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The Roberta Shore Puzzle Reviews Page
Welcome to our jigsaw puzzle website and thanks for stopping by to read our Guest Writer, Roberta Shore's jigsaw puzzle reviews. Roberta has taken up this hobby for just over 2 years now and discovered all the benefits that are associated with doing puzzles. This Page is dedicated to several of her reviews.
Tyrannosaurus Rex Puzzle
Master Pieces
Ribbon Cut
100 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 11.31” x 11.52”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: A little tricky but still Easy.
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It may take a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but they are definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done eighteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: T-Rex. Tyrannosaurus Rex, often referred to as T-Rex, was one of the largest carnivorous dinosaurs that ever lived. With its massive size, powerful jaws, and sharp teeth, it was the apex predator of the late Cretaceous period, ruling over its prehistoric world.”
Quality: Almost Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed T-Rex, with an area of its back still in pieces.The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces,
there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was fine for the build, but this T-Rex did not the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so this time I sorted the green and the sand (some of both were edge pieces), the blue sky, its head, jaws, teeth and tongue, and the various shades
of the hide.
Construction: I started from the bottom and worked up from there, filling in the green and sky. Some of the hide and edge pieces were tricky. I built the head and jaws separately, it took a little while until I could connect it. Still and all, this was not a challenge. It was truly relaxing fun!
T-Rex facts:
1. Banana-Sized Teeth:The T-Rex had massive teeth, some over 12 inches long, with serrated edges designed to crush bone and tear through flesh.
2. Incredible Bite Force: T-Rex had one of the most powerful bites of any land animal ever, exerting up to 12,800 pounds of force - enough to crush a car!
3. Keen Sense of Smell: Its olfactory bulbs were highly developed, meaning it had an excellent sense of smell, possibly helping it track prey over long distances.
4. Couldn’t Stick Out Its Tongue: Unlike what’s often shown in movies, research suggests T- Rex’s tongue was fixed to the bottom of its mouth, similar to crocodiles.
5. Not the Fastest Runner: While some early depictions showed T-Rex running at high speeds, scientists now believe it had a top speed of about 10-15 mph, relying more on ambush tactics.
6. Had Tiny Arms but Strong Ones: Though only about 3 feet long, its arms were incredibly strong and may have helped hold down prey or push itself up from the ground.
7. Feathered Relatives: While it’s debated whether adult T-Rex had feathers, evidence shows that younger T-Rexes likely had some feathery covering, linking them closely to modern birds.
8. Lived in North America: Fossils have been found mainly in the U.S. and Canada, particularly in places like Montana and South Dakota.
9. Lifespan of About 28 Years: The oldest known T-Rex, named Trix, lived to around 30, making it one of the longest-lived specimens.
10. Not the Biggest Carnivorous Dino: While T-Rex is famous, other theropods like Spinosaurus were actually longer, though T-Rex was likely more powerful overall.
Dinosaur trivia:
1. The Word Dinosaur means terrible Lizard. It was coined in 1842 by paleontologist Richard Owen, but dinosaurs aren’t actually lizards!
2. Chickens Are Technically Dinosaurs: Modern birds evolved from theropods like Velociraptors, making them the closest living relatives of T-Rex!
3. Some Dinosaurs Had Built-In Air Conditioning: Large dinosaurs like Apatosaurus had hollow spaces in their bones to help regulate body temperature.
4. The Biggest Dinosaur Was Longer Than a Blue Whale: Argentinosaurus, one of the largest known dinosaurs, could reach over 100 feet long!
5. Some Dinosaurs Were Tiny: Microraptor was only about the size of a crow and had feathers, suggesting it could glide or even fly.
6. Triceratops Had Self-Sharpening Teeth: Its teeth were arranged in stacks and constantly replaced, keeping them razor-sharp for chewing tough plants.
7. The Velociraptor in Jurassic Park Wasn’t Accurate: Real Velociraptors were turkey-sized and covered in feathers. The movie’s version was based more on Deinonychus.
