How the Grinch Stole Christmas! How the Grinch Stole Christmas! How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who attempts to put an end to Christmas by stealing Christmas-themed items from the homes of the nearby town Whoville on Christmas Eve. The story was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of "Redbook". The book criticizes the commercialization of Christmas. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special) and later wrote letters to columnists nationwide telling them that it was Ravenscroft who provided vocals for the musical number. Karloff received a Grammy Award in the Spoken Word category—the only major performing award of his career—for the album. A television special called "Halloween Is Grinch Night", created by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, aired on ABC in 1977, eleven years after the Christmas special. This special involved a tale of the Grinch coming down to scare the Whos every Halloween. Though less successful than the original, it was awarded an Emmy. A later cartoon, "The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat"