In the original Spyro the Dragon, 80 dragons are trapped in crystal. Rescuing them is one of the game's central objectives and a major part of completing the adventure.
Gnasty Gnorc attacks the Dragon Realms after being mocked by the dragons and uses magic to encase them in crystal statues. Spyro is the only dragon who escapes the spell, partly because his small size allows him to avoid being affected. He then travels through the game's five dragon Homeworlds and their connected levels, freeing the crystallized dragons.
Each rescued dragon appears in a statue and gives Spyro a short piece of advice when released. These messages teach players about movement, charging, gliding, treasure, and the dangers ahead. The statues are therefore both collectibles and a tutorial system woven into the story.
The number is sometimes described as “80+” in promotional material, but the standard completion target for the original game is 80 dragons. That figure is separate from the 12 dragon eggs and the large collection of gems, which are additional objectives required for a complete game file.