Grunkle Stan: Funny Guy, But Terrible at Jokes. The AUTHOR, on the Other Hand…

Okay my theory for “The Author being the Mabel of the Stan Twins” grew just a bit today when I realized that Grunkle Stan is actually really, really TERRIBLE at jokes.



“But Laur,” the reader quips, “Grunkle Stan is easily the funniest character in the show!” Yeah, he is, but not because he has great jokes; it’s because he’s an unabashed selfish jerk with little-to-no-regard for the well-being of others. His frank unadulterated honesty is what makes him so hilarious. When it comes to actually telling jokes, however Grunkle Stan falls flat on his face. He can act all day, but he can’t come up with one-liners on the fly to save his life. Oh sure, he’s got the puns tucked away, but the only way they come out is in the Mystery Shack displays. And even then, they’re pretty terrible.

Still don’t believe me? This guy has got not one, but TWO joke books to help back himself up:



Not only this, but when he NEEDS to make a joke on the fly, this is what he comes up with:

Mabel: Now now Grunkle Stan, I hope you don’t think… little of him!

Now now Grunkle Stan, I hope you don’t think… of him! Stan: Haha! Yeah yeah! And… he’s SHORT!

And I’m pretty sure the only joke he’s ever really made in the show is the one about his ex-wife, and how she still misses him. Which is a pretty great joke but let’s think about how many times he’s probably TOLD IT. To EVERYONE.



But you know who IS pretty darn silly, because we see it in writing in almost every episode?



Yeah, that’s right, The Author.

While some fans like to speculate that Stan wrote the big red, bold letters, it’s more likely that Stan had next to zero influence in the writing of the journals. He didn’t show up in Gravity Falls until 1982, possibly right before or after his brother went into the portal. If he wasn’t in Gravity Falls before then though, he couldn’t have written all that stuff in the book. But the Author could. And he definitely did.



Because wouldn’t it be great, and almost fitting, that Stan would be the awkward-guy-turned-cynical and The Author the guy that keeps to himself but is unabashedly silly and incomprehensible at times? It would make sense; given how many COUNTLESS Stan and Dipper parallels the show has, we see very little of Stan-and-Mabel parallels. But boy, does Stan have a soft spot for the little jokster. And we know Mabel loves to tell jokes, she loves puns, I mean she had an entire episode dedicated to how silly she is.

That’s what Stan-and everyone else, including the viewers- loves about Mabel. He ADORES how much his great niece makes him laugh and feel great all the time. She’s a really positive influence on his life. Probably like someone else he knew in the past, but had a bad break-up with, and hasn’t seen in oh, idk…30 years. Yeah, I think Stan has a soft spot for the Mabel twin because she reminds him not of himself… but of his brother.



And of course, this gem:

So who knows. Grunkle Stan’s a pretty funny guy, but he’s funny because he’s a giant ass and everybody knows it. But the Author, what if he’s not actually an asshole like the fandom wants to make him out to be? What if he’s actually a pretty funny, clever, guy? What if he’s the Mabel to the much more cyincal older Dipper that is Grunkle Stan?



So step aside, asshole Author, ‘cause I’m calling it now:



The Author is actually hilariously offbeat and everyone is gonna love him. If he’s not at least totally off-the-wall sometimes I’m going to be mildly disappointed. Besides, he’s got “WEIRD” written all over him.

