You’re a mean one, Mr. Dad!
“Who is this mean fellow with his skin all green and his teeth all yellow?”
Why, it’s mom and dad, but it’s unclear what they’re “so mad for.”
Parents are dressing up as the Grinch, barging into their own homes and pretending to steal the presents under the tree, much to the dismay of kids hoping Santa brought them everything on their lists.
Several viral videos have been circulating showing the moment they shock the children walking through the doors dressed in the Christmas crank’s costume and marching straight to the tree to steal gifts.
Some kids run away screaming in fear and some freeze and cry in panic, but a few brave children have taken it upon themselves to defend their families and the gifts by fighting back.
However, some online critics are accusing parents of traumatizing their kids with the viral Grinch prank.
In one TikTok video viewed over 33 million times, two young boys are seen watching “Elf” in their Christmas pajamas when the Grinch barges in with a trash bag in hand.
The boys immediately start screaming and back away on the couch throwing a pillow at the Christmas crank to shoo him away.
One of the boys stays back screaming as tears stream down his face, but the other isn’t going to let his gifts go without a fight.
The brave boy aggressively attacks the Grinch — pushing, punching and screaming on the top of his lungs as the green grouch pushes him off. The grumpy thief eventually gets away with a few gifts when a man comes into the frame holding the feisty fighter back. That’s when the two boys scream and cry as the Grinch saunters out of the house with their presents.
The controversial video has gone viral and has 2.6 million likes, despite many viewers questioning the prank.
“Teacher: so what did you get for Christmas. Kid: PTSD,” user Alex Conway commented.
“What did you get your kids for Christmas? Trauma …. I traumatized them,” wrote a commenter named Victoria.
“Ummm the kid might have some future anger issues,” warned another while someone else questioned: “I really don’t understand why anyone would want to upset their kids like this.”
Despite being criticized online, some families are still having fun with the prank — whether using it as a form of punishment for naughty kids or just hoping to get a good laugh.
Another video posted by Effaney Crain from Illinois shows the Grinch breaking into a family Christmas party, sneaking into the living room as a gaggle of children play by the Christmas tree surrounded by adults.
Terrified of the green monster, they all scream as they run away, some hiding behind the couch as the Grinch tears into some of their presents.
Viewed over 1.2 million times on TikTok, the video concludes with the family laughing in jest at the freaked-out children.
Another viral TikTok with 3.9 million views shows a dad, Zac Nellemann, giving his children a scary surprise as he barged in on them dressed as the Grinch. He begins dancing down the hall as his kids scream and run away.
While the kids seemed truly terrified in the first video, the pair seemed to get over the scare in follow-up videos showing the kiddos trying on the Grinch costumes themselves.
These parents aren’t the only ones using the Grinch to get into the Christmas spirit. A man has gone viral on TikTok posting videos of himself dressed up as a sexy Grinch while another person who dyed her dog to look like the green gremlin is under fire, accused of animal abuse.
