The £85 Grinch who not only stole Christmas but allegedly 'destroyed' a woman's house has finally addressed the viral moment years later.
When Northern Irish mother Laura Magill hired an £85 Grinch to entertain her family, she had no idea the festive afternoon would become an iconic piece of online history.
After spotting an advertisement on social media in December 2021, the Belfast mum decided that hiring the Dr. Seuss character for an afternoon would be the perfect way to entertain the children in the run-up to the big day.
However, there was only one oversight – and it's that the Grinch isn't particularly fond of Christmas.
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You'll likely remember the unsatisfied review which Laura left, claiming the Grinch had 'poured' juice over her son, chucked washing up liquid on the floor and broke tree decorations.
"Highly DO NOT recommend, emailed and complained no reply. The Grinch definitely came and stole Christmas. Never been so disgusted in my life," concluded her Facebook review, which has since been shared to every corner of the internet.
The situation was understandably frustrating for Laura, who was likely saddled with the clean-up, but remains a source of laughter for the rest of us everytime it resurfaces.
And now, four years later, the man at the centre of Grinch-gate has shared his version of events.
Reflecting on the viral incident in a new interview with Radge Magazine, the man behind the costume (who didn't reveal his name) revealed that several 'crucial details' had been left out of Laura's version of events.
Accompanied by a driver and 'Naughty Elf', our Grinch recalls being told 'do whatever – just don’t go up the stairs' by Laura, rules which they kept to.
He also clarified that it was Laura's sister who made the booking, acknowledging that the mum may not have been fully aware about what she was opening her front door to.
"Laura may not have known what was actually advertised in the booking, but we were clear that we were there to cause havoc," he said.
As for the million dollar question of 'why did the house end up in the state it did', the Belfast Grinch claimed that he'd recognised Laura and thought she'd 'be up for a laugh'.
He also revealed that Laura paid the group after the performance had ended, arguing: "So how unhappy could she have been really? Unless she was just paying us to leave."
So what's it like being known as 'the Grinch who destroys houses' four years down the line? Sounds like its great, as the company continues to get bookings for the character.
But it doesn't appear as though Laura is ready to move on from the ordeal, as an attempted olive branch from the Grinch last year wasn't accepted.
"Unfortunately, she’s just not ready to forgive me," he added.
Brenna Cooper