The characters found in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and its 1966 cartoon (and its continuations), 2000 film, 2000 video game and 2018 animated film adaptations.
Characters from the original story
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The Grinch
The Grinch
- Voiced by: Boris Karloff (1966), Hans Conried (1977), Bob Holt (1982), Josh Gerhardt (2000 video game), Benedict Cumberbatch (2018)Played by: Jim Carrey (2000), Josh Ryan Evans (2000, young), Patrick Page (Musical; 2006-07 Broadway), Stefán Karl Stefánsson (Musical; 2008-10 US tour), Edward Baker-Duly (Musical; 2019 UK tour), Philip Bryan (Musical; 2019 US tour), Matthew Morrison (Musical; 2020 live show)
He also has something to say on this page.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Maybe not "attractiveness", but he is noticeably cuter, younger-looking and more humanoid in the 2018 movie.
- Adaptational Badass: The animated special has his heart increasing in size accompanied by him gaining the strength of ten Grinches (plus 2), and the 2000 movie shows he was strong enough to throw a tree across a room when he was eight with the climax showing his strength didn't decrease with age. No such Super-Strength is shown in the original book, as the moment where he lifts his sleigh before it falls off a cliff was created for the adaptations.
- Adaptational Heroism: Both theatrical movies give him this, by giving him a Freudian Excuse for his actions. Especially in the 2018 movie, where he is really nice to Max and Fred, at the very least.
- Adaptational Jerkass: The 1966 special plays up his meaner aspects, depicting him as an abusive pet owner when such a thing wasn't implied in the book, along with vandalism being among the Adaptation Expansion when he's raiding the Whos' homes. He also takes the crumb of food too small for a mouse right after the narration lifted from the book saying it was the only food he left behind.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: There's no indication in the book that he ever comes down to Whoville or that the Whos even knew he existed before his attempt to steal Christmas, and the Whos happily welcome him to their town when he comes to return everything. Halloween Is Grinch Night and the two theatrical movies establish he occasionally comes down to Whoville as opposed to spending all his time staring down at them from his cave and the residents are quite aware of his existence; they are scared of him in Halloween Is Grinch Night since he comes down to terrorize them on the titular night when the "Sour-Sweet Wind" blows and sets off animals calls that annoy him, despise him in the 2000 film since his lashing out at everyone from his childhood bullying has caused them to view him as a menace, and treat him like a regular resident in the 2018 film since he buys his groceries from Whoville and is more petty towards them than genuinely harmful.
- Adaptational Sympathy: The 2000 and 2018 Grinch are given Freudian Excuses to justify their theft of the holiday, rather than stealing it out of annoyance. For the former, it was constantly bullying and mistreatment from his classmates that made him snap when he tried to embrace the holiday—twice—all thanks to the same Jerkass no less! The latter, meanwhile, was always alone on the holiday, and the celebrations gave him some serious PTSD when the time rolled around.
- Adaptational Ugliness: In the book, he just looks like a more mischievious-looking Who. In the 1966 special, he looks like a creepy goblin which has since become his standard appearance.
- Adaptational Villainy: The 2000 version of the Grinch manages to receive this and Adaptational Heroism. Although he is given a Freudian Excuse, this Grinch is a straight-up menace who is deeply feared by the Whos and goes out of his way to terrorize them and make their lives more difficult in any way he can purely out of malice. Worst of all, he was willing to leave Cindy Lou to be crushed by a stamping machine until Max forced him to save her. The other Grinches are generally not as menacing towards the Whos and typically want to be left alone and away from their raucous festivities.
- Ambiguously Human: Well, Ambiguously “Who”. In addition to his strange appearance, he also has strange abilities not seen in the other Whos, such as Super-Strength and (in the 2000 film), a degree of invulnerability. His lack of an origin only complicates matters; the closest thing we get is in the 2000 film, where the Grinch’s adoptive mothers say that it was a “sour wind” that blew the baby Grinch’s floating cradle into Whoville, but what exactly that means is a mystery.
- Badass Bookworm: Admit it, someone who can steal everything from everyone in town over the course of one night just by using his wits is pretty badass.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: He treats Max very badly in the 1966 special and the 2000 film. Averted in 2018 film, where Max and Fred are the only creatures that he doesn't act like a Jerkass towards.
- Becoming the Mask: He disguises himself as Santa Claus to fool any Whos who might notice him while he's taking all their decorations and presents. In the end, he ends up symbolically becoming Santa by returning all the items he took in much the same way the real Santa would.
- Berserk Button: If there is one thing that he doesn't like more than Christmas, it's being called "Mr. Greenface".
- Beware the Silly Ones: The Grinch may be energetic, immature and over-the-top hammy, but goes on an absolute rampage when Augustus pulls that cruel joke on him. He also isn't afraid to call out the Whos on their selfishness in his famous "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
- Big Eater: In the 2018 version, the Grinch wolfs down entire heaps of food as large as himself per meals. He ends up running out of supplies in his pantry and is forced to venture out of his cozy cave."How much emotional eating have I been doing?" [This much
◊] - Butt-Monkey: Both films have the Grinch being the victim of slapstick mayhem, though it's more true for Carrey's version.
- Card-Carrying Villain: The 2000 film has him sing "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," meant to be "The Villain Sucks" Song in the 1966 special, as his own theme tune, and has a flair for giving dramatic villainous speeches. However, he fails to convince Cindy Lou of this no matter how hard he tries.
- The Chew Toy: The 2000 version gets a lot of pain coming to him, he literally gets chewed by Max.
- Child Hater: The Grinch likes child Whos about as much as adult Whos, which is to say, not much. In this no-talking PSA for Alamo Drafthouse, the Grinch calls an employee to suggest that children be banned from the theatre (in addition to banning smiling, laughing, and all manner of family fun...oh, and hugs).The Grinch: All children should be escorted from your premises immediately and in the meanest way possible.
- Cold Ham: In the 1966 special and the 2018 film, he usually keeps his voice low, but isn't shy of letting loose.
- The Cynic: He thinks that Christmas is nothing but a noisy, greed-based holiday. Discovering that this isn't true is what causes his Heel–Face Turn.
- Does Not Like Spam: Roast beast is a feast he cannot stand in the least.
- Easily Forgiven: All the Whos down in Whoville instantly forgive and accept his apology for stealing their gifts. In the 2000 film, he even holds out his hands preparing to be cuffed and is taken aback when he isn't arrested.
- Enfant Terrible: In the 2000 film that goes over his childhood, it's shown that, though the bullying from the other Who children pushed him over the edge, he's had destructive tendencies even as a child. As a young boy, he's first introduced doodling a picture of blowing Santa's sleigh out of the sky, and he made an angel ornament to impress Martha by destroying multiple valuable family items.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: As revealed in The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Most of the Grinches do show a caring side to Max, in spite of hating everyone else.
- Even Evil Has Standards: In the 2000 film, after being humiliated by the Mayor by being given a shaver and proposing to his childhood crush, the Grinch goes on a rant of how sick he is of the Whos' greed, mostly because it annoys the hell outta him.
- Evil Is Hammy: In Ron Howard's film; what else did you expect from Jim Carrey?
- Evil Is Petty: In the 1966 special, the Grinch goes as far as swiping the last crumb that's too small even for a mouse, all to subvert the narration's description of food left behind in the house. In the 2000 film, he takes the mouse itself.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Boris Karloff and Benedict Cumberbatch give the Grinch quite the menacing baritone.
- Extreme Omnivore: The 2000 film version eats broken glass, and as a baby took a bite out of a Santa-shaped cookie plate.
- Freudian Excuse: Defied in the original story and 1966 special, where the narrator tells the audience that they shouldn't ask why the Grinch hates Christmas in the first place and the only explanation given is that his heart is two sizes too small. Played straight in both theatrical movies.
- The 2000 one was bullied by his classmates at school, especially when he tried to confess about his crush on Martha.
- The 2018 one grew up as a lonely, neglected orphan who never got to celebrate Christmas and, as a result, Christmas isn't just a nuisance for him — it's a straight-up Trauma Button.
