Little green men
Stereotypical extraterrestrial portrayed as small green humanoids.
Little green men are stereotypical portrayals of extraterrestrials as small humanoids with green skin and sometimes antennae on their heads. The term came into popular usage in reference to aliens during the reports of flying saucers in the 1950s, notably after the Kelly–Hopkinsville sighting in 1955, when a newspaper used the phrase despite witnesses describing metallic-silver aliens. The image has since become a cultural shorthand for alien visitors.
- Field
- Ufology, popular culture
- Known for
- Stereotypical portrayal of extraterrestrials as small green humanoids
- First known extraterrestrial use
- 1908 in the Daily Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine)
- Notable early literary example
- Washington Irving's A History of New York (1809) described Lunatics as 'pea green'
Lore & Background
The term 'little green men' predates the flying saucer era by centuries. In 12th-century England, references to little green children appeared in the story of the green children of Woolpit. Washington Irving's 1809 satire described Moon inhabitants as 'pea green'. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote of 'green men of Mars' in 1912, though they were 10 to 12 feet tall. The first documented use of the exact phrase for extraterrestrials was in 1908, referring to Martians. A 1938 newspaper column satirizing the panic from Orson Welles's 'War of the Worlds' broadcast mentioned 'thirteen little green men from Mercury' stepping out of a spaceship, indicating the term was already familiar.
Reader's Guide
The little green men trope became entrenched in popular culture during the 1950s flying saucer craze. The Kelly–Hopkinsville sighting of 1955, though involving metallic-silver aliens, was reported by The Evansville Courier as 'little green men', and other media followed. By the early 1950s, the term was used sarcastically in major newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post to refer to flying saucer occupants. The image appeared on pulp magazine covers from the 1920s to 1950s, featuring Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon battling green monsters. The term also had earlier non-alien uses, such as for camouflaged Japanese soldiers in World War II and for supernatural beings in folklore. Its persistence reflects how a simple, vivid image can become a universal symbol for the unknown, blending humor, skepticism, and fascination with extraterrestrial life.
Did You Know?
- The first documented use of the exact phrase 'little green man' for extraterrestrials was in 1908 in the Daily Kennebec Journal, referring to Martians.
- Washington Irving's 1809 satire A History of New York described Moon inhabitants as 'pea green', possibly the first green aliens in literature.
- The 1951 book The Case of the Little Green Men by Mack Reynolds featured a cover with the classic antennae on the alien's head.
- The term was used in 1942 to refer to camouflaged Japanese soldiers, not aliens.
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