Join Our Newsletter

Free, weekly updates about retro gaming news, nostalgic collectibles and in-depth reviews.

Subscribe Retro Dodo cover image
Sebastian Santabarbara profile image Sebastian Santabarbara

Spyro Statue From E3 2000 Found In Abandoned Building

Spyro Statue From E3 2000 Found In Abandoned Building
Credit: Momoka-Rage
❤️
Join our paid membership community to remove ads, gain access to our exclusive Discord channel and receive physical goodies, all while supporting an independent publication!

Imagine just peering through the window of an abandoned building and discovering one of the PS1's greatest exports trapped inside. Yes, I use the word trapped - it feels like I'm looking at an advert for the RSPCA or the ASPCA, with someone walking in to free Spyro and release him back into the world.

The statue of Spyro was discovered by Reddit user Momoka Rage who has taken a video of their discovery. If you can't remember the statue in its former glory, it was on show at the Spyro: Year of the Dragon booth at E3 2000. It's so strange to see it just stuck inside an abandoned building 26 years later!

The sight is pretty eerie, especially as Spyro looks less than pleased to be incarcerated in such a terrible place. Momoka-Rage explains that the statue is around 12 feet long, and that it's been in the same building for years.

'The owner is an older guy,' says Momoka-Rage, 'probably in his 80's. He bought the building back in 2021, and Spyro was already chilling inside. He had no clue what to do with him, so he just left him there. When we talked this morning, he actually asked if I could take him off his hands and said it’d be a huge favor! The guy had completely forgotten he even owned the building.'

The owner of the building simply referred to Spyro as 'that purple lizard thing', obviously not knowing that he had a piece of gaming history locked up in a disused building. Momoka Rage now plans to pick up Spyro today after work (May 18th if you're reading this from the future) and begin work to restore him back to his former glory!

I love finds like this - it makes you wonder how they got there in the first place though, which kind of adds to the mystery. Take this rare abandoned Sega arcade unit that was found in a field in England, for example! It's like being a part of the ultimate treasure hunt, and in the case of Spyro, one that's going to need a big truck to get him home.

❤️
Like what you are reading? If you do and want to support us, you can do so by becoming a member, tipping us or taking a look at our gaming accessory company GAMENOOK (10% off just for you). This allows us to continue what we do without succumbing to algorithms, clickbait and over-intrusive ads, while paying human writers instead of AI.
Sebastian Santabarbara profile image Sebastian Santabarbara
Sebastian is fuelled by a lifelong passion for Zelda, Banjo Kazooie, Donkey Kong, and all things retro. He uses his misspent youth with retro consoles to create content for readers around the world.