- Gadgeteer Genius: In the 2018 adaptation, the Grinch explicitly upgrades the sleigh he steals and designs all of his gadgets, but this trope is implied for the 1966 and 2000 versions of the character, who use some fancy gizmos themselves.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: Really, there's traces of this in all the adaptations, since all he has is Max and an empty mountain for company. In particular, how else to sum up the Grinch's behavior in the 2000 version, where he's a ridiculously Large Ham even when talking to himself?
- Gonk: Between his goblin-esque appearance, crooked teeth and smile and creepy expressions, the Grinch is... not exactly what you would call "attractive". Downplayed in the 2018 film with his somewhat more palatable appearance.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: In the 1966 special, he has yellow and red eyes for most of it, but after his Heel–Face Turn, they just become blue.
- Green and Mean: Probably the most iconic example of this trope.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Quite literally, as the 2018 version of the character has green eyes. In his backstory in the film, he was a lonely orphan, who grew up not being able to celebrate Christmas with anyone, and he grew envious of the Whos who could, and it eventually drove him to steal Christmas from the Whos.
- The Grinch: An obvious Trope Namer, though something of an Unbuilt Trope in that he doesn't hate Christmas itself so much as all the racket, noise, bright lights, and singing the Whos participate in.
- Grumpy Old Man: He is 53 at the youngest.
- Heel–Face Turn: His heart grows three sizes after he discovers the meaning of Christmas.
- The Hermit: The Grinch chooses to live alone in a mountaintop cave with only his dog for company.
- Hidden Depths:
- In 2000 film, during the scene where he, Cindy and Max slide down the mountain to return the stolen presents, he rodes along the snow like a talented skier.
- In 2018 film, he reveals himself to be a great organist, by playing "All by Myself" by Eric Carmen
flawlessly.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Both film versions, especially the Jim Carrey incarnation, have him suffering an ungodly amount of pain and humiliation, though they manage to come out of them no worse for wear.
- Irony: A meta example. The Grinch is most known for hating Christmas, but since the story is so famous, he's become a Christmas merchandising icon.
- Jerkass: The Grinch is a cynical, grumpy man who abuses his dog (except for the 2018 movie where he's kind to Max), is completely okay with taking away the Christmas joy from everyone in Whoville and lies right into the face of a little girl.
- Jerkass Has a Point: He's mean, nasty, a hapless prankster, and loathes everyone in Whoville, but his 2000 iteration isn't wrong that the Who's have let their greediness get out of hand. In the aftermath of his heist, Cindy's father outright admits he was blind to what really mattered, and the rest of the town comes to their senses.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The fact that his heart grows three sizes after he sees the Whos celebrating even without presents and decorations shows that there is goodness in him.
- In the 2000 film, he becomes this after his Heel–Face Turn. While reading his schedule, he decides that he wants to solve world hunger... but doesn't tell anyone.
- In the 2018 film, he is this from the very beginning. Sure, he acts like a jerk to all the Whos, but he genuinely loves and cares for Max, and when Fred wants to return to his mate and child, he lets him go without much complaining.
- Large Ham: He's one in 2000 film, courtesy of Jim Carrey.
- No Social Skills: At the end of the 2018 film, he's shown to be shy and awkward during a party, although faultlessly polite. Prior to this, he spent most of his time in Whoville actively avoiding the Whos, or just being a straight up rude jerk to them.
- Official Couple: With Martha May Whovier at the end of 2000 movie.
- Papa Wolf: In the 2000 film, he lifted up his sleigh, which was sliding down the mountain, to save Cindy who had climbed on top of the sleigh.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Played in various ways in each version.
- Played straight in the original story and 1966 version; a red coat and a red hat are all he needs to "look just like Saint Nick", despite being a green-furred goblinoid creature.
- Downplayed in the 2000 film; despite quoting the same line from the original, his suit is meant to offer a cover at a distance; a red-suited figure on the rooftop on Christmas Eve has to be Santa. When Cindy-Lou walks in on him making off with the tree, he makes sure to keep it between him and her so she doesn't get a good look at him.
- Also downplayed in the 2018 version; he makes sure to add a face-consuming beard to the ensemble to mask his visage, which makes for a much more convincing disguise. That being said, his fur still goes largely uncovered.
- Pet the Dog: Does this quite often (both figuratively and literally):
- In the 1966 cartoon, after learning about the true meaning of Christmas, he returns all the decorations and gifts he stole back to the Whos; even happily giving Max the first slice of the roast beef.
- In the 2000 film, he happily compliments Max for scaring off intruders as well as rejecting the red fake nose when Max is disguised as Rudolph; even while holding Max carefully while hiding up on the post office's ceiling, Max accidentally sneezed, to which the Grinch calmly replied 'Gesundheit'. He even saved Cindy Lou from being crushed by the post machine on Max's insistence. Even after learning about the true meaning of Christmas, he admits that he does love Max; even allowing the dog to have the first slice of the roast beef, much to Max's delight. He even confesses and apologizes to the Whos for his previous actions and was willing to accept whatever punishment that they have in mind.
- In the 2018 film, he treats Max well as his beloved pet; he even allows Fred to tend to his family.
- Psychopathic Man Child: A bit in the 2000 film though it's justified given he ran away and started raising himself when he was 8 years old.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the 2000 film, he lets out an epic one on the Who's for their petty greed during the holiday.
- Redemption Promotion: He was hardly weak or incompetent before, but after his Heel–Face Turn, he becomes twelve times as strong as he was before.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the book and in the 1966 special.
- Slasher Smile: And how! When he comes up with a "wonderful, awful idea", he slowly cracks a very Nightmare Fuel-inducing grin.
- Ship Tease: In the 2018 version with Donna Lou Who. During the credits he upgrades her kitchen, builds her a new ride and actually gets her flowers (a whole pot full) which makes her smile broadly.
- Shrunken Organ: His heart is two sizes two small. Following his Heel–Face Turn, it grows three sizes.
- Stepford Snarker: "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from the 2000 film reflects Grinch's self-loathing and insecurity in this version, as Jim Carrey's Grinch has a great deal of mental instability and loneliness, so singing a song about how much he sucks is in character.
- Super-Strength:
- Thanks to the power of Christmas (or his concern over Cindy Lou in the 2000 film), he lifts an enormous sleigh full of gifts over his head with ease, or as the narrator puts it "the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches, plus two!"
- He also threw a tree across a room when he was eight.
- This Cannot Be!: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes and bags!" declares the Grinch when he sees the Whos celebrating without decorations. It takes him three hours to figure it all out.
- Tsundere: Especially in the 2000 film, where he tries really hard to avoid showing the "dere" side to anyone, even after his Heel–Face Turn.
- Villain Protagonist: Up until his Heel–Face Turn, that is.
- "The Villain Sucks" Song: Has one of the most famous examples of this, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".
- In 2000 film, it instead becomes a straight-up Villain Song, due to Grinch singing it triumphantly and proudly.
- Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: In the 1966 special and 2000 movie/video game.
Max
Max
- Voiced by: Frank Welker (2000 film, 2018 film)
The Grinch's loyal dog.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Max is far from evil in the book, but is implied to be fully on board with the Grinch's schemes; he is shown putting a hand to his ear alongside the Grinch when the latter wants to hear the Whos crying, and seems just as bewildered when the Whos are happy instead. Most adaptations play him up as a Minion with an F in Evil who perfectly enjoys the Christmas season and is either dragged into the Grinch's schemes or is just that nice a dog and acts as a Morality Pet.
- Ascended Extra: As mentioned, he's such a prominent character in the adaptations and later works that many may find it sort of weird to see just how subordinate his role was in the book (few illustrations appearances emphasized).
- Butt-Monkey: The poor dog goes through a lot of abuse thanks to his owner.
- Canine Companion: To the Grinch.
- Closest Thing We Got: Since the Grinch has no reindeer to pull his present-stealing sleigh, Max has to do the job with an antler tied to his head.
