What is NOT a popular image of aliens?

Popular culture has generated a variety of images and stereotypes of aliens, often influenced by science fiction works. The most popular image of aliens is perhaps the "Grey" archetype, characterized by small bodies, large heads, and big black eyes. Other common depictions include humanoid figures, monstrous creatures, and robotic beings.

An example of what is NOT a popular image of aliens might be something completely ordinary and mundane from a human perspective, such as aliens that exactly resemble everyday animals like cats or cows, without any distinguishing extraterrestrial features. Similarly, aliens envisioned as sentient plants, rocks, or other non-animal-like beings are less common in popular portrayals, which often favor a more humanoid or monstrous appearance that fits within the confines of human imagination influenced by cinematic and literary works.

Depictions that represent aliens as indistinguishable from humans without any significant features to differentiate them (like the Vulcans from "Star Trek" without their pointy ears) might be less "popular" or iconic in the world of alien imagery, as they don't offer the visual or conceptual novelty typically associated with extraterrestrial life.

Alien images that are closer to the realm of fantasy or absurdity (aliens looking like mythical creatures, cartoon characters, or abstract shapes without any biology-related features) might also be considered not popular or traditional within the sci-fi genre, where there is usually at least some attempt to imagine extraterrestrial life with a nod to evolutionary or physical plausibility.