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If you've ventured anywhere near a big-box store over the last six weeks, you are likely keenly cognizant that the height of Grinch mania is in full swing. Everywhere you look, holiday decorations, bargain-bin undergarments, and imitation drinkware sporting the leering image of that Seussian holiday-despising creation can be found. This could look like a modern trend, the Grinch industrial complex has been around for quite some time, and the millennium quick-buck game The Grinch stands as a supremely disturbing instances. Plus, it has an final sequence is the stuff of nightmares.

The Game's Underwhelming Debut

Celebrating the late 2000 arrival of Jim Carrey's iconic turn as the sour-faced villain, The Grinch game was launched for PS1, Sega Dreamcast, and Windows PC. The publisher was Konami, a famous developer not typically known for upsetting fans. Fundamentally, the gameplay revolves around the Grinch misplacing the schematics required to pull off his Christmas heist and embarking on a family-friendly destruction tour around the Who village, stealing and destroying packages while searching for his important papers. You know, typical Grinchery.

Poor Sales and Scathing Reviews

Anyway, The Grinch was not a sales success very well (to the tune of a mere 20,000 games) and appeared to receive not much love. Contemporary reviewers were not kind. A review famously said, "While a scant few of The Grinch's challenges are entertaining, the majority prove to be dull, annoying, or both". The average critical rating were in the region of a middling five, which was considered a fatal blow even back then. Consequently, just as I had, you've probably not seen the conclusion of this obscure game almost no people experienced or appreciated. Thankfully, an intrepid internet user is here to provide the missing pieces.

To his absolute horror, the Grinch begins to experience positive emotions regarding Yuletide. Amid an impression that hovers somewhere between anguished and inebriated, he cries out, "I adore you! And everybody! Including the Whos!" He then pilot his airborne sled away from his cliffside home to return every present he stole, tossing them around the Whoville town square, and asks for forgiveness from the assembled crowd.

The Disturbing Climax

It's at this point the scene takes a dark turn: "Join us in song!" says a chipper Cindy Lou Who, with her string-like limbs undulate strangely, and her teeth clip through her primitive 3D-modeled nose. Subsequently, every ugly, ugly children of Whoville sing an annoying song with no lip movement. The end… or is it?

An Unlocked Ending

Because of further investigation, it has been revealed that there was additional plans for the bargain-bin Grinch: Upon fully finishing the game, you'll unlock a bonus ending that features a cool motorcycle and a bonus racing challenge that takes place in the village.

The Digital Christmas Miracle

Obviously, nobody with sense should attempt to get everything in The Grinch for PS1, yet it remains a neat bonus for its four dedicated players. And today, because of digital archives, it's unnecessary to endure any of the tedious gameplay to get in on the fun. Merry Christmas to all, and and sleep tight!