Sometimes I forget Aliens are actually American folklore
It's not something you really think about when it comes to famous creatures in folklore, especially tied to one setting. But the little green men with big heads and eyes flying around in their flying saucers stealing cows and creating crop circles are actually American folklore.
Compared to common folklore like sea monsters or ape men, or fantastical beasts like dragons or giants. They all share a common theme of sharing the same environment. It's really rare, and really cool how one of America's most famous monsters isn't 'meant' to be from here. It makes their depictions feel much more universal than they actually are.
Folklore is commonly attributed to a place and country. So it's not typical to imagine aliens living amongst the environment. Making it harder to romanticize like other creatures you could market. Sure you can find older works such as war of the worlds, but that doesn't hold a candle to the amount of media America has made about the little green men.
As well how much folklore is intertwined with them. Like if the flat woods monster event happened in another country it'd be taken more as a beast than of any extraterrestrial lifeform.
Aliens count as American folklore and I think that's really cool. What do you think about aliens being American?