Ah Dragons, these scaled, flying creatures are incredibly popular, and are often times depicted in popular media. Setting aside all those beings of mythological origin, we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 most popular dragons!
10. Piff, the Magic Dragon
Self-proclaimed brother of… Steve; John Van Der Put is a magician and comedian, with considerable talent at both. He goes by the stage name, Piff the Magic Dragon, along with his assistant, the chihuahua Mr. Piffles. According to the official Facebook page, he is “A dragon… who does magic…”, it’s on the internet, so it must be true, he is in fact, a dragon; and winner of the 2013 – Magic Circle Stage Magician of the Year award. You can catch him currently doing his dragon show, “Breakfast and Piffany’s” and also on his official YouTube channel and Twitter page.
9. Draco (Dragonheart)
The 1996 film Dragonheart, starring Dennis Quaid and the distinguishable voice of Sir Sean Connery as Draco the dragon brings us a different, more relatable dragon. The tale is set after the knight Bowen is betrayed by his former student and vows to kill every last dragon. Bowen and Draco would meet, and eventually forge a bond of friendship. Dragonheart created such powerful and unique characters that the film would become nominated for an Oscar. With such remarkable and realistic details and visual effects of the creature, and powerful voice acting, it won’t be anytime soon that we’ll be seeing Draco slip out of draconic fame.
8. Spyro the Dragon
This lovable, small, purple dragon, was first introduced to us in his self-titled game Spyro the Dragon, back in 1998. Created by Charles Zembillas, the cocky, albeit courageous Spyro, took up the mantle of hero when the Gnasty Gnorc trapped all of the other dragons from the Dragon Realms, in crystal. Geared towards children, Spyro would be honored and recognized by many gaming magazines, such as UGO.com placing him on cutest video game characters list, and Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition put him as the 39th most popular video game character.
7. Elliot
The 1977 Disney film, Pete’s Dragon, introduces us to the large, green-skinned and pink-haired dragon, Elliot. Shown to be a good-natured, yet clumsy dragon, Elliot goes out of his way to help children in their times of need. This time, the kid is Pete, who is basically a runaway slave child, bought and paid for by the Gogan’s family. Elliot would protect and guide young Pete as he finds his way to the fishing town of Passamaquoddy and onto a happier life that awaits him there; after a few, not so incidental mishaps of course.
6. Trogdor the Burninator
First appearing on HomestarRunner.com’s “Strong Bad E-Mail”, Trogdor quickly became an internet sensation, complete with his own theme song! Which was so popular with the fans, that it made its way into the video game world in Guitar Hero 2. Ever since his debut in 2003, Trogdor has been slowly burninating his way into the hearts of the people; one thatch roof cottage at a time.
5. Mushu
The former ancestral guardian and protector from Disney’s Mulan, voiced by Eddie Murphy, had quickly grown close to the hearts of children and parents alike. “Travel sized for convenience”, Mushu is notably smaller in size than one would come to expect from a dragon, but more than makes up for it with his lovable banter, inappropriately timed jokes, and all around caring nature for the story’s hero, Mulan. In the end, Mushu would help save the day, and have his position as a guardian spirit, along with his honor, restored.
4. Puff, the Magic Dragon
This 1978, made for T.V. adaptation of Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1963 song, “Puff the Magic Dragon”, conceptualized the green, and friendly dragon for many young minds. The short film ran for approximately 30 minutes, and follows the story of a boy named Jackie as he is lost in doubt and fear. Puff then shows up and takes him on a magical journey to the land of Honah Lee. Puff however, was also famous due to a publication from Newsweek, in 1964, claiming the song runs a hidden reference to drug use, saying Puff the Magic Dragon means; to take a puff of marijuana. The band claims, however, the song is nothing more than a story of losing your childhood innocence.
3. Toothless
Dreamworks Animation would lay the foundation of their highly successful film franchise, How to Train Your Dragon, simply known as “Dragons”. Largely due to their lovable, and endearing dragon, Toothless. When Hiccup, a young, misunderstood teenaged Viking stumbles upon an injured Night Fury, he befriends and helps him instead, forging an incredible bond between Toothless and Hiccup. The film’s emotional tale of understanding and forgiveness would grab hold of the world, winning Dragons 13 awards, including 9 Annie Awards, as well as two sequels and a T.V. Series spin-off.
2. Falkor the Luck Dragon
“Because humans need memories.” This fantasy/adventure film from 1984 brought us many memorable characters and magnificent creatures; included is the Luck Dragon, Falkor. A companion to both Atreyu and Basian, Falkor was inspired by that of the traditional Japanese dragon, with an elongated and furry body. And yes, Falkor was inspired by the Japanese dragon, not a Chinese one, as the name Falkor is a derivative of the Japanese word Fukuryuu, meaning lucky dragon. Lucky enough to get three movies and an animated series at the very least.
1. Smaug
Perhaps the most famous of all dragons of literature, Smaug, is the primary adversary of, J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit. Known as a great fire dragon from the Third Age, and considered the last of the great dragons still in existence, Smaug would rule Lonely Mountain and surrounding areas, and the treasures inside for nearly 200-hundred years. That is, until a company of Dwarves, accompanied by one “burglar”, the Hobbit known as Bilbo Baggins.
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