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They look similar but he is much larger and more dangerous looking -- almost a sort of "Bigfoot" version of a Who or perhaps something like a Neanderthal was to humans or maybe simply analogous to the relationship between gorilla and humans. Or was he just a large Who, transformed by his greed (maybe like Gollum in this respect)?

Has this been explored or implied in any movie/cartoon version?

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5
  • 1
    youtube.com/watch?v=y8MWkDexzRQ - Baby Grinch was delivered in much the same way the Who children. – Valorum Mar 7 at 13:55
  • In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, he seems to be the only character with five fingers. The Whos have four fingers. Otherwise, he seems to be largely identical to them, albeit larger and uglier. – Valorum Mar 7 at 14:02
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    "Transformed by his greed"? The Grinch isn't greedy. He didn't steal the Whos' presents because he wanted them, he stole them because (he thought) it would make the Whos miserable. – F1Krazy Mar 7 at 14:21
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    @F1Krazy - in The Grinch's Song (by Louise Gikow) he's stated to be greedy as well as nasty "I am the Grinch. I’m nasty and mean. I’m the grumbliest Grinch that you ever have seen! I'm as seedy as needy as greedy can be. Whatever it is, you just give it to me! – Valorum Mar 7 at 14:31
  • @F1Krazy: sounds like he was greedy but even if merely mean, transformed by his inner self. – releseabe Mar 8 at 1:57
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The Grinch is explicitly stated not to be a Who in the 2000 movie tie-in book How the Grinch got so Grinchy.

At long last, two Who gals
came out and they found
the source of a most
un-adorable sound.
They got down the baby,
who hung in a tree.
They pulled back the blanket...
and what did they see?

A fuzz-covered baby!
Yes, fuzzed! Every inch!
He wasn’t a Who,
so they called him a Grinch!

This is somewhat contradicted in the film itself, where Cindy-Lou Who uses a quote from the Book of Who that suggests that the Grinch is indeed a Who. In this case, however, she seems to be using the term as a catch-all for 'people in general'.

Cindy Lou: True, Mister Mayhoo, but the Book of Who says this too: “No matter how different a Who may appear he will always be welcome with holiday cheer.”

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2
  • Does the original Dr. Seuss book contain any more info about the species of the Grinch? – Nzall Mar 8 at 9:41
  • @Nzall - Nope. And there's nothing in any of the other Seuss books and poems that contain the Whos or the Grinch. – Valorum Mar 8 at 10:28

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