The Origins of the Grinch

I'm going to assume all of you are familiar with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. There's no denying that it's one of the most memorable Christmas specials in existence. I try to see it at least once during the Christmas season. It has an everlasting appeal that can always leave anyone feeling good, even after multiple viewings. As I continued to watch the special, I became increasingly curious over the origin of the Grinch. It was never really explored that much in any format, at least to my knowledge. However, as of now, I wish that my curiosity never got the best of me.thumbI was browsing through the internet when I came across something interesting. There was something for sale on Ebay, and the item in question was a test tape for a prequel to Halloween is Grinch Night. The seller claimed that he was the son of a TV executive who worked at CBS during the 70s. He was selling the tape because he was unable to find a working VCR to play it. He points out that the special was originally meant to air a year after Halloween is Grinch Night premiered, but it was scrapped due to the subject matter. I was reluctant to purchase the tape due to the enormous price tag ($500), however, I also realized that I have a good opportunity to find out how the Grinch came to be. I offered to buy the tape and after providing my address so he could deliver the tape to me, the seller informed me that I'll receive it in a week.
After waiting for a week, I heard someone knocking on my front door. I answered it, and I saw that the delivery man was present with the tape I ordered. Upon signing for it, I went to the living room to open the package. It was a white cardboard box with a single strip of duct tape sealing the flaps on top. Upon opening it and digging through the packaging noodles inside, I found the tape, which was inside a clear clamshell case. The tape itself had no label on the front, however, there was a label beneath the tape. The label had the text "The Origin of the Grinch. Test tape." written on it in black. The tape itself looked alright, albeit slightly worn, which is somewhat fair to expect considering how old it was. I took it down with me to the basement and I set up my old VCR. Finally, I placed the tape into the VCR and I waited for the special to begin.
Throughout the first few seconds of the video, very little occurred. Soon enough, some white text appeared displaying the info of the special. It read:
TITLE: THE ORIGIN OF THE GRINCH
AIR DATE: 1/9/78
PRODUCTION: DR. SEUSS ENTERPRISES AND DEPATIE-FRELING ENTERPRISES
WRITER: **********
DIRECTOR: **********
COPYRIGHT: DR. SEUSS
The text soon cut to black and the old DePatie-Freling Enterprises logo faded in. It played out silently. It soon faded out and the Dr. Seuss Enterprises logo faded in. This was also silent. It eventually cut to the special's opening titles. It started with the text "THE ORIGIN OF THE GRINCH", arrange in a fashion similar to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The title card began to scroll up, displaying the credits. Like before, this ran silent. After the credits conclude, the special fades to the exterior of Whoville. The camera zooms into one of the houses, where a young boy is looking at the mountains through his bedroom window. The boy had green hair, brown eyes and he was wearing grey shoes with a blue shirt and pants. I assumed that the boy is the Grinch. Through the narration, it's made clear that he has always wanted a dog for Christmas, and that he'd name his dog Max.
The scene soon cuts to his mother, who was downstairs cooking some dinner and the father was not present. According to the narration, the father is a heavy worker who manages to benefit his family quite well. The mother muses over his dedication to his work, hoping that he'll return with something that'll benefit the family to a much greater extent than ever before. The father returns home and the mother greets him, however, he doesn't say hello, nor does he even acknowledge her. He merely walks to his bedroom. Feeling concerned, the mother enters the room. The scene eventually cuts to the boy's room, where only the sounds of a verbal fight could be heard. Apparently, the father lost his job due to massive pay cuts and downsizing. The fight becomes more and more hostile, to the point that it frightens the boy.
The next morning, the Grinch goes downstairs to tell his family about his Christmas wish. This prompts the father to harshly lambast him over the idea due to their current financial issue, to the point that he grabs the boy and prepares to spank him. The mother tries to hold him back, but she gets hit in the face, causing her to fall back and crash into a mirror. A shard of glass lands in her throat, ultimately killing her. The Grinch runs away out of fear as the father yells at him to come back. 
A time skip occurs and we see that the boy has grown older and now has more body hair. His eyes seemed to have changed as well since his white are now yellowish and his pupils are now reddish. His clothes also appear to be smaller, implying that he has yet to find a new place to live. He spies on the houses around Whoville, showing enormous signs of envy for those who're able to live happily. He attempts to get into one of the houses by knocking on the door, hoping that the owner would be generous enough to let him in. Unfortunately for him, the owner harshly tells him no and he slams the door in his face. The man proceeds to walk away out of sadness. As he walks, he continues to look at the happy families, showing greater signs of envy every time.
Another time skip occurs, and we see that the Grinch is now older. He has some more body hair around him and his shirt is now gone. He's curled up in a ball in an alleyway, thinking back to the day where his life changed for the worse. His father's actions continued to affect his mind, causing him to become more and more spiteful. His experience soon concludes when he hears a man and his son arguing over selling the boy's dog. This brings back the worst memory for the Grinch and he proceeds to go attack the man. The two get into a fight which lasts until the Grinch drives the man into a fuse box, electrocuting him to death. He grabs the dog and he pushes the boy away, running towards Mt. Crumpit. He takes shelter in a cave and he rests on the floor. The dog cowers in fear.
A new time skip takes place and the Grinch is shown to be in his true form. At this point, everything began to make sense. His shoes being too tight was because that's all he could keep when he was a child. his head not being screwed on right was because of complete mental trauma from his childhood, and his heart being too small was because he lost all hope for love. He has declared that he'll remain in seclusion for the remainder of his days. A few days later however, the sweet and sour winds blow into the mountain (not unlike Halloween is Grinch Night), which, no surprise, influences the Grinch's mind. He stares down at Whoville and he cracks his signature evil grin. The special ends and the credits roll in silence. 
Because of this, I was left in shock. My curiosity has led me to discover the shocking truth of the origin of the Grinch. I could never look at the specials the same way ever again.
Category:Historical Archive
Category:Lost Episodes