/Home media (2024)

Main article: List of cryptograms

Ciphers[]

Substitution Ciphers[]

The A1Z26 cipher is a simple substitution cipher decoded by substituting the n^th letter of the alphabet for given number n (and back again). Several other ciphers used in Gravity Falls work by applying this cipher first and then doing arithmetic - decryption is then done by reversing the arithmetic.

The Caesar cipher (or shift cipher) used in Gravity Falls uses a shift of +3 or -23: you encrypt by applying the A1Z26 cipher above, adding +3 or -23 using modular addition (so 1-3=25), and then undoing A1Z26 to get a letter. You decrypt by doing the same backwards, adding -3 or +23 (so A decrypts to X, for example).

The Atbash cipher works like the Caesar cipher, only instead of adding or subtracting 3 to letters 1-26, you apply A1Z26 with a numbering scheme of -13 to -1 and then 1 to 13 (skipping 0), then multiplying by -1. In other words, you simply mirror the alphabet.

In Journal 3, a symbol substitution cipher is used by The Author. The symbols are hidden on many pages of the journals. This cipher also encrypts some punctuation. The symbols for Q and Z used to be unknown, until the font CipherFontA was discovered from thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com.

Plain Text	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z
A1Z26	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Caesar Cipher	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z	A	B	C
Atbash Cipher	Z	Y	X	W	V	U	T	S	R	Q	P	O	N	M	L	K	J	I	H	G	F	E	D	C	B	A
The Author's Symbols

Combined cipher[]

A combined cipher is a mix of two or more ciphers seen in the show. The first time such cipher has been used is at the end of "Gideon Rises." It's solved by converting to letters using the A1Z26 cipher, then flipping the letters with the Atbash cipher, and finally by using the Caesar cipher. Season 2's combined ciphers start with the Vigenère cipher.

Number codes[]

These codes are solvable by taking the number beside a parenthesis as an episode number, and the other numbers beside them represents a letter in that episode's credits cryptogram.

Vigenère cipher[]

Vigenère cipher is a series of Caesar ciphers where each letter shift depends on a key word. Vigenère ciphers use a Vigenère square, like the one below, to encrypt the message. The square is 26 rows of Caesar ciphers starting with a zero letter shift. On each additional row, the shift of the letters is increased by 1.

As Vigenère ciphers are a bit more complicated, consider the following example: we want to encrypt the message MABELEATSSPRINKLES and use GRAVITY as the key. We would repeat the key word until it matched the length of the message (in this case, GRAVITYGRAVITYGRAV). Using the table above, we match the message letter to a row and the corresponding key letter to a column and find the letter at their intersection on the table. For example, the row starting with M and the column starting with G intersect at S. The row starting with A and the column starting with R intersect at R. So using our message and the key, the we'd create the following cipher:

Note that any time the message is A, the cipher letter will be the same as the key letter and vice versa.

Another way to think of Vigenère ciphers is that each letter of the key corresponds to a Caesar shift number (A=0, B=1, C=2, etc.) and for each letter of the message you form a Caesar shift based on the corresponding key letter.

Bill's symbol substitution cipher[]

In the book Dipper's and Mabel's Guide to Mystery and Nonstop Fun!, Bill tells readers "I bet you can't even figure out the code I've hidden throughout this book."^[1] The symbols are similar to The Author's symbol substitution cipher. This cipher is also used by The Author of the Journals and Shmebulock.

Bill's symbol substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Combined symbol substitution cipher[]

In the canonical copy of Journal 3, besides his regular substitution cipher, Bill uses another cipher to further hide his sinister teasing notes and messages from Ford. Many of the symbols are shared with Bill's symbol substitution cipher and the Author's symbol substitution cipher. The symbols decode to numbers, and from there use A1Z26.

Combined symbol substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Theraprism symbol substitution cipher[]

In The Book of Bill, alongside several of the codes previously seen in the show and other material, there are also new codes introduced throughout the book. This cipher is primarily used in the Theraprism pages, but are also seen elsewhere in the book as a general-purpose alien writing.

Theraprism symbol substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Rune symbol substitution cipher[]

Another cipher introduced in The Book of Bill, this substitution cipher is made up of runes by the Vikings, originally put up as signs warning everyone to "throw Olaf overboard" if he ever tried to draw a triangle (representing Bill).

Rune symbol substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Alchemic symbol substitution cipher[]

Using the font 1651 Alchemy Symbols by GLC, this Book of Bill cipher appears sporadically throughout both the book and on the the tie-in website. It seems to be primarily used by Bill himself in a few rare occasions.

Alchemic symbol substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Color substitution cipher[]

This substitution cipher, introduced in The Book of Bill, appears in some corners of The Book of Bill and in parts of the tie-in website.

Color substitution cipher
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Bros.' Secret Code[]

This substitution cipher, created by Stan Pines and Ford Pines as kids, appears near the end of The Book of Bill and occasionally in the tie-in website.

Bros.' Secret Code
Cryptogram
Meaning	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Meaning	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K	L	M	N	O	P	Q	R	S	T	U	V	W	X	Y	Z

Home Media[]

Gravity Falls: The Complete Series[]

Location	Cryptograms	Decoded	Cipher
Back of box set case	Twelve-year-old twins Dipper and Mabel Pines are sent to the sleepy forest town of Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend their summer vacation with their great uncle (”Grunkle”) Stan, a shady, carnival-barker-like con man who forces them to work at the Mystery Shack, Oregon’s lowest-rated tourist trap. Although the Shack is filled with hoaxes and fakes, the town itself seems to be hiding a paranormal dark side, with monsters and mysteries around every corner. When Dipper stumbles upon an elusive book hidden in the forest, he realizes it just might hold the secrets to understanding the town. Soon, conspiracy-obsessed Dipper and goofy, carefree Mabel realize they must rely on each other to survive their crazy, new world. Meanwhile, Grunkle Stan guards a secret of his own - one that just might hold the key to unlocking the deeper mystery that is Gravity Falls.	beware cipher	Bolded letters.
		STAY WEIRD	Bill's Symbol Substitution Cipher
	D vrxyhqlu lv vrphwklqj judqg/brx krog wkh vxpphu lq brxu kdqg	A souvenir is something grand/you hold the summer in your hand	Caesar
Bottom of box set case		PINES FOREVER	Bill's Symbol Substitution Cipher
“One Crazy Summer” featurette		LEFT AT TEETH	Bill's Symbol Substitution Cipher
		LEFT AT CHECKERS
		RIGHT AT ZOO
		LEFT AT CRYPTOGRAMS
		RIGHT AT TATTOO
		RIGHT AT CLOCK
		RIGHT AT STICKERS
“The Hirsch Twins" featurette		LEFT AT TRIANGLES	Bill's Symbol Substitution Cipher

References[]