You may know that this year the holiday classic The Grinch Who Stole Christmas got a reboot starring Benedict Cumberbatch. In honor of our grouchy, green friend, we dove deeper to learn some surprising factoids. Here are five things you didn’t know about the other versions!

1. The Grinch Wasn’t Always Green

First thing you didn’t know about the Grinch was he wasn’t always green! That’s right. Dr. Seuss originally drew him in black and white with pink eyes. But it wasn’t Dr. Seuss’s idea – it was director of the original animated movie, Chuck Jones, who made him green!

2. Sound Effects Not What They Seem

Next up, we’re talking the sound effects, which aren’t what they seem. For example, the sound of a saw was really simulated by violins. And the Grinch shimmying down the chimney was a marker on a balloon!

3. The Whos Went to Who-School

The third thing you didn’t know is that in the live action film, the actors that played Whos had to go to Who School! And many of the Whos were Cirque du Soleil performers and did their own stunts!

4. Jim Carrey Trained to Endure Torture

Betcha didn’t know this next one: Jim Carrey’s makeup was so unbearable, he had a CIA torture specialist train him to endure the experience. “Literally the makeup was like being buried alive every day,” Jim told BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. “It was horrifying. I kept being like, it’s for the kids, it’s for the kids.” It took three hours a day to apply that makeup. Poor Jim!

5. Ron Howard Had Family in Film

And the last thing you didn’t know about the Grinch is director Ron Howard had his family in the film – his son, brother, dad and wife. He really took the family movie thing to heart!

And that’s five things you didn’t know about the Grinch who stole Christmas.

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