Forgotten scene in The Grinch is ruining people's childhoods

Many of us have been getting ourselves into the Christmas spirit by rattling through their favourite festive flicks over the past few weeks, but there's one childhood classic that has left viewers feeling a little uneasy after rewatching in later life.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas is arguably one of the finest yuletide movies out there, remaining a seasonal staple after all these years - despite a potentially X-rated scene that you may have missed:

Released in 2002, the film stars Jim Carrey as the titular Grinch, a recluse who hates Christmas so much that he decides to ruin the holiday for the upbeat citizens of Whoville.

However, young Cindy Lou Who (Taylor Momsen) ends up thwarting his plan by showing him the power of believing in the magical spirit of the season.

Universal

But many viewers are just now noticing one key moment in the film that has ruined their childhoods, having been completely overlooked during previous watches.

One shocked viewer shared the scene to social media, warning others: "When you see it, you can't unsee it."

The childhood-shattering scene comes as the Grinch's origins are explained.

In the scene, we see a baby Grinch left outside a home in Whoville during Christmas.

Inside, a party is in full swing, so no one notices the little green infant outside.

But upon closer inspection, some eagle-eyed viewers noticed party guests putting their keys in a glass bowl... Yes, really.

After rewatching the scene on TikTok, some viewers still weren't entirely sure what was going on, so if you're still confused, you're not alone.

One user explained that the bowl of keys hints that the celebration was, in fact, a swingers party.

Universal/TikTok

They wrote: "For those who don't know... you pick a random set of keys after the party... and go home with that person."

Some formerly innocent viewers were shocked to learn what the residents of Whoville had been up to.

One commented: "Nooooo I thought it was just because they were drinking."

Another wrote: "No I refuse this new found information, thanks though."

A third added: "The Whoville Christmas swingers club haha."

One TikTok user suggested: "And now ya'll get why he truly hated Christmas, it's his trauma response to THIS."

Rationalising the shocking scene, another joked: "I mean... it is a small town. Gotta make things interesting!!"

Other commenters, who seemed unfazed by the swingers party, noted that there were lots of similar jokes in the film that younger viewers might not have spotted.

We need to rewatch this movie ASAP!