Children's Museum Dinosphere

Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

Animals and creatures

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

Three life-size Alamosaurus sculptures, a mother named Yvonne and two young, Greg and Diana, break out of the southwest corner of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, at 30th and Illinois streets. The museum dresses them for events and seasons.

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Children's Museum Dinosphere

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Site-level location · 39.8108° N, 86.1575° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

At the corner of 30th and Illinois streets, a mother dinosaur and her two young appear to be smashing their way out of the wall of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, and, depending on when you visit, they may be wearing swim goggles, a winner's wreath or football gear.

The three Alamosaurus sculptures are named Yvonne, Greg and Diana. According to INDYtoday in 2023, Canadian sculptor and paleoartist Brian Cooley created them and Staab Studios constructed them; Gary Staab told the outlet the project took seven months and used 2.5 tons of steel inside the largest figure. The same article says cranes were needed for installation and that the dinosaurs on the museum's exterior were installed in 2004 and 2009.

Sizes depend on the source. INDYtoday gives Yvonne as 75 feet long and Greg and Diana as 25 feet each, while the museum's June 2024 press release gives 54 feet for Yvonne and 34 feet for the two young.

Dressing them has become a museum habit. In March 2021 vice president of operations Audra Blasdel described outfitting the family for the NCAA basketball tournament, after kitting them out during the football season. In June 2024 they wore swim goggles and medals for the U.S. Olympic swimming trials, and in April 2025 Yvonne wore a winner's wreath beside a giant milk bottle to mark Indy 500 month. During the museum's centennial year in 2025 the family wore birthday hats.

The sculptures are on the museum's exterior, so what you see changes with the season and the event.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Three Alamosaurus sculptures, Yvonne, Greg and Diana, emerge from the museum's southwest corner at 30th and Illinois streets. The museum dresses them for events, such as Indy 500 month in 2025 and the 2024 Olympic swimming trials.

ACCESS

On the exterior of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian Street, at the 30th and Illinois streets corner. INDYtoday (2023) describes drivers seeing them from 30th Street.

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