ALF: Title character Gordon Shumway (seen here) was known better as ALF, short for Alien Life Form, a friendly extraterrestrial from the planet Melmac who crash lands in a suburban family's garage when he follows a radio signal to Earth. The Tanner family brings ALF into their home, where he generally hangs out in the kitchen, hiding from the Alien Task Force. Newscom/FILE
ET: ET from the 1982 film ET the Extra-Terrestrial is seen here with actress Drew Barrymore. The move tells the story of Elliot, a boy who befriends a friendly alien, called ET. Elliot and his brother and sister try to help ET get home without their parents or the government knowing. Courtesy of Universal Studios/Newscom/FILE
MARVIN THE MARTIAN: Dressed in a Roman soldier's uniform, Marvin is from Mars and frequently tries to destroy Earth because it blocks his view of Venus. Marvin the Martian's plans are frequently foiled by his nemesis, Bugs Bunny. The two characters first meet in Looney Tunes' Haredevil Hare when Bugs Bunny is the first rabbit shot into space and meets Marvin, who is trying to blow up Earth from the moon. Via YouTube
THE YIP YIPS: These Sesame Street Martians are from Mars and are known for their monotone 'Yip-yip-yip-yip,' and 'Nope-nope-nope' reactions to Earth's objects. Via YouTube
TRANSFORMERS: The Transformers TV series, which started around 1984, features the Autobots who crash land on Earth looking for new energy sources as another group of aliens, the Decepticons are attacking. In the 2007 film directed by Michael Bay, the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (seen here), travel to Earth in search of the Allspark (a large cube of energy) where they battle the Decepticons for it. Newscom/FILE
JAR JAR BINKS: Jar Jar Binks appears in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and was almost completely computer generated. Jar Jar is a Gungan from the planet Naboo. Newscom/FILE
RIDDICK: Richard B. Riddick, portrayed by actor Vin Diesel in the movies 'Pitch Black' and 'The Chronicles of Riddick,' is a soldier and an escaped convict with the ability to see in the dark. He is a Furyan and one of the last of his kind. Riddick's ability to see in the dark is known as 'Eyeshine.' Newscom/FILE
SPOCK: Played by actor Leonard Nimoy, Spock is known for his pointy ears and Vulcan salute. Spock was named one of the 50 greatest TV characters by TV Guide. Vulcans are a humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who live by reason and logic and hardly any emotional influence. Spock is a half-Vulcan in the series. Newscom/FILE
THE PREDATOR: From the film 'Aliens vs. Predators,' the Predators are large humanoid creatures who have arrived on Earth to bring humans to an ancient training ground near Antarctica. Newscom/FILE
SQUEEZE TOY ALIENS: From Toy Story, these three-eyed space aliens are promotional toys from a Pizza Planet game where they believe 'The Claw' will choose one of them to 'go on to a better place' Their catch phrase is 'You have saved our lives. We are eternally grateful.' Via YouTube
THE GREAT GAZOO: From The Flinstones, the Great Gazoo is a tiny floating alien who has been exiled to Earth from his home planet Zetox as punishment for having invented a destructive weapon – a button that would destroy the universe if pressed. Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble met Gazoo when his flying saucer crashed. Via YouTube
CHEWBACCA: Nicknamed Chewie, Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the Star Wars series. Chewie is Han Solo's first mate and was named one of the greatest sidekicks in film history by Entertainment Weekly. Newscom/FILE
YODA: In the Star Wars universe, Yoda is a powerful Jedi master and is known for his odd way of speaking in object, subject, verb word order. Newscom/FILE
SUPERMAN: Portrayed here by Christopher Reeve in the 1978 film, Superman's character is from the planet Krypton, and he was rocketed to Earth as an infant by his father. Raised as Clark Kent by a family in Kansas, he began to show superhuman abilities early, known as 'faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.' Newscom/FILE
Google commemorates the 1947 Roswell UFO incident on its homepage Monday, with an interactive homage to pop culture's friendly extraterrestrials.
Nearly three decades ago, two large bulbous eyes peeked out from underneath the fringe of a borrowed dress-up wig, and a petite, though hardly elegant, rubbery creature reached its bejeweled, sallow finger to the skies and said, “Phone home.” In that moment, Steven Spielberg’s extraterrestrial charmed its two playmates– a young Drew Barrymore and Henry Thomas – as well as audiences.
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