Grinch The Grinch first appeared in the May 1955 issue of Redbook in a 32-line poem called "The Hoobub and the Grinch," but made his book debut in the 1957 story "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, published as both a Random House book and in an issue of "Redbook" magazine. In 1966, the story was adapted into an animated television featurette of the same name, which was directed by Chuck Jones and included the song "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". Boris Karloff serves as both the story's narrator and the voice of the Grinch,
How the 'A' Stole Christmas showrunner I. Marlene King, who also served as a writer alongside with Kyle Bown; the episode serves as King's fourth writing credit on the season, and the first directing. The title of the episode was revealed by King as an answer for a fan on the platform Reddit. The table-read for the episode occurred on July 14, 2014. Filming for the episode commenced on July 16 and wrapped on July 25, 2014. In the United States, "How the 'A' Stole Christmas" was first aired on December 9, 2014, and it achieved a viewership of 2.09 million Americans. The episode garnered