You might want to grab a blanket and your favorite warm holiday beverage and get all snuggly for this one.
Danny McCollum, of Sumterville, Florida, has a unique hobby–he visits retirement homes dressed as the Grinch to bring smiles to seniors.
A Grandma’s Love
It was his grandmother Fran who made McCollum his very first Grinch outfit. “The furry legs were made out of green scarves. We found Grinch shoes and gloves at Spencer’s, and bought a Grinch mask. I would dress up for a few different school functions, such as Project Graduation, to help raise money for my high school, and was featured in a few local parades. So I guess you could say Grandma helped nourish my love for the Grinch, and has always been an inspiration in all of my crazy ventures!”
“My grandma always told me I should be the Grinch at Universal,” McCollum said. But he noted that although he took a few theatre classes in college, auditions never went well due to horrible anxiety, and he did much better behind the scenes with props and lighting. “No matter how hard I tried, if I wasn’t in costume, the particular character I was trying out for didn’t flow. I would end up shaking or stumbling over my lines.”
Despite these fears, McCollum did end up auditioning for the part of the Grinch at Universal Studios in 2018. He said that his grandma really wanted to go to Universal to see him perform there as the character. “Shortly after she had her stroke, she made me promise that no matter what happens, I will go through with the audition…so I did. I remember things were running late that night. I was there ’til 2am…and that’s when I was notified that she was being sent to hospice and wouldn’t make it long. I was able to say goodbye. But needless to say, with my anxiety and getting that notification, the audition fell apart fast for me…but I kept my promise. I guess that’s why I do it for nursing homes.”
His mom, Carol, has been a huge help, too, he says. “The Grinch brings us together. She is my driver (even though I don’t need one) and goes everywhere the Grinch goes.”
Inspired by Jim Carrey
McCollum has always loved the story of the Grinch. But it was Jim Carrey’s version that got him hook, line, and sinker, he says. “I remember watching the movie for the first time and immediately, I knew I wanted to be the Grinch! We used to have a wooden homemade sleigh with reindeer in front of it as part of our Christmas decorations. I remember coming home after purchasing the CD, getting in the sleigh, and acting out the Grinch as he stole Christmas while ‘You’re A Mean One’ was playing in the background.”
It took a ton of research to make McCollum’s Grinch as screen-accurate to Jim Carrey’s version as possible. “I found out that facial prosthetics were the way to go!” After viewing an array of prosthetics online (some very good and some very bad), McCollum discovered an Etsy shop called ApeShark that sold Grinch prosthetics. “After talking with the shop’s owners, Josh Counsel and Paulina Counsel, and telling them a little about myself and what I was wanting to do, they were more than happy to assist! Josh is simply an amazing makeup artist! I invite you to look at his website! Without Josh and Paulina, I wouldn’t be the Grinch I am today. They both helped me with not only the face and makeup, but the costume, as well. I can’t thank them enough.”
Last Christmas was actually the first in which McCollum got to portray Jim Carrey’s version of the Grinch. “It was very well received!” he said. “One of the nurses told me, ‘We’ve had a few Santas, but I haven’t seen our residents’ faces light up as much as they did when you walked in the room!’ One gentleman was even convinced that I was Jim Carrey behind the makeup and couldn’t wait to take his photo with me and send to his grandchildren!”
The Spirit of Christmas
“It is great fun to be riding down the road and see people’s reactions as the Grinch drives past them, or just stopping at Walmart (because the Grinch’s chauffeur–Mom–needs milk) and interact with people going in and out of the store!” says McCollum. His mom always called him Peter Pan when he was growing up because of how he could see the magic in everything. “When Grandma passed, so did a huge part of me. That month I lost Grandma, my dog passed, and I was given one week to get out of my music room. Needless to say, the magic was gone; I forgot how to fly. A little bit of the magic comes back to me when I go down the road and see a child’s face light up as the Grinch goes by. Having someone yell ‘Grinch!’ as they are running across the parking lot to get a picture with him, visiting the retirement homes. The spirit of Christmas, to me, is the warmth of knowing you have made someone happy, even if it’s for a short amount of time…no matter what they’re going through, they leave with a smile.”
The retirement home is the main event for him right now, he says, but mentions the possibility of branching out. “I would love to go to some children’s hospitals and maybe even some elementary schools and possibly read How the Grinch Stole Christmas to them…maybe get a small group together and perform [it] at local schools or Christmas events!” He also just participated in a Black Friday event at Lowe’s, where the Grinch was their “Christmas Clearance Specialist” (his own term) for four hours.
Musical Talents
McCollum and his mom run a booth at an antique mall and have an eBay store, Shopatfrans, named for Grandma. He also makes props on the side, and says he is starting to get back into his music again. “I play the theatrical pipe organ, was a percussionist throughout my middle school and high school years, and play the bagpipes.” At one point, he says, he had a Victorian-themed music room wherein he used to hold Christmas concerts on the theatre organ. “Grandma and I would take the money that I would earn from that and give it to our local animal shelter. Unfortunately, when she passed, I found out the hard way how families can be towards each other, as the music room she had built for me is no longer available for my use.”
Prop-Making Skills
He mentions his extensive collection of Harry Potter props from the Noble Collection. “I decided to make my living room look like the inside of a castle to display my collection. I hand-carved all the brick out of insulating foam and added a hard coat to make it feel real, then painted it.” (If this sounds a bit familiar, you might not be surprised to discover that it was the barista with the Harry Potter bedroom who led me to McCollum!) “I decided to use more grey tones, as this can be doubled to feature some of my Halloween props at Halloween, and reminds me of remains of some real castles in Ireland!” He’s also trying to figure out how to make a Grinch sleigh that drives, possibly by transforming an old golf cart.
And what are McCollum’s plans for this Christmas? “I’m not sure what this holiday will bring. But I can’t wait to find out!” He adds, “The only big dream I have right now and that I’m saving for is to be able to build another music room so I can hold concerts again, and expose the organ to our younger generations! The theatre organ is one of America’s gems. In fact, it’s the only original instrument that we have ever invented…and it’s dying. Theatre organs were used to accompany silent films, and play anything from Broadway to Bach! I invite you to look up a local Theatre Organ Chapter and contact them for future concerts. Bring your kids or your grandkids! It’s great musical entertainment for the whole family!”
Bonus: Check out Danny’s costumed performance of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch”!
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