- The Dog Bites Back: Had his moments in the 2000 film, as he furiously bit the Grinch to successfully convince him to save Cindy Lou from being crushed by the mail machine. He even pulled down the trap door to force the Grinch into joining the Cheermeister festivities when the latter wouldn't make up his mind. During the Grinch's musical number, Max pushed a button to test a new engine with the Grinch as a dummy without using the air bags, resulting the Grinch to suffer neck injuries, possibly out of retribution against the Grinch for throwing Max and his doghouse into the snow.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Max is a good dog who just goes along with the Grinch's plans because the Grinch is his owner.
- Morality Pet: In the theatrical movies, at least.
- In the 2000 version, he convinces the Grinch to save Cindy Lou.
- In the 2018 version, the Grinch is actually very nice to Max and just treats him like a beloved pet, maybe butler at worst.
- Narrator: In the stage adaptation, the elderly Max is the narrator of the show.
- Only Friend: Max is the Grinch's only companion.
- Ridiculously Cute Critter: Especially compared to his owner.
- Stock Animal Name: Since "Max" is probably one of the most popular dog names ever, it's a given.
Cindy Lou Who
Cindy Lou Who
- Voiced by: June Foray (1966), N/A (2000 video game), Cameron Seely (2018)Played by: Taylor Momsen (2000)
Her appearance in the 1966 special
Her appearance in the 2000 film
A naive little girl that the Grinch meets during his Christmas heist.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Well, adaptational cuteness, to be more exact. In the original book, while she wasn't ugly, she looked very much like a typical Who, and only had little strands to indicate hair. In the animated short, however, she would gain a much cuter and more humanoid appearance, as well as blonde hair. Notably, the animated short's depiction of her would be used as the basis of most future renditions of her, even replacing her original design in projects that otherwise feature the original Seuss designs.
- Adaptation Dye-Job: In the original book she has only two strands of hair, but all three adaptations give her a full head of blonde hair.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In original book, 1966 special, and 2000 film she's your general sweet little girl. 2018 film makes her more of a tomboy and thrill-seeker.
- Age Lift: Cindy Lou is "no more than two" in the original story and 1966 special, but both theatrical movies lift her age to about 6.
- All-Loving Heroine: She is really accepting of Grinch after his Heel–Face Turn, despite the fact that he stole Whoville's Christmas.
- In the 1966 special, she sits right next to him with a smile on her face during the final Christmas feast.
- In the 2000 movie, she asks Santa Claus (really the Grinch in disguise) to not forget about him (the Grinch).
- In the 2018 movie, she is the one who invites him to the Christmas dinner.
- Ascended Extra: Cindy Lou in the 2000 live-action and 2018 animated films is a secondary protagonist, while in the original story and 1966 animated special she's in one scene where she catches the Grinch stealing her tree, is lied to, and returns to bed with a drink. Of course, she is the only Who referred to by name in the original story, which makes her the natural starting point for the creation of Canon Foreigners to fill out the Whoville cast.
- Children Are Innocent: Innocent and naive enough to believe that the green monster who doesn't even have a beard and is simply wearing a red jacket and hat is really the St. Nick himself, and that the reason why he is taking her tree away is that so he can fix a broken Christmas light.
- The Cutie: The cutest, sweetest and the most innocent character in the story.
- Disappeared Dad: For some reason, her father doesn't appears in 2018 film.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Cindy Lou has blonde hair and is quite kind-hearted.
- Improbable Hairstyle:
- The 2000 film gives her a humongous bottle-shaped bun with her braids clipped to it (as seen in the picture here).
- For the 2018 movie, she has a normal blond bob hairdo with two braids that stick up and curl outward like reindeer antlers.
- Innocent Blue Eyes: She has blue eyes and is incredibly innocent.
- Lilliputians: In the 1966 special, she's so incredibly small that a Christmas tree bauble is larger than her head.
- Nice Girl: A normal, sweet girl who welcomes the Grinch with open arms. The 2000 iteration is the only one who shows some level of nicety to the Grinch, and the 2018 version only wants to give her mom a break from working so hard, to the point that the Grinch is actually touched by her selfless gesture.
- Only Sane Man: Specifically in the 2000 movie. She is the only one who bothers to stand up for the Grinch and after learning his backstory, is the only one who wishes to reintroduce him back into society.
