Grinch
Green, furry, Christmas-hating creature who learns the holiday's true meaning.
The Grinch is a fictional figure invented by Dr. Seuss, the children’s author and cartoonist. He is most famous as the central character of the 1957 book *How the Grinch Stole Christmas!* Over the years, he has been played or voiced by numerous performers, such as Boris Karloff, Zero Mostel, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Walter Matthau, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, Matthew Morrison, David Howard Thornton, and James Austin Johnson.
The Grinch appears as a green, furry, pot-bellied, pear-shaped, snub-nosed humanoid with a cat-like face and a cynical outlook. In color versions, he is usually green. He has lived alone on a cliff above the town of Whoville, though the original book and special do not specify his age or how long he has resided there. Unlike the joyful Whos, he is misanthropic, ill-natured, and mean. The Whos guess his heart is “two sizes too small.” He hates Christmas especially, bothered by loud instruments, holiday meals, and carols. To stop it, he devises a wicked plan. With his dog Max, he makes a red Santa suit, sneaks into homes on Christmas Eve, and steals everything, dumping it off a mountain. Though he succeeds, he hears the Whos singing happily anyway, just glad to be together. Realizing the holiday’s deeper meaning, he stops the goods from falling, his heart grows three times, and he returns the gifts, joining the celebration.
The Grinch remains bitter and ill-tempered in later art and media. In the animated special and the 2000 film, he shows superhuman strength by stopping a loaded sleigh from going over a cliff and lifting it overhead, described as finding “the strength of ten Grinches plus two.” In the 2018 film, he gets help saving the stolen items. Scholars compare his anti-Christmas spirit and transformation to Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ *A Christmas Carol*. Cardiologist David Kass suggested the heart growth indicates the Grinch has the physiology of a Burmese python.
In Seuss’ book, the Grinch’s hatred has no clear cause, but the 2000 film gives a backstory: abandoned in Whoville as an infant, left in the cold during a Christmas party, he is raised by two Who women. He is unruly at school and bullied by Augustus May Who, but falls for Martha May Whovier. To impress her, he makes an angel tree-topper from heirlooms and tries to shave, but is mocked by everyone except Martha, fostering lasti
- field
- Children's literature, animation, film
- known_for
- Titular protagonist of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- first_appearance
- 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
- creator
- Dr. Seuss
- notable_portrayals
- Boris Karloff, Jim Carrey, Benedict Cumberbatch
Lore & Background
The Grinch is depicted as a green, furry, pot-bellied, pear-shaped, snub-nosed humanoid creature with a cat-like face and a cynical personality. In full-color adaptations, he is typically colored green. He has lived in seclusion on a cliff overlooking the town of Whoville, though the original book and special do not specify his age or how long he has been there. In contrast to the cheerful Whos, the Grinch is misanthropic, ill-natured, and mean-tempered. The reason for this is a source of speculation; the consensus among the Whos is that he was born with a heart that they say was 'two sizes too small'. He especially hates the Christmas season, and enacts a plan to steal everything the Whos own on Christmas Eve. Aided by his pet dog, Max, he disguises himself as Santa Claus and breaks into homes. Although he succeeds, on Christmas morning h
Reader's Guide
The Grinch is a central figure in Dr. Seuss's work, first appearing in the 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The character's anti-Christmas spirit followed by his transformation has drawn scholarly comparison to Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The Grinch's green color debuted in the 1966 animated television special, a consensus choice between Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss. The character has been adapted into multiple media, including a 2000 live-action film starring Jim Carrey, a 2018 animated film with Benedict Cumberbatch, and a 2020 live musical production. The Grinch's backstory varies across adaptations: the 2000 film provides an upbringing involving abandonment and bullying, while the TV special The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat blames the absence of his mother. The character remains portrayed as bitter and ill-tempered in artwork and other media, though he is shown to have superhuman strength in certain adaptations. Cardiologist David Kass suggested the growth of the Grinch's heart indicates the physiology of a Burmese python.
Did You Know?
- The first use of the word 'Grinch' in a work by Dr. Seuss appears in the 1953 book Scrambled Eggs Super!
- The Grinch's green color debuted in the 1966 television special as a consensus choice between Chuck Jones and Dr. Seuss.
- Boris Karloff served as narrator and voice of the Grinch in the 1966 special, but the song 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' was sung by Thurl Ravenscroft because Karloff could not sing.
- Cardiologist David Kass suggested that the growth of the Grinch's heart indicates he has the physiology of a Burmese python.
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