Second only to Scrooge as the season's most cherished holiday grouch, the Grinch has been beloved from his first appearance in the Dr. Seuss book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" 59 years ago, to the cartoon TV special marking its golden anniversary this year, even to the Jim Carrey feature film version 16 years ago that also gets seasonal TV replay.
When the tale was adapted into a stage musical by Jack O’Brien for San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in 1998, it gained its longest title yet (as well as an exclamation point). “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” then moved across the country to dozens of cities, including a stint on Broadway a decade ago. It finally makes its Washington debut this month in an 18-day engagement at the National Theatre.
We’re counting down to its opening night with some more numbers:
53
Age of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, when he wrote “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Coincidentally, it was the same age as the Grinch.
1957
Year of the December issue of Redbook magazine when the story was published, simultaneously with the book.
2
Number of times by which the Grinch’s heart is “too small,” according to the book.
2
Maximum age of Little Cindy-Lou Who, who asked the Grinch why he was stealing her family’s tree.
1
Speck of food the thieving Grinch left in the Who household, a speck that was “even too small for a mouse.”
3,000
Height, in feet, of Mt. Crumpit, from which the Grinch descended to steal the Whoville Christmas.
3
Sizes that the Grinch’s heart grew, after seeing the Whos’ reaction to Christmas even without its toys and gifts, according to the book.
10
Number of Dr. Seuss books on the National Education Association list of Top 100 Books for Children.
3
Number of Dr. Seuss books that won Caldecott Honors: "McElligot's Pool," "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" and "If I Ran the Zoo."
50
Number of years since the first airing of the animated “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” TV special, in 1966.
79
Age of Boris Karloff when he narrated and was voice of the Grinch in the TV special. It would become his second-best-known role.
25,000
Estimated number of drawings it took to complete the “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” special, one of the first made for TV with full animation.
2
Lines of dialogue by Max the dog in original special: “Yipe!” and “Raaahhh!”
5
Rank of the Grinch in 2002 TV Guide list of 50 greatest cartoon characters, ahead of Fred Flintstone and Charlie Brown.
5.2 million
Number of people who watched this season’s first airing of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on NBC on Nov. 25, according to Nielsen.
$345 million
Worldwide gross of Ron Howard's 2000 feature-length version, "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," starring Jim Carrey.
87
Age of Theodor Seuss Geisel when he died in 1991.
18
Years since the first stage musical version of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” was staged at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
47
Number of cities the musical will have visited by the end of 2016.
2 million
Estimated number of people who will have seen the show by the end of 2016.
7th
Tour of the musical by Bob Lauder, playing narrator Old Max, who got his job by singing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in response to a Facebook scouting.
90
Number of minutes it takes for Philip Bryan to be transformed into the Grinch for the production.
85
Length, in minutes, of “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical.”
0
Number of intermissions in the show.
181
Number of years the National Theatre has been in continuous operation in Washington, D.C., since its opening in 1835.
Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical" Dec. 13-31 at the National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Tickets: $48-$203. 202-628-6161 or thenationaldc.org.
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