The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a classic holiday film that’s been adored since 2000 when it first premiered. You can catch it on TV in 2024 on NBC, TNT, and TBS. The family-friendly comedy focuses on a green-colored recluse who loves everything about Christmas as a holiday.
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There are three versions of the movie to watch, but the live-action version is the most serious, starring Jim Carey in the titular Grinch role, Taylor Momsen as Cindy Lou Who along with Christine Baranaski, Jeffrey Tambor, and more, In the film, Carey’s Grinch is a creature who starts off feeling rejected (and very bitter about Christmas and the people of Whoville as a result) but later opens his heart to others to enjoy the warmth of acceptance. It’s a transformational journey for the Grinch, but there is much more to the story to explore. If you scratch a bit deeper below the surface, as a prevalent fan theory suggests that you should, you may notice something a little more heartbreaking about the Grinch’s pet and best friend, Max. Max may be a loyal and devoted dog, but there’s a grim theory about how he came to be the Grinch’s pet and it’s a theory about the sweet pup that has completely changed how I see the film.
How Did the Grinch Get Max?
In How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch lives at the top of Mount Crumpit, safely away from the citizens of Whoville. His disgust and distaste for Whoville’s residents stems from the way they made him feel like an outcast when he was a child, so much so that he now lives as an outcast now. The movie also reveals that everything the Grinch owns in his humble abode far away from the people who rejected him comes from a trash chute filled with garbage from the citizens of Whoville. But while the Grinch lives an isolated life surrounded by the discarded items of the people who rejected him, the Grinch isn’t alone at the top of Mount Crumpit. Every day, he hangs out with Max, his dog. Max is loyal and loving to the Grinch, but it’s unclear how the Grinch ever found himself in a position to adopt a pet in the first place. Since he avoided Whoville like the plague, how did he gain access to a dog? It seems unlikely that the Grinch would make his way down from Mount Crumpit to visit the local animal shelter. No, Max’s origin may be far more sad.
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One fan theory is that Max was an unwanted Christmas present from a kid in Whoville. Some ungrateful child opened a pet box to find Max as a puppy –– and simply didn’t want to raise him. If this is all true, it would make sense that the Grinch would welcome Max with open arms, knowing the heartache and pain that comes along with being rejected in such a cold and callous way. After all, by being outcasts, the Grinch and Max are alike and would find some solace in each other’s company.
This theory that Max was a discarded, unwanted gift is devastating and I’m not alone in this feeling. Social media users have shared their thoughts on this heartbreaking theory with one person writing, “I saw a TikTok where this girl was talking about the Grinch and how he lives on Mount Crumpit and he gets all of Whoville’s trash through the chute, so the reason he had his dog Max is because he was a Christmas present that was thrown away and now I’m sobbing.”
Someone else wrote, “When you realize that the Grinch hasn’t been down to Whoville in decades and gets all the Who’s old gifts they get tired of in two weeks when they throw them in the ‘Dump it to Crumpit’ trash chute, and that’s how he probably got Max.”
No matter how you slice it, this theory is a sad one that definitely makes the people of Whoville look so much worse. It’s something that puts The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in an entirely new light – and serves as a reminder that pets aren’t something you can simply discard.
