We’re at Peak Grinch: McDonald’s, Walmart Aisles — He’s Everywhere

This week, I had a hankering for a healthful meal, so I headed out to McDonald’s for a Big Mac. Not just any Big Mac — I wanted the new “Grinch Meal,” which comes in a Happy Meal-style box with a pair of Grinch socks, a drink, your choice of Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets, and fries that come with a packet of dill pickle powder, in this context known as “Grinch Salt.”

My dreams were cut short in the drive-thru line when the cashier told me that Grinch Meals were all sold out. It turns out, the meal wasn’t just sold out at my location in the suburbs of New York City. The novelty box has been such a hit, it’s selling out across the country.

McDonald’s marketing director tweeted that it’s outsold other big recent promotions, including the Snack Wrap.

(Luckily, or shamefully, my husband had already gotten a Grinch Meal earlier in the week, so I do have the green socks and got to sample the remnants of his pickle fries.)

The runaway success of the Grinch at McDonald’s doesn’t seem like an anomaly to me.

Look around, and you may notice that it seems like Christmas has gotten a lot more Grinch-y lately. I don’t mean that as a metaphor — I literally mean there seems to be more Grinch merchandise, more Grinch content, more Grinch memes than ever before. Right?

Defeated at McDonald’s, I sought some retail therapy at some nearby stores and found the aisles flooded with Grinch merchandise.

Walmart had half an aisle in its seasonal section dedicated to Grinch stuff — plush toys, decorations, even neon light-up signs.

There was a ton of Grinch clothing — sweatshirts, pajamas, for both kids and adults. At Marshall’s, Grinch throw blankets, socks, toys, and even eyeshadow palettes were all over the store. It seems to me that we are reaching a point of peak Grinch saturation. What gives?

How did the Grinch take over Christmas — and more?

I have some ideas.

On one hand, of course — it’s December, and Dr. Suess’s 1957 creation is relevant again. But it feels more than that — more than simply seasonal IP.

The Grinch has multi-generational appeal and has endured for decades across formats. There’s, of course, the original book, and then the 1964 animated special that included the “You’re a Mean One, Mister Grinch” song.

There’s the 2000 live-action movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” starring Jim Carey, and the 2018 animated version “Dr. Seuss’s The Grinch.” Those last two movies seem to always be at the top of streaming services when late fall hits. (My own kids have rewatched both an untold number of times.)

The Grinch is also everywhere online

The Grinch has a strange online presence, where he has become highly meme-able in a way that his seasonal IP peers, such as Buddy the Elf or Freddy Krueger, simply haven’t.

At the release of the 2018 animated movie, there was some strange Tumblr memeing of the character, partially buoyed by the fact that he was voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, who was at the time a big Tumblr fandom heartthrob.

The memeibility of the Grinch extends to the Jim Carey portrayal, where his grotesque visage and exaggerated movements are perfect for these grotesque and exaggerated times online. But it’s also the 1960s cartoon — there’s a popular GIF of the Grinch’s hair curling as he smiles that works as a perfect reaction GIF.

And then there’s the absurdity of Gen Z and Gen Alpha online, where memes are increasingly meaningless (but that’s the point), like “6-7.”

For a while last year, a meme with an image of the Grinch, with his color tinted to blue, and the phrase “knee surgery tomorrow” was a huge thing for middle schoolers.

And as memecoins were growing in popularity, I lurked in a Discord channel full of people who were trying to pump a $KNEE cryptocurrency by flooding social media with images of the Grinch.

The Grinch’s multi-generational appeal

There’s something about the Grinch that appeals not just to little kids, but to teenagers and younger adults.

You can see some of that reflected in the merch collaborations. In 2023, Adidas released a Grinch-inspired sneaker for adult men, and in 2020, Kylie Cosmetics introduced a Grinch-themed holiday makeup line.

This year, Nike has a Grinch shoe, which NBA player Collin Gillespie wore on the court last month.

The Grinch has become one of those characters that is ostensibly for kids but has a teen appeal — a sort of Hot Topic aura, like Hello Hitty, Jack Skellington, or Taz in the 1990s.

This makes sense — he’s naughty, after all. While children might see the Grinch as a villain, adults can see his lack of holiday enthusiasm as, frankly, relatable.

And look at all the Grinch merch

But back to all the Grinch merchandise and the meal boxes — does it really seem like there’s more than ever? Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which manages merchandise licensing for the Grinch and other Seussian properties, did not respond when I asked for a comment.

I do have a small clue that my theory of Peak Grinch is true.

In a 2024 story on License Global, a website about merchandise licensing news, executives talk about how the Grinch is more popular than ever. (This is a press release, so take that as you will.) Other press releases boast about adding more and more licensees, including big chains like Primark.

What does it say about us that the increasingly most monetized character of the holiday season is the one known for hating Christmas? I couldn’t say. But as far as inescapable intellectual property, I think I don’t mind the Grinch too much.

In fact, my heart has grown a few sizes.