The Grinch as a character was first “made” famous in the 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss, and then brought to screens in a 1966 animated TV special.

Key versions and dates

  • Original book – How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was published in 1957, introducing the now-classic green, Christmas-hating character.
  • Animated TV special – The first screen adaptation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! , was produced in about a year and first aired on CBS on December 18, 1966.
  • 2018 animated film – The modern feature-length movie The Grinch , produced by Illumination and Universal, was released in U.S. theaters on November 9, 2018.

Quick timeline

  • 1953: The word “Grinch” first appears in Dr. Seuss’s book Scrambled Eggs Super! as part of a bird’s name, hinting at the later character.
  • 1957: The Grinch fully appears in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! as a grumpy recluse trying to ruin the Whos’ holiday.
  • 1966: Classic animated TV special airs and becomes a holiday staple.
  • 2018: New theatrical animated film The Grinch is released, becoming a hugely successful Christmas movie.

So if the question is “when was the Grinch made,” the most common answers are 1957 for the original story, 1966 for the classic cartoon, and 2018 for the latest big animated movie version.