Believe it or not that green, ghoulish Grinch turns 64 this spring. That same small-hearted character continues to charm audiences year after year.
Dr. Seuss gave birth to the Grinch in May of 1955. The character was brought to life in a 32 lined illustrated poem featured in Redbook Magazine. The original tale was entitled The Hoobub and the Grinch. Dr. Seuss later admitted he was the inspiration for the green monster.
Two years later Dr. Seuss rewrote the story as, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! In the Winter of 1957, Random House published the book. The short story became an instant classic. In 2012, The School Library Journal ranked it as 61 in the “Top 100 Picture Books.”
As we well know, the story of losing and reconnecting with the true meaning of Christmas is too extraordinary to be shared through only one medium. Chuck Jones and Ben Washman co-directed an animated special in 1966, with Boris Karkloff as the voice of the Grinch. In 1975 Zero Mostel narrated a record of the story. Later, in 1998, a musical stage production was put on by Old Globe Theatre in San Diego
In 2000 Jim Carrey transformed himself into the Grinch for the big screen. Ron Howard directed the highly energetic film. That same year Seussical debuted on Broadway. The musical blends several of Dr. Seuss’s stories, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Since the show’s debut it has had two U.S. national tours, a West End production and is frequently produced in schools and local theaters.
By 2005 the book’s acclaim stretched across the globe. By then it had been translated into nine languages. In 2009, the Grinch broke into the tech world with an interactive ebook for iPhone. Moreover, in 2013 Danny Troob arranged a song performed by Boston Pops Orchestra featuring bassist Reid Burton while Will LeBow acted as narrator on Boston Pop’s CD
This holiday season is blessed with another captivating version of the Grinch. Illumination and Universal Pictures rebirthed Dr. Seuss’s beloved story in The Grinch. If you haven’t been counting this is the third screen adaptation of the story. This animated film is directed by Yarrow Cheney and Scott Mosier, written by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow. Famous voices add to the movie’s appeal, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rashida Jones and Kenan Thompson to name a few. The movie was released in early November in 3D and IMAX.