8. Dinosaurs Lived on Every Continent: Fossils have been found even in Antarctica, proving that dinosaurs adapted to all kinds of environments.
9. Some Dinosaurs Had Super Long Necks: Mamenchisaurus had a neck that made up half its body length, reaching nearly 33 feet long!
10. The Stegosaurus and T-Rex Never Met: Stegosaurus lived about 150 million years ago, while T-Rex appeared around 67 million years ago, closer in time to us than to Stegosaurus!T-Rex Predators? T-Rex was definitely the top predator of its time and had no natural predators as an adult, making
it the true king of its ecosystem. However, that doesn’t mean it had an easy life!
Could Anything Threaten a T-Rex?
1. Other T-Rexes: The biggest threat to a fully grown T-Rex was probably another T-Rex! There’s fossil evidence of bite marks on T-Rex bones that suggest fights over territory, food, or
mates.
2. Pack Hunters? Some scientists believe certain dinosaurs, like Nanotyrannus (which may have been a juvenile T-Rex), could have hunted in groups. But whether they ever challenged an adult T-Rex is unknown.
3. Dangers to Juveniles: Young T-Rexes weren’t as big or powerful, so they may have been preyed on by larger carnivores of the time, such as Dakotaraptor, a massive raptor species.
4. Injuries and Disease: While no dinosaur could challenge an adult T-Rex outright, injuries from hunting, infections, and other health issues could weaken them and make survival harder.
Final Verdict?
Adult T-Rexes were apex predators with no real challengers but they weren’t invincible. Even kings have their struggles!
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES several animals ago, so “quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for T-Rex: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Triceratops Jigsaw Puzzle Master Pieces
Ribbon Cut
104 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 13.23” x 9.8”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It may take a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but they are definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done seventeen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Triceratops. Triceratops, a herbivorous dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, is recognizable for its three facial horns and bony frill. This dinosaur’s unique features played a vital role in defence and possibly courtship displays during its time on earth.”
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Triceratops, with an area of its frill still in pieces.The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight. Picked up from the frill, the Triceratops passes the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 104 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so this time I sorted the green and the sand (some of both were edge pieces), and the various shades of the hide.
Construction: I started from the bottom and worked up from there, filling in the green. Some of the hide was tricky. I added the tail then went to work on the jaw and head, The frill came last. This was a fun build!
Humans and dinosaurs never coexisted. Dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago, while the earliest human ancestors (hominins) appeared only around 7 million years ago. Even pre humans never saw them:
Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthals): Lived in Europe and Asia around 400,000 to 40,000 years ago.
Homo erectus: One of the earliest human ancestors to use fire and tools, lived from about 1.9 million to 110,000 years ago.
Homo heidelbergensis: A possible ancestor of both Neanderthals and modern humans, lived around 600,000 to 200,000 years ago.
Homo sapiens: Modern humans, who appeared around 300,000 years ago.
Best for all of them! The triceratops was around 30 feet long and weighed up to 12 tons, basically a prehistoric bulldozer!
Here are some more interesting facts about them:
1. Three-Horned Face: The name Triceratops means three-horned face in Greek, referring to its two large brow horns and the smaller horn on its snout.
2. Not Always for Fighting: While the horns and frill look intimidating, many paleontologists believe they were used more for display and courtship rather than just for defense. However, some fossil evidence suggests Triceratops may have locked horns with each other or defended itself from predators like Tyrannosaurus rex.
3. Tough Beak for Tough Plants: Triceratops had a parrot-like beak and hundreds of teeth arranged in columns, which helped it chew through tough, fibrous plants. As teeth wore down, new ones replaced them meaning it always had sharp teeth ready to go!
4. One of the Last Dinosaurs: Triceratops lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period, around 66 million years ago, just before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
5. Grew Up Without Horns: Baby Triceratops were born with small, stubby horns that grew longer and more curved as they matured. Scientists believe this change helped signal age and dominance within the herd.
6. Lone Ranger or Herd Member? There is still debate over whether Triceratops lived in herds. While some relatives of Triceratops, like Centrosaurus, were clearly social, most Triceratops fossils are found alone.
