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If you've gone close to a big-box store in the past six weeks, you are likely painfully aware that maximum Grinch saturation is in full swing. All around, holiday decorations, cheaply made underpants, and knock-off tumblers adorned with the leering image of the Dr. Seuss Christmas-hating figure can be found. Although this may appear a recent craze, the vast Grinch merchandise empire has been around for many years, and the millennium quick-buck game The Grinch stands as among the most disturbing instances. Plus, it has an ending could sleepless nights.

A Festive, Yet Forgettable, Release

To coincide with the November 2000 release of Jim Carrey's lead performance as the green-faced menace, The Grinch game was launched for PlayStation 1, Dreamcast, and personal computers. The publisher was Konami, a renowned game publisher which, to most people's knowledge, has never creating scandals. In essence, the story involves the Grinch losing the plans he needs to steal Christmas and undertaking a kid-friendly rampage around the Who village, stealing and destroying gifts while searching for his valuable diagrams. Y'know, the usual festive villainy.

A Commercial and Critical Flop

Regardless, The Grinch was not a sales success especially well (reportedly selling a mere 20,000 games) and appeared to receive scant praise. Review outlets offered poor assessments. A review famously said, "Even if a couple of The Grinch's missions are entertaining, the rest prove to be boring, annoying, or sometimes both". The average critical rating were in the region of 5 out of 10, which constituted a death sentence in that era too. As a result, similar to most people, you likely not seen the conclusion of this largely forgotten release that very few people experienced or appreciated. Luckily, an intrepid internet user is here to provide the missing pieces.

To his absolute horror, the Grinch begins to experience warm feelings toward the holiday. While delivering a voice performance that hovers somewhere between tormented and drunk, he laments, "I adore you! And everyone! Including the Whos!" Then he proceeds to fly his sleigh down from his mountain peak in order to give back the stolen items he took, dropping them across Whoville's central plaza, and requests mercy from everyone gathered.

The Disturbing Climax

It's at this point events take a creepy detour: "Join us in song!" says an upbeat Cindy Lou Who, with her ribbon-like arms wave like tentacles, and her teeth phase through her low-poly nose. Subsequently, every crudely rendered youngsters of Whoville chant a grating tune without moving their mouths. Curtain. or so it seems?

A Secret Reward for the Dedicated

Because of online discovery, it's come to light that destiny had additional things in store for this generic-brand Grinch: Upon fully finishing the game, you'll unlock a secret conclusion that includes a cool motorcycle and a bonus racing challenge that takes place in the village.

Merry Christmas, Without the Grind

Obviously, nobody with sense should attempt to get everything in The Grinch for PS1, but it is a fun little reward for its handful of superfans. And today, because of video sharing, you can avoid having to endure any of the frustrating levels to get in on the bonus. Happy holidays to everyone, and and sleep tight!