Spyro is the titular main character and
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
of the ''
Spyro
''Spyro'' is a series of platform games which features the main protagonist Spyro, a dragon. Since the series' introduction in 1998 with the PlayStation game ''Spyro the Dragon'', there have been numerous sequels and a reboot trilogy. Originall ...
'' video game series, including ''
The Legend of Spyro
''The Legend of Spyro'' is a game trilogy that is part of the ''Spyro'' series. It acts as a reboot to the original series. The games use a combination of close-combat and platforming gameplay, though more oriented on combat than previous games in ...
'', and a guest character in the ''
Skylanders'' series, first appearing in ''
Spyro the Dragon
''Spyro the Dragon'' is a platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation on September 9, 1998. The first game in the ''Spyro'' series, it stars the title character, a young purple dr ...
'' in 1998.
Spyro is an energetic, young, male, purple
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
. He is known for his ability to defeat enemies by breathing fire and charging at them, and his ability to
glide to otherwise unreachable areas in the game world. Spyro is often accompanied by his best friend Sparx, who is a
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
.
Spyro was designed and created by
Charles Zembillas
Charles Steve Zembillas is an American character designer, art director, educator, and author. Zembillas designed early concept art for games such as ''Crash Bandicoot'', ''Spyro the Dragon'', and '' Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy'', as we ...
for
Insomniac Games, the developers of the first three games in the series. The character has endured in popular culture as a mascot of the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
video game console alongside
Crash Bandicoot, having appeared in several games together with him. Both characters were owned by
Universal Studios, under the former video game division
Universal Interactive
Universal Interactive (formerly Universal Interactive Studios) was an American video game publisher. The company was established on January 4, 1994, and led by Skip Paul and Robert Biniaz of MCA. It was best known for producing the ''Crash Ban ...
and have since become an intellectual property of
Activision, through the merger between Vivendi Universal Games and Activision to create
Activision Blizzard.
Development
After developing ''
Disruptor'', Insomniac president, Ted Price, contacted Zembillas to design a playable dragon character for a video game. Zembillas had previously designed Crash for
Naughty Dog, whose offices were just across the hall from Insomniac's at Universal Interactive Studios.
Spyro was originally named "Pete" and colored green during development, but the name was dropped to avoid infringing on the trademark ''
Pete's Dragon ''Pete's Dragon'' is the title of two Disney live-action films:
* ''Pete's Dragon'' (1977 film)
* ''Pete's Dragon'' (2016 film)
{{Short pages monitor