Little green men

[Dr. Whom]

Talking of cliché, whoever came up with the idea that Martians were small and green?

[odinn7]

Yeah, the f'in idiots...everyone knows they're small and grey.

[Gerry]

Found this with a google search:

The often used phrase "little green men" to refer to aliens may have come from Burroughs's first book on Mars, "A Princess on Mars." He describes the "green men of Mars," and they reappear frequently in his other Martian novels. Still, he never uses the exact phrase.

The Oxford English Dictionary's first reference for "little green man" is from Kipling's "Puck of Pook's Hill" (1906). Its use here refers to an actual person who has been tattooed green, and so although it coins the phrase "little green man," it does not appear to be a reference to aliens. The next OED reference to "little green men" is not until 1961, from Partridge's Dictionary of Slang: "Little green men, mysterious beings alleged to have been seen emerging from flying saucers."

[Squeakmiester 3000]

Lets not forget it was used in invasion of the saucer men, so it dates at least back to when it was made, probably before by a few years.

[Dr. Whom]

I definitely think it has something to do with flying saucers, as most of the early literary martians are quite the Little Green Men. Wells's definitely aren't, and while Rice Burroughs has green Martians, there are others as well. Also they are nothing like the small green men going ack ack ack we tend to associate with saucers.

On a different note, UK ufologists say that according to recent sightings, saucers are out, balls of light are in.

[Squeakmiester 3000]

Guess i'll have to trade my sauser in then. Gotta stay with the times.

[Flangepart]

Balls of light....bet THAT livens up the ol' love life!

[Andrew]

And if you have not read the Mars stories by Burroughs, you are missing out.  "The War of the Worlds" is a neat story, but the radio play far exceeded the book for me.  On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading about John Carter and his love, Deja Thoris.