History Recap / GravityFallsS1E8IrrationalTreasure

* OrigamiGag: While following a series of clues, Dipper and Mabel find a parchment full of seemingly nonsensical symbols. Spotting one that might represent fire, he concludes that a clue will be revealed by burning the parchment. Before he can, however, he turns to see that Mabel has already taken the parchment and folded it into an origami hat... which actually turns out to have been the correct thing to do, [[AchievementsInIgnorance as she has unknowingly folded it into a map that leads to the next clue]].

* ShoutOut: The episode's title is a takeoff on ''[[Film/NationalTreasure]], and the plot is a gentle spoof thereof, as Dipper and Mabel solve a series of arcane clues to find a hidden secret.

** The secret document on Nathaniel Northwest mentions that there is an evil time-devouring baby from another dimension frozen in an Antarctic glacier. As "[[Recap/GravityFallsS1E9TheTimeTravelersPig]]" reveals, Time Baby will be defrosted and in control of the world by the year 207̃012.

* IdTellYouButThenIdHaveToKillYou: Possibly subverted. The narrator of the government film says that President Trembley's term is so top secret that he himself is to be killed when the recording is complete. The camera crew corrects him, much to his glee, but they may well be lying to him.

* LoopholeAbuse: President Trembley never signed his resignation letter and is technically still the President of the United States, which goes somewhere into InsaneTrollLogic territory as his term ended more than 150 years ago anyway[[note]]The Constitution also explicitly says a president's term ends at exactly noon on Inauguration Day[[/note]]. Of course, it's not likely the dim-witted Blubbs and Durland would realize that.

* PinkGirlBlueBoy: When Dipper and Mabel "break in" to the Gravity Falls Museum of History, the woman working at the front door gives them free day passes as well as two balloons; she hands a pink one to Mabel and a blue one to Dipper. PlayedForLaughs when Blubs and Durland enter the same museum, and Durland (who, as far as we know, as not a girl) gets upset that they've run out of pink balloons.
* PoliceAreUseless: Zig-zagged; Blubs and Durland make a tremendous number of incompetent mistakes, but still manage to capture Mabel and Dipper anyway.

* SelectiveEnforcement: Officer Blubs and Deputy Durland ignore a snatcher stealing an old lady's purse, but quickly react to Stan who causes a minor scuffle.

* {{Understatement}}: In the cave, after Durland passes out with his back covered with darts.
-->'''Bluds''': He got hit with quite a few of those darts.

During the celebration of the town's founding, Pacifica gloats over being descended from the founder, and makes fun of Mabel for her silliness. But then Dipper and Mabel discover evidence that the town founder may have been a hoax, so they set out to expose the historical cover-up -unaware that the local cops are under orders from someone to stop them. Meanwhile, Uncle Stan, who hates the town's obsession of reenacting the foundation, gets puts on stocks for misbehaving.