- Pink Means Feminine: In all versions, her nightgown or pajamas are pink. In the 2000 movie she wears other colors at other times, most often red, but in the 1966 and 2018 adaptations she wears pink all the time.
- Pragmatic Adaptation: In the book, Cindy Lou Who is "no more than two." Since a 2-year-old can't realistically do much acting, she is aged up a few years in most adaptations, including both movies, the musical, and Grinchmas.
- Vocal Dissonance: In the 2018 animated film, she almost sounds like a boy despite being female. Her voice actress was a real little girl, but just happened to have a slightly low voice.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: In the 2000 movie, she is more level-headed than her parents when it comes to the over consumption of the Christmas holiday.
- Younger Than They Look: In the book and the cartoon, she's stated to be two years old but she looks and acts like more of a four or five years old.
Characters from the 2000 live action film and video game
Betty and Lou Who
Betty and Stu Lou Who
- Played by: Molly Shannon (Betty) and Bill Irwin (Lou)
Cindy Lou's parents.
- An Aesop: It is Stu who tells Augustus what the true meaning of Christmas is.
- Bumbling Dad: Lou serves as a comic relief until he tells the Mayor what Christmas is really about.
- Betty has at least a few moments of comic relief herself, especially with her dedication to the lights on her house.
- Courier: Lou is the town's mailman.
- Disappeared Dad: For reasons unknown, Lou is nowhere to be seen in the 2018 adaptation.
- Mama Bear: Betty teams up with Martha to help stop the runaway sleigh carrying her daughter on board.
- Papa Wolf: Lou tells off Augustus when the mayor tried to blame Cindy Lou for ruining Christmas.
- Parents as People: While they both love Cindy Lou, the both of them were too preoccupied with the Christmas season to pay attention to her.
Martha May Whovier
Martha May Whovier
- Played by: Christine Baranski
The Mayor's love interest but she doesn't really like him back.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Has a crush on the Grinch as a child. And still does as an adult.
- Beast and Beauty: Shares this dynamic with the Grinch.
- Beauty Is Never Tarnished: Of a sort—while all of the other Whos have visibly odd noses (this is apparently a biological trait of theirs), Martha May's own nose is the most human-looking of the bunch.
- First Girl Wins: She was the only Who (besides his adopted mothers) who treated the Grinch with genuine kindness and love as a child, and, in the end, wins his heart and starts a relationship with him.
- Forgiving the Accidental Pervert: She doesn't get angry at The Grinch when he unknowingly falls right between her breasts, most likely because of her crush on him.
- In Love with Your Carnage: The two instances where The Grinch went all-out in a destructive rampage: being the gift-exchange in school where he lifted the Christmas Tree in class, and the Whobilation where he burned down the town center christmas Tree, Martha May absolutely seemed ecstatic for the Grinch.
- Nice Girl: She was the only person in Whoville, aside from his adoptive aunts, to be genuinely kind to the Grinch, and felt terrible about how the bullies treated him. Even in her adult years, she's still nice.
- She Is All Grown Up: Although Martha has never been unattractive (her 8-year old self being quite pretty), she became a very beautiful woman in adulthood.
- Spoiled Sweet: Judging by her outfits and household decorations, Martha May is extremely wealthy, but she's also one of the kindest, nicest Whos in town. She's also not impressed with Augustus's attempts to buy her affection with expensive presents, and, in a flashback to her childhood, is genuinely touched by the simple homemade ornament the Grinch made for her.
- Unknown Rival: Unaware that Betty is trying to top her with the decoration contest.
Mayor Augustus May-Who
Mayor Augustus May-Who
- Played by: Jeffrey Tambor
- Adaptational Nice Guy: His Universal theme parks counterpart is a bit nicer.
- Aristocrats Are Evil / Rich Bastard: Augustus is implied to have a massive amount of wealth. That, along with Fantastic Racism towards the Grinch, explains his pride and smugness.
- The Beautiful Elite: The Evil version and the Jerkass version. He's sophisticated, wealthy, lives in the town hall, and he has a lot of political pull with his high-ranking job as the Mayor of Whoville and his elite social status. He's also not only a horribly unpleasant snob who looks down the length of his pointed nose at the Lou Whos, but he's also an inwardly-unrepentant original-recipe bully towards the Grinch and made him into the Christmas-despising curmudgeon we all know.
