History Main / OctopoidAliens

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': The Octalians are an AmazingTechnicolorPopulation of [[VoluntaryShapeshifter shapeshifting]] alien octopuses with four tentacles for arms and four tentacles for legs. [[HumansThroughAlienEyes They seem to believe humans spit acid and wrap Octalians into cocoons to feed them to their grubs]].

* Pleakley, the one eyed alien from ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'' has two arms, three legs, and a long, skinny torso that have an flimsy octopus-like quality to them.

* Creator/HPLovecraft may be the TropeCodifier with the description of the Great Old Ones and related creatures. Most of them involve tentacles of some kind, and his most famous character, Cthulhu explicitly has a face that resembles an octopus, albeit crossed with a human skull.

* The Daleks of ''Series/DoctorWho''. The outer shells are essentially life-support/transportation devices, but on the comparatively rare occasions the actual dalek creatures inside them are shown, they are very cephalopod-like.

* [[VideoGame/GalMetal]] has the octopus-looking Octoid aliens.

This kind of alien is especially popular in Japan (particularly of the Martian variety), replacing the LittleGreenMen and TheGreys that are often seen as the archetypical aliens in American media. Japan's take on the concept usually has them with large octopus, squid or jellyfish-like {{Cephalothorax}} bodies and long tentacles usually used to stand, or to hold things.

* ‘’{{VideoGame/Ecco the Dolphin}}’’ has the Vortex, who in the case of the drones have this look, with big heads and numerous tentacles and limbs beneath.

* In ''Film/MenInBlack'', J helps an alien to deliver a baby. During the process he is attacked by several tentacles, and when the mother finally gives birth to the baby, it looked like a [[TheGreys a grey]] and squid hybrid.

See also {{Cthulhumanoid}}.

* Octopuses are incredibly intelligent, displaying advanced problem solving skills and even tool use. So much so in fact, that many regard them as the best exemplar we currently have of an alien intelligence on Earth.

* ‘’{{VideoGame/Ecco the Dolphin}}’’ has the Vortex, who have this look, with big heads and numerous tentacles and limbs beneath.

* ‘’{{Ecco the Dolphin}}’’ has the Vortex, who have this look, with big heads and numerous tentacles and limbs beneath.

* Creator/HGWells' ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' (1898) is probably the TropeMaker, as the Martian invaders are described as cephalopod-like creatures the size of bears who move around on land with their tentacles. Oddly the creature redesigns for most of its adaptations (little creatures with multi-colored eyes in the 1953 version and three-legged TheGreys in the 2005 version) actually seem ''less'' exotic by comparison.
** Apparently, Wells came up with the idea by postulating that as the Martians advanced technologically, more and more of their bodies became useless and atrophied away. So by the time they invaded Earth, they're essentially reduced down to a head and a few manipulative tentacles.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' featured a tentacle monster like this in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igfP0eD5sFk one of its sketche
[[/folder]]s]].

[[folder: Real Life]]
* Octopuses are incredibly intelligent, displaying advanced problem solving skills and even tool use. So much so in fact, that many regard them as the best exemplar we currently have of an alien intelligence on Earth.

* ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' featured a tentacle monster like this in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igfP0eD5sFk one of its sketches]].