The cards feature artwork by science fiction artists Wally Wood and Norman Saunders.

The cards proved popular with children, but depictions of explicit gore and implied sexual content caused an outcry, leading the company to halt production.

[2] In the 1980s, Topps began developing merchandise based on the Mars Attacks storyline, including mini-comic books and card reprints.

[3] An expanded set of 100 cards called Mars Attacks Archives was issued in 1994 by Topps and spawned a second round of merchandising.

Director Tim Burton released a feature film called Mars Attacks!

In 2012, Topps released a 50th anniversary expanded set of 75 cards called Mars Attacks Heritage, leading to a fourth round of merchandising that continued into 2017 with the release of an official sequel series, Mars Attacks: The Revenge!

Product developer Len Brown, inspired by Wally Wood's cover for EC Comics' Weird Science #16,[1] pitched the idea to Woody Gelman.

[4] The cards, which sold for five cents per pack of five, were test marketed by Topps through the dummy corporation Bubbles, Inc. under the name Attack from Space.

However, inquiries from a Connecticut district attorney caused Topps to halt production of the series altogether before the replacements could even be printed.

Topps Comics continued the story in an ongoing series that lasted seven issues, a one-shot special and three more miniseries.

In 2012, to commemorate the franchise's 50th anniversary, Topps partnered with a variety of companies on comic books (via IDW Publishing), bobbleheads and vinyl figures (Funko Pop!