Human disguise

A human disguise or human suit is a concept in fiction and science fiction where a costume is used to disguise a non-human as a human being. The coverings have been depicted in storylines as a device used by aliens and cartoon characters to blend in with people.

Science fiction
The idea that aliens might be on Earth, disguised as humans, is a common theme in science fiction, occurring in works such as Men in Black, Galaxy Quest, The Thing, Star Man, V, They Live, Third Rock from the Sun and Meet Dave. One of the first mentions of a human suit, is in the March 1957 issue of Galaxy, in the short story "The Other Celia" by Theodore Sturgeon.

The mannerisms of the aliens are often portrayed as awkward, indicating that the aliens are not comfortable in their false skin. A Slitheen character in Doctor Who replaces the prime minister.

Director Albert Kodagolian produced a short film called Human Suit, to help promote the Sci Fi Channel

Martian Manhunter, one of the main characters in New Frontier is "a shape-changing alien who adopts human disguise because he knows his alien form would scare people." The character illustrates the fear of outsiders the occured during the Cold War.

The Furon character Crypto, a gray-skinned alien, in Pandemic's Destroy All Humans video game uses a holographic human disguise to infiltrate 1950s suburban America. "In human form he cannot use weapons but is still able to use his mental powers to hurl objects and hypnotize people into becoming obedient slaves."


 * Men In Black : The alien prince of the Arquillian Empire was in a human suit, living as a human being, with a pet cat. There was also a large alien found with illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into America, which squeezed itself into a human suit.
 * Men In Black II : The alien known as Ben is found selling alien weapons in his store. When his fake human head is shot off, it rapidly regrows.
 * In the science fiction series V, the reptilian aliens wear human suits to pass as humans, trying to make them feel more comfortable around them.
 * Meet Dave : A group of aliens arrive in a spaceship shaped like a human being, and pilot it, to interact with the humans, without getting noticed.
 * In Star Man, the alien appears in human form, explaining it was so "you not be a little bit jumpy."
 * Third Rock from the Sun features a group of aliens, given human bodies, to observe aspects of human society.

In cartoons
The meme is also used in animation for cartoon characters. In a short story by Haitham Chehabi a human suit worn by Trix, a cartoon rabbit.