The Grinch

The Grinch is a popular cartoon character created by Dr. Seuss in a 1957 children's book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. This was followed in 1966 by a popular television special, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by Chuck Jones.

In 1977, Seuss responded to the fan request for more Grinch tales by writing Halloween Is Grinch Night, a Halloween special that aired on CBS. Like its predecessor, the sequel was recognized at the Emmy awards. In 1982, Marvel Productions green-lit The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, which was also produced by Dr. Seuss, under his real name, Ted Geisel. This third special garnered two Emmy awards.

The Grinch is considered a Christmas standard, and parodied/featured outside the Dr. Seuss brand frequently around the holiday season. The character is referenced by the media often in instances where a holiday display is ruined by vandals, or holiday burglaries are committed. Outside Christmas, the term "Grinch" is synonymous with "grouch".

Personality
The Grinch is an unpleasant, "Who-hating" grouch with a wicked temper, sour attitude, depressed judgment and a heart about two sizes too small (the only exception to this is the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, where he becomes whole-hearted and loving), and is always out to ruin something. He comes down to Whoville only on holidays, which we see in two of the three TV specials, which are holiday-based. However, in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! he is opposed to the holiday (Christmas), and comes down to sabotage. In Grinch Night he comes down to waltz around for Halloween night, which in Whoville is called "Grinch Night". This signals all the Whos to annually lock down their homes. He is best described by the song You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch, sung by Thurl Ravenscroft. The Grinch's only friend is his pet dog, Max, a big-eyed pooch who is loyal to his master despite the Grinch treating Max like a nuisance. Max also is an unwitting accomplice in the Grinch's plots. The Grinch forces him to masquerade as a "reindeer" by attaching a crooked pair of horns on him and making Max pull the sleigh with all the Whos' Christmas trappings inside.

Appearance
Tthe Grinch has a bulbous stomach, lengthy feet and fingers, grimy yellow teeth and is covered in green hair. His fingers and feet look longer due to the long portions of hair coming off of them. He has large, sinister black eyebrows, and deep lines on his forehead. His mouth lines are subtle when he is in a neutral mood, yet very stretched when he is happy. He has a pair of brooding, deep-set, ovoid eyes with red irises and yellow sclera which are noted to become more round and feature blue irises and white sclera after the Grinch's "conversion". Another physical characteristic noted to change after the Grinch learns the true meaning of Christmas is his face, which in addition to the line softening mentioned above, becomes somewhat heart-shaped as he smiles broadly. He also has a thinking smile which is sweet until the idea is fully revealed with an evil smile. A long neck is prominent, with layers of green fur coming down it. He seems to have pockets in the fur of his large stomach, as he rests his hands inside this area. With regard to posture, he is loose and can bend easily. He often walks in stealth-mode when around Whos.

The movie
After Seuss's death, a 1999 live-action feature film adaptation was produced. Directed by Ron Howard, the film featured Jim Carrey in the titular role and was a major financial success. Although a box-office hit, the film received mostly negative reviews, comparing it unfavorably to the book and the television special. The movie fleshes out the Grinch's story by showing the Grinch as a youngster.

Appearances and references in other Christmas media

 * A blue-colored parody version of The Grinch makes an appearance at the beginning of It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special.