Xenophilia

 You cant keep a good alien down, and Woodstocks recent post about the origin of my old avatar buddy 'Wotan' took me back to revisit my all time favourite toy aliens. Apart from Wotan, King Crater was always a big favourite of mine from the Kellogs Sugar Smacks cereals. Next to him in the lineup came a strange little green blob of a martian, which I found in the street one day on the way back from college in 1978. On his back he has 'Man from Mars' and apart from having 'kobe' style pop out eyes, he doesn't do anything! It took me a long while to find out anything else about him until collecting supremo Mike Speth aka Astronit, sent me a shot of his cousins - gumball machine premiums. I have to say the cyclopean variants are a little too sinister for my liking!

Next up is another late entry to the Wotan archive, but always a firm favourite. Matt Masons alien comrade Scorpio. Callisto was another favourite of mine, especially with his transparent brain and cool purple accessories. I didn't get Scorpio until many years after his release when he was donated to the cause by my good friend Terry.

 Next up is another oldie but goldie - Teachers Pets, or more specifically one of the first three I ever got. The Crawling Eye satisfied my childhood fascination with aliens in a big way and was reaffirmed in my psyche when I saw a brief clip of the 'Trollenberg Terror' on tv and promptly hid behind the couch.

 Next up is a true Martian and my introduction to War of the Worlds. An adaptation in the weekly 'Tell me Why' magazine had illustrations by Terrance Cuneo which showed huge tripods and tentacled, inimical looking creatures devastating Earth.

 But Wotan has remained with me since about 1969 when I found his first rubbery incarnation in a box on the counter of Woolies, along with his five chums. Since then, hes popped up on keyrings and in hard plastic versions and most notably in the LP Apollo Moon Exploring sets, although much reduced in stature!