7. Size and Strength: Triceratops was about 30 feet long and weighed between 6 and 12 tons. Despite its bulk, it could still move at a decent speed if needed.
8. T-Rex’s Worst Nightmare? Fossil evidence suggests that Tyrannosaurus rex preyed on Triceratops, but some Triceratops skulls have healed wounds, meaning they may have survived battles with the fearsome predator!
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES several animals ago, so “quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it.
My Grades for Triceratops: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
Rainbow Monkeys Puzzle, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19” X 26.75”
Difficulty Level: Based on time spent, Medium
If a puzzle makes me smile I want it. After all, puzzling should be a happy experience. This one certainly was. It did have some tricky areas, and the large areas of color took extra time, but in this case the whole thing was a satisfying, enjoyable, happy and fun puzzling time.
Quality: It is extremely rare for an Enjoy puzzle to have quality issues - none were found here. Vibrant inks, matte finish, pick up tight fit, no false fits. The full illustration with minimal signage covers the top of the sturdy, medium sized box. The box bottom has examples of more
Enjoy puzzles and other required info. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, and a couple promotional cards. There is no poster. Color match pieces to illustration is on point. None of the solid pieces were damaged or left uncut, and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Color sorts are the way to go here. I did separate sorts for the light and dark colors of each monkey. I also sorted out the eyes and smile lines for each face. Pieces with multiple colors also had their own sort trays. Lastly, the blue sky, white clouds, dark green trees, trunks and branches were set aside. Trickiest to sort were the green monkey, green hills and grass.
Construction: I built the frame and started with the yellow monkey. The frame made it easy to just work all around the puzzle. Same for building from monkey to monkey. With each monkey that was completed I smiled back at it. Just so much fun!!!!
Final thoughts: The quality of Enjoy puzzles is what keeps me coming back. Their selection is huge with several themes to choose among. I highly recommend them.
Flower Teddy Bear Puzzle, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces. Finished Dimensions: 19” X 26.75”
Difficulty Level: Hard
My review is in the form of an interview with my special houseguest, Elissa P., avid puzzler and super sorter! To be perfectly honest, she and I have done a few ENJOY puzzles. Up to now the quality was impeccable, and we enjoyed whatever challenge was put before us. We both adored the teddy bear illustration - so cute, but when it got to the construction she was determined and I was not. Too busy! It seemed every piece has multiple colors, many of them dark. Her sorting was equally impeccable, but it took 32 trays to manage it. I built the frame and that was about it. I even said leave the bear for me, which she did, and I got nowhere fast. I was not enjoying this puzzle at all!
What difficulty Rating would you give this puzzle?
E.P. Hard
How so?
E.P. Color match the pieces to the top of the box was off. Greens looked like blue, blue like black, pink like red, and brown like purple. However completing the puzzle flower by flower
was extremely gratifying.
Were there other quality issues - good or bad?
E.P. One teensy tiny little thing - one edge piece may have been left at the factory. Knowing this right from the start was “bear”ly tolerable. But early on I completed piecing the bear’s belly and
felt I was on my way. The piece fit was, as always, great. When it was complete you could pick it up and give the bear a gentle hug.
I understand you love puzzling. How long does it take you to do a 1000 piece puzzle?
E.P. Three days but sometimes day turns into night and nights into days. This one - 6 “days” - well, you do the math.
Do you enjoy sharing constructing a puzzle along with someone else?
E.P. Yes, it’s a dance. If one person sorts for color and the other for edge pieces that’s very productive. Style matters. I like building sections. My puzzling partner, whom I am visiting, likes
to build in from the frame, but we are still dancing.
You mentioned the flowers. It sounds like they were easy. We’re they?
E.P. Easy, well, the heads of the flowers came together without much fuss, but i got all tangled up with the stems. I did have a separate sort for them, but piecing them together was still a
challenge.
Let’s talk about the bear. I hear he became your responsibility. What was most fun? What was most challenging?
