The 1944 science fiction short story "Arena", by Fredric Brown, includes a telepathic (mind-reading) alien called an "Outsider". The Outsider is shaped like a ball and moves by rolling. A 1967 "" episode with the same name was based on the story. A 1964 episode of "The Outer Limits" called "Fun and Games" may have been based on the same story. Neither television episode included a rolling animal.