How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special) animation divisions of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, where Jones was under contract at the time. CBS, coming off the surprise success of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" a year before, allotted Jones and MGM a $315,000 budget, more than four times what Bill Melendez was offered to produce "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The original broadcast was sponsored by the Foundation for Full Service Banks whose sponsor plugs within the original airing were later edited out for subsequent broadcasts. The entirety of the book's text, with some slight embellishment, was adapted into the special; to pad the special to a full 30-minute time slot,
The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment as part of the Children's Treasures series. In 1989, the special was distributed on VHS by Kids Klassics. In 2002, the special was released on DVD by GoodTimes, also in a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears Meet Big Paw. In 2008, Sony Wonder also released the special on DVD. In this edition, the Christmas special was bundled with four bonus episodes from the 1980s cartoon series. The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree is an animated television special based on the "Berenstain Bears" children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced