The Grinch

The Grinch
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1997
Robot Statistics
Drive	2x power drills
Weapons	Static hammers
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

The Grinch was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. A 'last minute' entry by an unknown team, it was eliminated in the first round of both the Featherweight Face-Off and Melee tournaments.

Design

The Grinch was a two-wheeled robot driven by cordless power drills. A plastic Christmas tree stand formed the robot's main chassis and armor, alongside a metal colander forming its top lid. Two sledgehammers were mounted horizontally to the top of the stand, with which The Grinch would attempt to attack opponents using sit-and-spin techniques. Christmas decorations attached to the robot included imitation holly leaves and a novelty bauble suspended from one of the hammer handles.

Etymology

The Grinch's name was likely derived from the Dr. Seuss character of the same name, along with Seuss's 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Robot History

1997 US Championship

The Grinch first participated in the 1997 Featherweight Face-Off championship, fighting fellow newcomer Dough Boy in the opening round. This was one of a number of 'Dual Matches' to take place in this weight category, occurring at the same time as Spike II vs Slomo IV.

Both robots started tentatively, eventually meeting in and attempting to exchange weapon attacks in the lower-left corner. The Grinch veered towards the nearby wall section and kept spinning on the spot, though Dough Boy was hesitant to attack and instead parked some distance away. This tentativeness prompted booing from the audience, until The Grinch was rammed and took a hit from Dough Boy's spinning blade. Following another period of inactivity, The Grinch was slammed multiple times by Dough Boy, losing is Christmas decorations with each successive hit.

As the battle went on, The Grinch appeared to lose drive on one side, and found itself unable to maneuver away from the wall. Though Dough Boy's long pauses again resulted in dissatisfaction from the audience, the green machine continued to be attacked as the battle entered its final minute. It soon became evident that The Grinch had become fully immobilized. The Grinch, not participating in the Loser's Bracket, was eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off.

Later on, The Grinch returned for the Featherweight Melee tournament. In its preliminary round, it fought Bob Smith, Destructomatic, No Love, Spike II and The Rat.

Within the opening moments, it was quickly plowed and pushed around by Spike II, before attempting to employ its sit-and-spin tactics. This strategy yielded limited success, as it was largely avoided by its opponents for a substantial portion of the match. The Grinch ultimately found itself driving around in circles within the lower-left corner, still unable to hit any other robot with its hammers.

During the later stages, the batteries The Grinch became severely depleted, leaving it with sluggish movements as Spike II and No Love came to rest alongside it. Bob Smith proceeded to whack The Grinch and No Love with its hammer tail, shortly before the Melee reached its final minute. The Grinch was then lifted by Spike II, and was not among the robots deemed to be still mobile at the end. As a result, it did not qualify for the final, and was eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off tournament at that stage.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 2

Series Record

Events	The Grinch Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Did not enter
1997	Featherweight Face-Off, Round 1 Featherweight Melee, Round 1