E.P. The bear’s big and fluffy feet cast a large shadow on the ground. His double chin also cast a shadow. As a result those piles of sorted pieces got reversed for a while. His eyes, snout sand smile brought me joy, but beware of those eyebrows and ears! And connecting all those dots made me grizzly. But that all faded when he was complete.
What will you most remember about this puzzle?
E.P. The process. For me the joy is in the journey. For an added layer of fun, puzzle with the people you love.How would you grade this puzzle?
E.P. Quality: A-, Fun Factor: A++
Thank you Elissa. I enjoyed this interview, and promise next time I will be a more equal parter. I hope we do this many times in the years to come.
Lily Puzzle - Art by Dawn Allen, GoodWay Puzzles, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 23.25” x 19.25”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
The brand has a website showing their gallery of 33 puzzles. But also this notice:
“GoodWay Puzzles are sold online exclusively at Puzzle Warehouse.com and its subsidiaries.”The medium rating: More pieces, more time. Plus the color story was somewhat less
defined. I expected it would be a relatively quick build based on the first 2, but it was not! Perhaps this added to the time . . .
Quality: Almost excellent. Unlike the fabulous tight piece fit of the 300 piece ones, this puzzle’s fit was extremely loose. The sturdy, medium sized box has the full illustration on the box top. The box bottom has info about the artist and more puzzle info including
“proudly made in the USA.” Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, there was no poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to graphic was on point. The solid pieces have the most matte finish I have ever seen - absolutely, positively no sheen
whatsoever. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. When complete, do not try to pick it up!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always try to do exacting sorts so for this one I did the palm fronds, the green and blue shades of sky, the dark water, the pink flowers, the hair, the skin, the blue and white body, the tail flippers, and
the green lily pads. I really like random cut pieces, they can still be lined up to a degree by shape. I did that as I went along. There was an extra edge piece. It fit the space of another but the design was slightly off.
Construction: I built the frame first. I filled in the big pink flower and some of the bottom, then started the hair; totally fun and satisfying to see that complete. The mermaid/s face and her arm were next, followed by the sky and the upper corners. The
fins and scales were the trickiest parts.
ELK Master Pieces Ribbon Cut 101 Pieces Finished Dimensions: 9.62” x 13.6”.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It might take a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but will definitely be fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done fifteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Black Bear Elk. Elk, majestic and powerful, are large herbivorous mammals found in North America. With striking antlers and Socoloff behavior, they contribute to the rich biodiversity of their ecosystems.”
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Elk, with a small area of its back in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was adequate. Picked up was fragile.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 101 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, this time I Just lined up all the non edge pieces by shape and similar color.
Construction: I put together the bottom edge and started building up from there. I was also able to piece together the elk’s outline up to the head and fill in its body. Then I gave it an eye, nose and mouth. All that took very little time. Next came my “blue” sort where the elk got an ear and its antlers. The antlers were a bit tricky but all in all this was a fast, easy and very fun build.
Elk, also known as wapiti, are fascinating creatures! Here are some interesting facts about them:
General Overview
Species and Name: Elk are a member of the deer family (Cervidae). The word “wapiti” comes from the Shawnee and Cree languages, meaning “white rump.”
Range: Native to North America and eastern Asia, elk were introduced to other
areas like New Zealand. In North America, they’re most commonly found in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.
Physical Characteristics
Size: Male elk, called bulls, can weigh between 700-1,100 pounds and stand up to 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Females (cows) are smaller, weighing 500-600 pounds.
Antlers: Only males grow antlers, which can reach up to 4 feet in length and weigh 40 pounds. They shed and regrow them every year.
Coloration: Elk have a distinct light-colored rump and a dark, shaggy neck.
Behavior and Communication
Bugling: During the rut (mating season), males emit a loud, high-pitched call called bugling to attract females and intimidate rivals.
7. Social Structure: Elk live in herds, with cows and calves forming groups led by an older female, while bulls live in smaller bachelor groups or alone outside the breeding season.
