They are unable to evade the gnomes as they reach the Mystery Shack. Mabel seems ready to surrender to the gnomes, agreeing to marry Jeff. However, she grabs a leaf blower (which she used to practice kissing) and blows away the gnomes. Later that night, Stan allows them to take an item each from the gift shop: Mabel gets a grappling hook, and Dipper acquires a new hat. As Dipper and Mabel prepare to sleep that night, Stan enters a hidden room behind the vending machine in the rec room, making sure that nobody is following him. "Tourist Trapped" was written by series creator Alex Hirsch and directed by John Aoshima with storyboards by Matt Braly, Erik Fountain, Mark Garcia, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, and  Niki Yang. The episode premiered on June 15, 2012 on Disney Channel in the United States, serving as a special preview of the series. Its premiere immediately followed the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie "Let It Shine". The episode's premiere was seen by close to 3.4 million viewers. It got 267,000 viewers when it premiered in the UK and Ireland on July 20, 2012. Alasdair Wilkins of "The A.V. Club" gave "Tourist Trapped" a B+ rating, praising its "mature" feel in comparison to other animated series for children (bringing inspiration from "The Simpsons", "The X-Files", and "Twin Peaks"), the show's art style, along with the use of its paranormal themes for comedy: specifically citing a scene where Mabel is seen hoping that her "zombie" boyfriend Norman was a vampire (playing off the popularity of the "Twilight" series), followed by the "wonderfully absurd" reveal that Norman was actually a group of gnomes. However, the remainder of the episode was criticised for being too reliant on "random" humor. Wilkins also praised Kristen Schaal for her performance as Mabel; stating that the character had "the same gleeful lack of restraint and propensity for violence (at least when it comes to punching gnomes) that Schaal brings to Louise Belcher, with the crucial difference being that she’s not a complete sociopath." Wilkins felt that Mabel was "a goofy, happy-go-lucky preteen" with a level of enthusiasm that helped support many of the gags surrounding her in the episode, and that she acted within the mindset of an actual 12-year-old in her dialogue as well.