They’re Grrrrreat!

Look! Just look at the useful tin for putting things in I picked up for £3 at a Charity Shop! I don’t even eat Frosties (Frosted Flakes to my American peeps) but I love Tony the Tiger because he was originally voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft.

And who is Thurl Ravenscroft, I hear you cry? And where can I get a cool name like that? Have you ever seen the film Dr Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas? Of course you have! And what is the best, most memorable bit? That’s right! The song!

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus,
You're as charming as an eel,
Mr. Grinch.
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel.

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch.
Your heart's an empty hole.
Your brain is full of spiders.
You've got garlic in your soul, Mr Grinch.
I wouldn't touch you with a
Thirty-nine and a half foot pole.

You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile,
Mr Grinch.
Given the choice between the two of you,
I'd take the seasick crocodile.[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/g/grinch/your_a_mean_one_mr_grinch.html ]
You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks.
Your soul is full of gunk,
Mr Grinch.

The three best words that best describe you,
Are as follows, and I quote"
Stink!
Stank!
Stunk!

You're a rotter Mr Grinch
You're the king of sinful sots
Your hearts a dead tomato squashed with moldy purple spots
Mr Grinch

Your sole is a appalling dump heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of deplorable rubbish imaginable,
Mangled up in tangled up knots.

You nauseate me, Mr Grinch
With a noxious super nos
You're a crooked jerky jockey and,
You drive a crooked horse
Mr Grinch!

You're a 3 Decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich
With arsenic sauce!

That’s right, folks--Thurl Ravenscroft is the man with the memorable voice who made that song famous (and made the show a success) and do wanna know what? They accidentally left his name off the credits. GASP! I know. When Theodore Geisel (the real name of Dr Seuss) realized, he phoned him up and apologised and promised that it would be rectified. Well, he lied. How do I know this? Because I wrote to Thurl and told him what a big fan I was and how my students LOVED the film and thought the song was the best part and we were so sorry his name got left off the credits and we wanted him to know that WE knew it was him. I got a very nice letter back saying “Tell them I STILL get no credit!” and that’s how I know. So there.  Sadly, he died of cancer in 2005, but I will always treasure my letter.

That particular class was very empathetic and supportive of their peers. At every opportunity they would leap out of their chairs and shout “You’re Grrrrreat!” if anyone who struggled with learning had a successful moment. We called that “Giving them a Thurl.” He liked that and thought it was nice. I was very lucky to get such a personalized letter back from him--but that’s what we do. We write to people we admire-- write sincerely and personally-- and more times than not we have been rewarded with a generous reply. Sending a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope doesn’t hurt either. Many celebrities are grateful because they are not as rich as people assume they are. They are just working people like you and me. At least the ones we write to are.

So what will I store in my useful tin for putting things in? No idea. But whatever it is, it’ll be grrrrreat!