25 Best Grinch Tattoos For Christmas Lovers

In 1957, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel published his children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” The story was written in rhymed verse and illustrated by Seuss himself. It follows the story of the Grinch, a grumpy solitary character who attempts to put an end to Christmas for the citizens of Whoville by stealing their decorations, trees, ornaments and of course, presents. However, despite his best efforts, the residents of Whoville continue to celebrate the holiday and the Grinch realizes the true meaning of Christmas in the end. 

In 1966, CBS first broadcast the animated television special based on Seuss’s original story—which went on to become a Christmas classic for years to come. The Grinch was voiced by stage actor Boris Karloff, who is primarily known for his roles in classic horror movies. Karloff played Frankenstein’s monster in 1931’s Frankenstein, 1935’s Bride of Frankenstein and 1931’s Son of Frankenstein. He is also recognized for playing Imhotep in 1932’s The Mummy. Disney fans might also recognize the voice of June Foray, who portrayed Cindy Lou Who as well as Lucifer in 1950’s Cinderella. At the time of it’s release, the animated special joined a host of other Christmas films that were released in the 1960s. Other holiday films of this time included 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, and 1969’s Frosty the Snowman. The animated special was the first to release the song “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” however, the song has since been covered by a number of musical artists ang groups including RuPaul, the Misfits, Electric Six and Lindsey Stirling. 

In 2000, the Grinch hit the big screen in a live-action film directed by Ron Howard. Howard directed a number of high profile films before and after tackling the Christmas classic, including Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, Rush, Inferno and Solo: A Star War’s Story. The live-action adaptation of The Grinch stars Jim Carrey in the starring role, as well as Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin and Molly Sharron. Anthony Hopkins, who brought life to Hannibal Lecter, narrated the film as well. The live-action film required extensive CGI and special effects makeup, especially for Carrey’s portrayal of the Grinch. During filming, Carrey wore a suit made of yak hair that was dyed green. The first round of makeup initially took 4 hours, however, Carrey nearly quit the film because of this extensive process. The production team ended up bringing in a CIA operative, who helped coach Carrey through the process and help him to remain calm. The process was later refined to two and a half hours to get into character and one to get Carrey out of makeup. Carrey spent a total of 92 days in the Grinch makeup and became a self-proclaimed zen master during the makeup process. However, the efforts of the makeup team were not lost, as the film won Best Makeup at the Academy Awards. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design that year. 

Lastly, the third film feature of The Grinch was released in 2018 by Illumination. In the past, Illumination also released Seuss’s The Lorax in 2012 and will likely recreate a number of other Seuss films in the future. The Grinch is directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, with Cheney co-directing 2016’s The Secret Life of Pets. The CGI film stars Benedict Cumberpatch as The Grinch, as well as Rashida Jones, Kenan Thompson and Angela Lansbury. The film is also narrated by musician Pharrell Williams, who had previously worked on the Despicable Me series.

Now that you’re familiar with the ins and outs of Seuss’s beloved book and the films that followed, take a peek at 25 of our favorite tattoos inspired by the grouchy green character. Then let us know your favorite piece from our list in the comments section on Facebook.