How the Grinch Stole Christmas is an American animated television special based on Dr. Seuss’ homonymous children’s book.  The story is about the Grinch’s attempts to take Christmas away from the town of Whoville.

On this day, December 18, in 1966, the 26-minute short of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, was telecasted on CBS.  It is considered a short film since it runs less than an hour long.  When it was first released, the cartoon received mixed reviews.  However, since it has been recognized as a holiday classic, it has received much higher ratings.

The short film was annually played every Christmas season until the year 1987.   Since 1987, other networks, such as TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and the WB TV Network, have acquired it and broadcasted the film.  This makes the film one of the very few Christmas specials from the 1960s to still be shown regularly on television.