The Grinch

This article is about the character. For the book and animated special, see How the Grinch Stole Christmas!. For the Ron Howard film, see How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (film). The Grinch is a popular cartoon character created by Dr. Seuss. He first appeared in the Christmas-standard children’s book, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”. Due to the immense fan-following of the book, a television special was produced in 1966 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s MGM Animation/Visual Arts studio, and directed by Chuck Jones. Eleven years after this was made, Dr. Seuss responded to the fan request for more by writing “Grinch Night”, a straight-to-television Halloween special to be aired on CBS . It was also well received, and like its predecessor, was awarded at the Emmy awards. In 1982, five years after the last special, Marvel green-lit “The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat”, which was also produced by Dr. Seuss, under his real name, Ted Geisel. Again another hit for television, the special garnered two Emmy awards.

The Grinch also has become a cultural icon, mainly due to the massive popularity of his TV specials. Most notably, he is considered a Christmas standard, and parodied/featured outside the Dr. Seuss brand frequently around the holiday season. Also, he 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 cognitive with “grouch”.