This page features all the different types of miniature aliens. That I know of, none of these were licensed by Colorforms. Unless otherwise stated, all of the below were produced in 1969 or the seventies. Actual dates for most of these items are not known.
I also have to note that there is at least one mini alien that exists not pictured here. In the 1970s I saw a small rubber Colossus Rex in a bubble gum machine. It was not any of the ones pictured here. I can not remember if it looked like it had wires in it or if it had a suction cup, just that it was rubber and between 2 and 3 inches high.
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These are one of the hardest aliens to find. They are 2 3/8" tall and have suction cups on the back. They were almost definitely sold in gumball machines. Alpha 7 and Electron, both pictured, are the only ones known, but there are almost assuredly others. If anyone has any of the other 5 aliens in this type, I am willing to pay just to get photos for this site.
These are the mini bendable aliens. Approximately 2.5 inches high, these were sold on cards by a company called Toyhouse. It is also possible that they were sold in gum ball machines. It is rumored that Colossus Rex, Orbitron and Commander Comet were made in this style, but no known specimens have surfaced. Photos of any of the 4 aliens in this form not pictured below are definitely something I am willing to pay for for this site.
Of the ones that have been cataloged, Electron is known to come in 4 colors (pink, yellow-green, purple and orange), Xodiac comes in 3 colors (purple, pink and orange).and Alpha 7 is known to come in yellow-green only.
Below are a couple of the Toyhouse carded aliens. These are the same size and type as those pictured above.
These aliens are 2.5" tall and made of a medium hardness plastic that is only very slightly flexible. The grey types pictured below came in the Alien Attack playset. In regards to this type, there is no evidence that aliens using this mold existed before the early 1980s. The 3d scanning technology that was likely used to replicate the aliens in this size so faithfully likely didn't exist until the late '70s. According to Wikipedia the technology was developed in 1978.
The black plastic aliens are identical to the grey except for the color. They came in the Dark Adventure play set.
Below we have a packet of the above aliens, which looks to be from the 1980s. This packet has a reddish brown Alpha 7 and Xodiac. That I know of, only Alpha and Xodiac came in this odd color. Photographic proof of others would be appreciated.
These are a much softer plastic than the above, though they are the same size, and used the same molds. They have been painted silver, red and blue, and first surfaced in the United States being sold by Archie McPhee in the '90s (I first remember seeing them in 1996), and it's a commonly held belief that all of these silver aliens and associated products were produced in the '90s. A good portion portion of the Commander Comets from Archie McPhee did not have wings. These aliens were also sold on cards and in playsets.
Below are the carded versions of the above aliens.
And the following pictures are a few more of the ways that these aliens were sold. I could definitely use an upgrade on the Space Men photo.
In the below photo we have one of each type of 2.5" figures, plus the 21st century Astro-Nautilus figure produced by Gary Schaeffer of The Outer Space Men LLC, which I think was produced in 2007.
Below we have the 2 different types of Colossus Rex rubber figures. The bigger of the 2 is 6.5 inches. The smaller one is 4 inches. Colossus Rex was the only OSM made in this style.
Below is the green version of the one pictured above along with some of the other aliens from his line.
Below (on the left) we have a toy figure that very much resembles Alpha 7, but may or may not be an intentional copy. It is close enough to include here.
Below we have a pewter Colossus Rex pin. This isn't even a toy and I debated even including it here. The era of these is unclear. Some claim that it is from the early '70s but I seem to remember a bunch of them being on Ebay around the year 2000, and from what I recall of the auction I thought they were newer items. If anyone that remembers can help with information on these it would be greatly appreciated. They are the same exact size and mold as the 2.5" aliens above.
This next one is Astrojerk, which is the only toy on this page actually produced by Colorforms (in 1970). It is not a part of the Outer Space Men line, but it is a Colorforms alien bendy style figure and was created by the OSM line's creator, Mel Birnkrant. This one is just under 4 inches tall and is extremely rare. From what I know only one has surfaced on the card, which is pictured below. The one below was available on Ebay in the year 2000 from the same same seller that had a carded Inferno the previous year.