The Grinch
β 118%
π 6.8/10
(GameBoy Color - US, Action & Adventure)
Complete
$55.97
Loose $14.64
Developed by:
Konami
Published by:
Konami
Released On:
01 Jan 2000
Also available on:
The Grinch has had enough of the Whos' joyful Christmas celebrations in Who-Ville. He devises a plan to ruin their holiday by stealing their presents. The Grinch game is inspired by Pac-Man, with seven scenes divided into levels that you must navigate through.
The gameplay involves collecting presents while avoiding the Who-Ville citizens, who will chase you if they spot you. You can extend your time limit by finding timer icons and must use your limited number of attacks to stun the villagers. If spotted, running away is often the best option, as the villagers tire out quickly. In some levels, you'll drive a car or have your dog Max jump over obstacles.
UPC-A:
083717140986 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
3786 (United States)
ASIN:
B00004U49O (United States)
Part #:
CGB-BGHE-USA (USA)
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HowLong
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Save Game Methods:
Password
Number of Players Supported:
1 Player
Prices as of 09 Oct 2026
Typical $55.97β$55.98 (last 90 days)
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Complete
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Manual
Smoothed
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Market activity: active Β· about 60 sales a year
Activity is a 12-month sales count. Dashed segments rest on two sales a year or fewer.
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Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
This is a stealth-puzzle game where players control the Grinch, who despises Christmas. Your goal is to sneak through Whoville, stealing all the presents and decorations to prevent the holiday celebration.
Story
Story
Welcome to Whoville, a town that loves Christmas above all else. When Christmas draws near, the town begins to bustle! Children and grown-ups alike are filled with joy.
But the Grinch, living atop Mt. Crumpit, does not share their joy. He looks down at the festive Whos in Whoville through his telescope.
The Grinch hates Christmas so much he can't stand it. He looks down at his pet dog Max and grumbles bitterly.
"This pathetic rejoicing. I must put a stop to it, the sooner the better! I have been putting up with this absurd Christmas celebrating for way too long! This is the year the celebrating stops once and for all!"
Suddenly a dreadful thought came into the Grinch's head. His mouth twisted into a grin at the brilliance of the idea.
"Heh heh heh... yes, that's it! Those Whos down in Whoville look forward to their Christmas presents most of all. So all I have to do is steal all the Christmas presents and decorations from the village. Then they will have to cancel Christmas..."
Enemies & Characters
GRINCH
The Grinch plans to ruin Christmas in Whoville. He is a green, irritable creature with a mischievous personality, but there is something about him that is not so detestable.
Max
This dog is the Grinch's only friend. Although he is rather timid, Max does his best to help his master achieve his goals.
The Whos in Whoville
Cherishing Christmas above all else, these Whos are teeming with goodwill. They want to spread their brotherly love to the evil Grinch and approach him whenever he is spotted.
The Grinch's enemies
Considerate and warm hearted; the Whos try to reform the wicked Grinch by giving him their love whenever they see him. However, the Grinch considers this to be a great nuisance.
The children in Whoville
Whenever they spy the Grinch, the children of Whoville approach him. But if the Grinch hits them with a snowball or blows a bubble on them, they sit down in surprise.
The grown-ups in Whoville
Unlike the children, the adults in Whoville shriek in fear when they see the Grinch. However, their shrieks attract police constables and children who try to win him over with love.
Constables
The constables of Whoville have been placed on alert by the chief of the village and ordered to arrest the Grinch. Avoid them if you can, for if you are hit with a freezer, you will not be able to move.
Doberman
These dogs guard the village and try to catch the Grinch's dog Max.
Controls
Control Pad
player movement
B Button
Toggles between standing and crouching for the Grinch, Santa, Max,...
B Button (hold)
accelerate bumper cars
B Button (release)
decelerate bumper cars
START
pausing
A Button (The Grinch, Standing)
throw a snowball or blow bubbles when out of snowballs
A Button (The Grinch, Crouching)
make snowballs
A Button (Santa, Standing)
throw eggs or attack with bubbles when out of eggs
A Button (Santa, in a bumper car)
Throw eggs
A Button (Max, Standing)
jump
A Button (Max, Crouching)
bark (startles the opponent)
How to Play
About the Game
In this game, you play the role of the Grinch (or Max), who intends to steal Christmas.
