To make your own aliens, you will need: a clear glass
or plastic jar with tight-fitting lid; Sculpey bake-hard craft clay; little
plastic (or glass) eyes of various sorts--craft stores have lots of kinds and
colors; acrylic paints; food coloring; paper for labels; glue; your computer.
The only limit here is your imagination--and perhaps the size of
your jar!
First, paint the lid of your jar black, so it will look like a
real scientific specimen jar. Then get out the Sculpey and model your otherworld
creature, making sure it will fit inside the jar. Poke the eyes into it, then
take them out--and remember, your creature need not have two eyes! It's not a
good idea to bake the eyes. When your creature is finished, bake in a 325-degree
oven until the thing turns uniform brown. Let it cool fully. Then paint, and
glue in the eyes.
The next step is to decide what you have just created, which is
half the fun! Is it a Forellian Earwigger? A Martian Ice Crawler? A Beta-ordural
Toejam Parasite? As the collector, you are the only one who can identify it!
Now it's time to create the label for your jar. On your computer,
create a scientific specimen label. Here's one below to get you started. You can
make up the Latin name, which is also fun. Remember, the first word of the Latin
name for a species is always capitalized, but the second word (unless it's a
plant named after a person) is not! When the paint on your alien is dry, it's
time to fill the jar with water and insert your "specimen" into the
"formaldehyde." Tinting the water with food coloring--how about a nice, evil
green?--gives the specimen some mystery and depth. Try winding the thinnest wrap
of cotton around your alien. This makes it look really real. Then glue your
label to the jar.
This is a great party theme for older children (with long
attention spans)! It's also works as a "What'll I do today?" activity for a
rainy Saturday, as well as a scream of fun for a group of high-spirited adults.
You can make up the label form in advance and print it out when each person has
decided what his/her creature is. Have the jars already cleaned, lids painted.
(After all, a green lid with "Muncher's Pickles" on it is no inspiration for an
explorer-scientist!) The guests can create their aliens, then break for the
party food while the aliens are baking. After eating, the guests can paint their
aliens. If you use acrylic paints, a simple clean-up with water will do, and the
alien can go into the water in the jar as soon as the paint dries. For storing
your aliens (as Uncialle does between Halloweens), remove the water and let the
alien and the jar dry out. Then wrap the alien loosely in a paper towel and put
back in its jar. Next Halloween, add colored water, and there you are--just
returned from Roswell, or from space--with a new specimen! This is the
first of the projects that go together to create Dr. Demento's Halloween
Laboratory. Watch for more! 