- Big Bad: He is the main antagonist of the 2000s film and the reason why the Grinch is, well, the Grinch.
- Bullying a Dragon: Perhaps Mr. Mayor, pissing off the hermit who hates Christmas and spends his days pranking the entire town wasn't the smartest move, especially by rubbing the worst day of his life in his face and then proposing to the girl he likes.
- Demoted to Extra: He only appears in pictures of the video game based on the film.
- Entitled to Have You: He shows shades of this towards Martha, he often treats her as leverage to humiliate the Grinch such as proposing to her right in front of the Grinch right as he's starting to change and tries to buy her love with taxpayer money.
- Fantastic Racism: Most of his screen time is devoted to how much he hates the Grinch, the only character who doesn't look anything like the rest of the Who's.
- Fat Bastard: He's more heavyset than he is fat, but he's still a complete asshole, especially to the Grinch.
- Faux Affably Evil: Mayor Augustus May-Who's politeness hides a condescending and abrasive personality.
- Fiction 500: Given his position as mayor, he is one of the wealthiest men in Whoville.
- The Gentleman or the Scoundrel: He and the Grinch end up in a love triangle with Martha May Who that fits this dynamic. Though a variant where Augustus may be the gentleman outwardly, he's also a genuine jerk with no redeeming qualities compared to the Grinch's hidden kindness and difficult childhood.
- Grand Romantic Gesture: He publicly proposes to Martha and offers her both a huge diamond ring as well as a brand new car.
- Hate Sink: There is absolutely nothing good about this pompous character. Presumably, the addition of a Freudian Excuse for the Grinch and a genuine reason for having him hate Christmas led writers Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman to need a proper antagonist (the Grinch is more of a Love to Hate type). Augustus is the result—he's petty, selfish, nasty to children, tries to buy Martha's affection with gifts he openly admits were bought with taxpayer money, and treats the Grinch like an outcast just because he looks different. Heck, Augustus was the one who led to the Grinch's breakdown in the first place by insulting and teasing him as a child.
- Heel–Face Turn: Downplayed Trope, Mayor Who reluctantly makes an uneasy peace with the Grinch after it's clear the town loves the Grinch.
- Humiliation Conga: He gets hit hard with this after the Whobilation near the end of the film. He had his haircut ruined, unknowingly kissed Max's butt in his sleep (something the poor dog wanted no part of), gets told off by Lou, Officer Wholian refuses to arrest the Grinch for his crimes and Martha rejects his proposal in favor of his rival. And to top it all off, he gets dragged away by the Who-Biddies in a deleted scene from the script that made its way into the novelization.
- Jerkass: He's not very pleasant. He bullied the Grinch when they were kids, revived a traumatic memory of the Grinch’s when he starts having fun at the Holiday Who-Bilation, gaslights Cindy for wanting to include the Grinch who was ostracized his whole life, and is more concerned about himself instead of other people.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Although he's a Hypocrite on this detail, given that he provoked the guy in the first place, he is right to initially refuse the Grinch for attending the festivities given his penchant for being a public nuisance.
- Mayor Pain: He runs the town, declares Martha the victor of the lighting contest when Betty won, and freely admits to using taxpayer money to purchase a spiffy car for Martha.
- Never My Fault: Quick to blame the Lou Whos when the Grinch ruins the Holiday Cheermeister celebration since Cindy Lou invited him, despite him publicly humiliating the Grinch and proposing to the woman he knows the Grinch is in love with being the prompts for the Grinch to do so.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Well, "hero" is a bit of a stretch, but during the Cheermeister Celebration, the Grinch is genuinely having a good time and enjoying himself. It seems as though he might finally turn over a new leaf (and in turn stop terrorizing the town with pranks), but then Augustus gives him a razor—a reminder of the worst day of the Grinch's entire life—and publicly proposes to Martha May just to pour salt in the wound. The Grinch completely flips out, trashes the celebration, and decides to steal Christmas as the ultimate revenge. Good going, Mayor.
