Games of skill designed to test the abilities of guests have long been popular attractions in theme parks, giving visitors a chance to win prizes for demonstrating their skills.
		Great Adventure has always been looking to add more activities to their park, sometimes installing trendy new things in under-utilized areas. One of the newer trends in the industry in the 1990's was bringing in elaborate portable game stands to challenge guests while increasing profits. For the 1997 season, the park installed two of these booths with water gun games - Gotham City Water Works (later rethemed to Temple Waters) and Spyro Mania near the park entrance.
	Spyro Mania was added on the site originally occupied by the Pretty Monster ride which had long since remained vacant. For the first season, the Spyro Mania game was installed straight out of the box from the manufacturer - a very generically themed carnival game with water guns shooting at targets as guests competed to finish first and win a prize. The ride featured flip up sides with red and blue canvas edging which transformed a portable trailer to a covered game of skill.  Strips of flashing lights and flip up sign placards on its roof made the game eye-catching enough to draw players passing through the area.
For the 1998 season, the generic game received a makeover, getting a castle style facade added to fit with the adjacent buildings which received similar makeovers. What had been a small and portable looking game stand got a much more substantial look with the new theme elements and signage. At the base of the stand and around the roofline fiberglass molded panels resembling stone were installed.  Around the four steel corner posts decorative wood panels provided a much more rugged and aged look.
		The crenellations added to the roof were finished off with shields and lances, and for some reason an incongruent neon sign. The medieval themed Spyro Mania stand served to complement the neighboring Knight's Realm counter service food outlet, Q-Zar Laser experience, and Magical Crystals jewelry stand.
	Although Spyro Mania remained in the same location for all of its time in the park, its orientation was repositioned ninety degrees sometime around 2001.  The neon sign was moved to remain visible from the guest-facing side.
	When the park started its Holiday in the Park event in 2015, guests could view the Spyro Mania stand in its winterized closed-up state.  Due to the colder temperatures of November and December, the water gun kiosk was drained to prevent damage during freezing temps.  After the 2017 season the Spyro Mania stand was removed and retired from the park leaving the site in front of the restrooms vacant again.
Original Spotlight:  September 22, 2023.  GAH Reference#:  GAME-1997-002