Still to be added are the following:
In the beginning (from my perspective, at least) came the "standard green mini-aliens", very common in the US in the last few years in vending machines. They came in two different "series", each with six figures, one with ray-guns of various kinds and one line with characters of six distinct "professions": a batter, a boxer, a cheerleader (girl with skirt and bow), a businessman with briefcase and umbrella, a baker (?) and a guy in a suit holding his head with one hand (for a view of all these, see the putty line-up below):
Later on I found some variations on these, for example the same six standard figures in silvery or colored metallic putty:
I also saw some new figures that seemed similar to the older ones, as they came in the same size and putty colors, but were slightly different in design, and had a variety of sports themes:
I also found some other sports-themed ones, now back in the standard translucent green material (note that the same boxer as in the original series appears in the first picture here, but that the batter figure shown here is slightly different):
Except for the parachuted sports figures just above, I had seen all of these alien figures in vending machines. When I started to do some more research on-line, I found that most vending supply distributors offered the translucent green or putty figures I had seen in "real life", along with several other distinct kinds (especially the "crystal" aliens which came in music and sports themes, and two distinct sizes; but I will tell the story of this line elsewhere).
I also discovered several more variations on the classic green and putty styles on-line, especially on the sites of novelty toy vendors (those who supply party stores and provide premiums for schools, charities, doctors' offices, etc.). Among these new variations were several with attached parachutes and differently-colored eyes, and some of the metallic putty ones (although these had the traditional black eyes). Interestingly, only the original green translucent figures (professions, guns and sports) and the monochromatic putty series have spot-painted "accessories" (guns, boxing gloves, bat and ball, etc.); all the other putties, and parachutists have only the eyes painted (though in various colors).
I also saw some intriguing green aliens with rectangular bases and completely new forms; unfortunately, the place that had had them on-line was out-of-stock:
I wondered if these were related to the others: they looked a little taller and thinner, and they seemed to have a lighter green color ... but maybe that was just the photography. The one figure with a basketball in its out-stretched hand looked very similar to a basketball figure in the sports series, too. Hmm, rather a mystery!
Another intriguing mystery was a picture of the standard batter figure I saw in the form of a keychain, but in a shiny metallic gold finish. This was on the website of a Spanish manufacturer, and although they didn't specifically claim to have made the original design, their site did stress their manufacturing capabilities, showing pictures of their facilities, etc. (it was geared toward import/export buyers rather than consumers or regional distributors).
This seemed odd, as I had always understood most of these sorts of figures to be manufactured in China, and many series even came with "China" or "Made in China" stamped on them. One possibility was that the Spanish company actually imported this particular figure and re-sold it. But another possibility, and one that might help account for the profusion of slight variations in size, color and material, was that perhaps some manufacturers were copying the standard alien figures, either duplicating them by re-molding or just by creating new molds as carefully crafted replicas. Some of the figures seem to be a little "soft" in their details, whereas others are quite crisp: perhaps if a manufacturer were to use a plastic original as the basis for a new metal mold, some melting or similar process might lead to a degradation or softening in detail, or perhaps to a slight variation in size. Of course, unlike Gucci purses (or whatever), there would be quite a bit less incentive for companies to try to suppress "knock-off" alien figures, as they are a much cheaper commodity.
In any case, I finally discovered the website of the Hong Kong novelty manufacturer Chi Hong (). They showed the standard six "professions" mini-aliens in a number of other materials, including translucent glow colors, rubber erasers and a shiny metallic finish:
From their website it seemed as though Chi Hong had a long history with these standard six forms, as the pictures appeared in "catalogs" from several years and seasons. And Chi Hong also included extensive information about plastics, molding and manufacturing on their site. So at this point, I would be inclined to think that they are the originator of the standard six-figure translucent green series, and probably of most of the related series. But it will probably take some authoratative source to say for certain, perhaps someone involved in the toy industry itself.
Nevertheless, the issue of the based green figures continued to intrigue me, and it would ultimately shed some more light on the other series above.
I eventually found the site of an X-Files fan and alien collector [Hi, Minna!] who had one of the based greens and showed a good, clear picture of it. This new evidence made it seem that the based ones were related to the original green mini-aliens, as the color and other details matched quite well, despite the variation of having bases.
Within a couple of months of finding this site I started searching for aliens on Ebay, and I recently managed to get a couple of the based green figures [Minna: see the pic I sent you!]. Between all the sources, it seems like there are at least four figures total in this line ... but if they come from Chi Hong (as I now suspect), there might very well be six or eight.
The latest little piece to the mystery gives the strongest connection between the based figures and the other mini-alien series in this style: another Ebay alien collector sent me a picture from a vending site that showed what looks to be Minna's figure, but in the pink shiny metallic finish that Chi Hong shows on their web site:
(Curiously, this figure seems to have the same spot-painting as the translucent green one does, even though the shiny metallic ones at Chi Hong have only the eyes painted ...).
I later found the original picture at (such-and-such website); unfortunately, they no longer sell that series, the picture is more a decorative graphic. Still, to me, this evidence makes a pretty clear case for the fact that these several series are part of the same line, manufactured by the same company, probably Chi Hong of Hong Kong. There are several variations on some of the series in terms of materials and colors, and although they might be knock-offs from other companies, they might also just be annual or seasonal variations in Chi Hong's product line.