- Noodle Incident: The story of how he had his tonsils taken out twice.
- Proud Peacock: He is a prideful, conceited anti-Grinch supremacist and Whoville’s ultimate form of status and authority.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: The slightly more reasoned and measured leader of authority (blue) in comparison to the sycophantic, belligerent, unbalanced Who-Bris (red).
- The Rival: A major reason why he hates the Grinch is because they were both in love with Martha.
- Self-Serving Memory: Augustus claimed during Cindy's interview with him about the Grinch, that he tried to be a friend and mentor to him in school. In reality, he was an unrelenting bully who led the other students in mocking the Grinch for having a beard while just a child.
- Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: He bullied the Grinch in their youth. And grew up to run Who-ville.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: He uses his immense wealth to buy store-bought gifts for Martha like a diamond ring and a new car. On a more sinister level this was likely also done to facilitate his Villain with Good Publicity image and ensure that the Who’s could push an anti-Grinch agenda.
- Smug Snake: Oh yes! If the flashbacks are any indication, he was even this in his youth.
- Spanner in the Works: Much to the Grinch’s fury, Augustus proved to be this. He caused the Grinch to hate Christmas and his razor gift during the Whobilation was one of the contributing factors that caused him to steal the food, toys and decorations 53 years later.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Augustus develops this from shock when the Grinch shaves the middle part of his hair and when the Mean One burns the tree in Whoville Square down.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Whilst the flashbacks present him as being a massive douchebag from the jump, it's clear that he has at least a lot of decent reputation in the eyes of most of the public.
Characters from the 2018 animated film
Fred
Fred
A reindeer that the Grinch uses to carry his sleigh.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Fred was never mistreated by the Grinch in spite of being used for his Christmas-stealing scheme, being more akin to a partner in the affair than a sidekick. The fact that the Grinch lets Fred out of it so he can be with his own family is paid in kind when Fred saves Grinch from falling to his death.
- Big Damn Heroes: Had it not been for his timely arrival, the Grinch would have plummeted to his death.
- Fat Comic Relief: Fred is a very overweight reindeer that provides a lot of comedy for the movie.The Grinch: Well... Santa had eight... this one looks like he ate the other seven.
- Gentle Giant: A huge, obese and downright cuddly reindeer who is very sweet to the Grinch.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Like Max, Fred isn't particularly malicious in any way and just helps the Grinch's plans out of a succinct friendliness towards him.
- Morality Pet: Just like Max, Fred is one of the few creatures that the Grinch treats with respect. He even lets him go after realizing that he has a mate and a child.
- The Voiceless: Just like Max, he vocalizes his thoughts.
Donna Lou Who
Donna Lou Who
- Voiced by: Rashida Jones
- Beast and Beauty: Like Martha, she shares this dynamic with the Grinch, although nothing romantic has come of it yet.
- Good Parents: Donna is overworked, but that's only because she wants only the best for her kids. And as shown in her interactions with her, she loves them to no end.
- Nice Girl: It's easy to see where Cindy Lou gets it from.
- Ship Tease: Surprisingly enough, at the end of the movie, she kind of has this with the Grinch himself. The Grinch is fairly shy around her (though to be fair, he is generally kind of shy and awkward during that scene), he helps her carry some Christmas food and as the credits show, he continues to help her even after that. Meanwhile, she compliments his tie and comments on how "thoughtful" he is when he helps her with the food.
Bricklebaum
Bricklebaum
- Voiced by: Kenan Thompson
The Grinch's jolly neighbor.
- Affectionate Nickname: He calls the Grinch "Grinchy".
- Manchild: Downplayed, but his enthusiasm for Christmas can be compared to that of a little boy.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Very brief and downplayed, but when the Grinch admits that it wasn't Christmas he hated, but being alone, Bricklebaum's expression suggests he's having a moment of this — and that despite being the Grinch's neighbor, he never knew.
- Nice Guy: Incredibly so. He genuinely sees the Grinch as a friend despite how rude the Grinch is to him and he seems to get along with other citizens of Whoville as well.
