Spirit Halloween releases life-sized animatronic alien from Mars Attacks

Hang on to your flying saucers, Spirit Halloween is introducing a life-size animatronic version of a Mars Attacks warrior! The animatronic will be the perfect addition to your Halloween décor this year.

The Spirit Halloween Martian Warrior Animatronic stands at 6’5 tall, and moves its head from side-to-side, as its space weapon shoots a menacing mist. You can purchase the animatronic on the Spirit Halloween website for $399.99, or step into your local Spirit Halloween store to see it up close and personal.

Mars Attacks began as trading card series from Topps back in 1962. Topps’ product developer Len Brown was inspired to create the series by the front cover of EC Comics’ Weird Science. Together with Woody Gelman, a story was created, along with some rough sketches, and the 55-card set was originally sold for a nickel per five-pack. Originally titled Attack from Space, the cards outraged many citizens due to the graphic violence and some implied sexual content.

In response, Topps repainted 13 of the cards, cutting out the gore and sexuality. But, before the replacement cards were even printed, a Connecticut district attorney called for a halt in production.

Cut to 1984, when Topps re-released the original 55 cards, with a bonus 56th card featuring the graphics from the 1962 wrapper. In 1994, the cards were expanded and re-released as Mars Attacks Archives. This set included the original set of 55, plus 45 “New Visions” Cards. Following that, Topps Comics issued a five issue  comic book series consisting of the original storyline, then another seven issues.

After that came vinyl model kits and even more cards, and in 1996, Warner Bros. released a feature film adaptation. It’s a Tim Burton film, and it spawned two novels, followed by more comic books and cards. The film featured an all-star cast, including Jack Nicolson, Glenn Close, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan and Danny DeVito, as well as eye-popping, brightly colored special effects. Although it was considered a failure at the box office, it has become a cult favorite in the years since its release.

To check out the new animatronic in action, take a peek at the video below: