Appreciate A Dragon Day — January 16!

Hooray for dragons! January 16 is Appreciate A Dragon Day!

Today we celebrate the most noble of creatures, the dragon! Dragons, as symbols, have existed for centuries. While some sociologists believe that folklore dragons were the result of our ancestors' combining the lizards and alligators they knew about with the few, fossilized skulls and dinosaur remains they'd encountered, those who've met a dragon know that sociologists are tasty.

Things to do on Appreciate A Dragon Day

• Visit your local library and look for a newspaper article or book about dragons. Study what other cultures and societies believe in dragons, or read a story about them.
• Read Minerva Wakes by Holly Lisle if you want the best laugh you've ever had about dragons.
• Read Dragons Can Only Rust by Chrys Cymri if you want the best cry you've ever had about dragons.
• Use your imagination to write a story about your very own dragon! Where does it live? What does it eat? How does it spend its day?
• Draw your very own dragon! What does it look like? What color is it? Visit this page for a tutorial on how to draw dragons.
• Use this handy template to print and make your own dragon! Color it and put it on your desk.
• Make some popcorn and watch the movie Pete's Dragon, a heartwarming story of an New England boy and his cartoon dragon friend Elliott.

Famous Dragons

Puff the Magic Dragon — The dragon from a song written by Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow and made popular by the group Peter, Paul and Mary in a 1963 recording. The lyrics for "Puff" tell a bittersweet story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper.

Elliott — The friendly cartoon dragon from the live-action/animated musical Walt Disney movie Pete's Dragon, animated by Don Bluth.

Figment — The mascot of the Imagination! pavilion at the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. He is a small purple dragon who usually wears a yellow sweater. He first appeared in March 1983.

Trogdor — Part of the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. Strong Bad created him when a fan e-mail requested him to display his skills of an artist by drawing a dragon.

Spyro — The main character of the Spyro the Dragon series for the Sony PlayStation.

For more information on famous dragons, check out the directory of Famous Dragon Names.

Quotes About Dragons

"Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."

"The light at the end of the tunnel may be an approaching dragon."

"I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?" —John Lennon