Mission
You must creep stealthily about the village and steal packages and Christmas decorations without being seen by the Whos.
Your mission will be accomplished after you have stolen all the presents. However, the mission is a failure if the Grinch is caught in the act by children, for he will be touched by the children's love and will not be able to continue his despicable act.
Scoring
Scoring is performed according to the following guidelines.
Gifts and Christmas goods
Normally 100 points, but 200 points in dangerous situations (when being chased).
Secret gifts
Occasionally, the Whos in Whoville will drop gifts they've been hiding when you hit them with a snowball or cause them to collide with one another. These secret gifts are worth 1000 points.
Time bonus
You score 100 points for each unit of time remaining after clearing a stage.
Special bonus
Add 10,000 points to your score by meeting specific conditions when clearing a stage. (The Grinch must clear a stage without using one snowball or egg. Max must clear a stage without barking once.)
Starting the Game
Insert the Game Pak into the Game Boy and turn on the power. Select Play Game/Password in the Title screen.
β’
PLAYGAMC
β’
PASSWORD
Select Play Game
The game will begin after an introductory video.
Select Password
You will be taken to a Password Entry screen. Enter a password you received from a previous game to continue playing that game.
In the Password Entry screen, enter a password you have written down by selecting characters with the Control Pad and entering the password with the A Button after entry is complete. Press the A Button one more time when asked if it is OK. If the password is correct, the game will begin.
β’
PASSWORD
β’
97+2428-3
Passwords
A password will be displayed every time you clear a scene. Don't forget to write it down!
β’
It is possible that your data could be lost if the power is shut down during these times.
Game Over
Players lose one life whenever they are caught by the Whos or a Doberman or when time runs out. The game is over when a player loses all three of his or her lives.
β’
At the end of the game you'll be asked if you wish to continue. Select Yes to enjoy the game as many times as you wish. Select No to return to the Title screen. When continuing a game, you begin with 0 points as when starting from the beginning.
Tips & Maps
Whoville (scenes 1 and 3)
These stages take place in a village where the Whos cherish Christmas. The player controls the Grinch to make snowballs, tease children, and run from pursuit.
Who Forest (scene 2)
The player controls Max to run around and collect gifts for his master. Max cannot attack enemies but can dodge them by jumping or crouching and barking.
The Whoville Carnival (scene 4)
The player controls the Grinch's bumper car for car chase action. The B Button operates the accelerator, and the A Button throws eggs, which are ineffective when green eggs run out.
Who Mountain (scene 5)
You control Max again, who will slip and slide on frozen ponds and rivers. This puzzle-type game involves figuring out how Max slides and where he slides to.
The Who Garbage Dump (scene 6)
You operate the Grinch in a maze-like stage with Warp Holes. Use Warp Holes effectively to jump around and collect parts for your sled.
A Private Who Home (scene 7)
You control the Grinch, disguised as Santa, to steal Christmas gifts. Some doors are locked, requiring a search for keys, and the Grinch uses a bubble attack and can throw eggs found in the house.
Learn to be stealthy.
Move under the cover of walls and buildings to stay hidden from the Whos. You can also hide by crouching in holes or under furniture.
Be daring on occasion!
Strategically show yourself and quickly run away; for Max, remember he can only jump over enemies while running. Grabbing a gift on the run yields twice as many points.
Get villagers to collide!
When villagers spot the Grinch, they rush toward him; if two collide, they drop back, giving you time to grab a gift or slip by.
Attacking off-center
The Grinch's bubble attack is effective even when a half body is off-center. Use ground formations to avoid detection by not approaching straight on.
Learn to show yourself, then hide!
Enemies do not enter or notice the Grinch in hiding spots; use this to make enemies change positions or panic by briefly showing yourself and then jumping back into hiding.
Remember the routes!
Maps are large, especially in later stages; learn the shortest routes for a successful mission, particularly in the warp stage of scene 6 and the key search of scene 7.
Collect secret gifts!
Some Whos in Whoville hide secret gifts; startle them by hitting them with a snowball or causing two villagers to collide to make them drop a gift worth 1000 points.
Go for the special bonus!
After gaining experience, attempt to clear a stage without using snowballs, eggs, or barking attacks. Successfully completing this challenge earns a special bonus of 10,000 points.
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