Peter is mortified by The Grinch. Yes, the green and gross menace from Dr. Seuss' book "How The Grinch Stole Christmas." He says that, as a child, he would have vivid dreams of the character eating him. Despite having a change of heart and a happy ending at the end of his story, he still fears that the character will somehow come to life, find him and kidnap him now as an adult.

But what about this character makes him so terrifying? On this week's episode of "Your Weirdest Fears," host Larry Mullins speaks with literary expert Dr.Philip Nel to find out. The leading authority on all things relating to children's books - and Dr. Seuss - Dr. Nel explains the history of the character, as well as why he remains a scary image for some all these year later.

You can check out Dr. Nel's work here.

Host: Larry Mullins

Producers: Jill Webb and Dempsey Pillot

Audio Engineer: Anddy Egan-Thorpe

Managing Producer of Podcasts: Femi Redwood 

If you have a weird fear you’d like to share, submit it to YourWeirdestFears@audacy.com for a chance to be on the show!