Diet and Habitat
Diet: Elk are herbivores, grazing on grasses, leaves, bark, and shrubs. In winter, they rely more on woody plants.
Habitats: They thrive in forests, meadows, and grasslands and migrate to higher elevations in summer and lower elevations in winter.
Reproduction
10. Breeding Season: During the fall rut, bulls compete for harems of cows, sometimes engaging in antler battles. Cows usually give birth to one calf in late spring or early summer.
Cultural and Ecological Importance
Ecosystem Role: Elk are a keystone species, influencing vegetation patterns and providing food for predators like wolves and bears.
Cultural Significance: Elk have been central to many Indigenous cultures in North America for food, clothing, and tools.
Unique Adaptations
Velvet on Antlers: When growing, antlers are covered in a soft tissue called velvet that supplies nutrients and oxygen.
Sense of Smell and Hearing: Elk have excellent senses, allowing them to detect predators from a distance.
Fun Fact
15. Speed and Agility: Despite their size, elk can run up to 40 miles per hour and jump 8 feet high
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Elk: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+++
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Puzzle, Master Pieces, Ribbon Cut
100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 11.41” x 11.37”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented thesame in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done sixteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun.
There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.)
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Species: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep are known for their curved horns and thrive in North America’s Rocky Mountains. Their sure footedness makes them well adapted to this rugged and challenging habitat.”
Quality: Almost perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Rocky Mountain bighorn with part of the left cheek still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, actual piece count, and other required info.
There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. One piece was damaged, none were together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was loose. This Rocky Mountain bighorn did not pass the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. There were quite a number of them! With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I found the nose and mouth and the lightest fur around them. I sorted the rest by light to dark pieces. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: I pieced together the mouth, nose light area around them and the dark area under the chin. From there I went up the forehead to the split between the horns. Next came the eyes and ears. The horns were mostly edge pieces, so those went together and attached at the ears and top. I was able to attach the rest of the edge pieces to shape the body and then fill it in. All much easier than the life of the Rocky Mountain bighorn! I don’t imagine I will ever see one!
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis) are fascinating animals native to North America. Here are some interesting facts about them:
Physical Features
1. Iconic Horns: Male bighorn sheep, called rams, have massive curved horns that can weigh up to 30 pounds, more than all their bones combined. Female sheep, called ewes, have smaller, shorter, and less-curved horns.
2. Vision: They have excellent eyesight, which helps them spot predators and navigate steep, rocky terrain.
Habitat
3. Mountain Dwellers: These sheep thrive in rugged, mountainous regions, where they can escape predators by scaling steep cliffs and rocky outcrops.
4. Elevation Masters: They are often found at elevations ranging from 6,000 to 14,000 feet.
Behavior
5. Head-Banging Fights: Rams engage in dramatic head-butting contests during the mating season to establish dominance. These collisions can last for hours and be heard from a mile away.
6. Social Structure: Bighorn sheep live in groups. Ewes and lambs form herds, while rams often form bachelor groups until mating season.
Adaptations
7. Sure-Footed Climbers: Their split hooves and rough footpads provide excellent grip on rocky surfaces.
8. Temperature Regulation: Their thick coats keep them warm in winter, while they shed in summer to stay cool.
Diet
9. Grazers and Browsers: They primarily eat grasses, shrubs, and forbs. In the winter, they may eat mosses and lichens.
I had to look up “forbs” so here’s what I learned about them: Forbs are broad-leaved, herbaceous (non-woody) flowering plants that are not grasses, sedges, or rushes. Examples of forbs include wildflowers, clovers, and dandelions. They are an important part of many ecosystems, providing food for herbivores like Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. They.are rich in nutrients and often preferred by grazing animals over grasses, especially during the growing season when they are tender and more digestible.
10. Salt Seekers: They are known to travel miles to find natural salt licks, which help them maintain electrolyte balance.
Conservation
11. Population Recovery: Once nearly wiped out due to hunting and disease, conservation efforts have helped stabilize populations, though habitat loss and disease remain threats.
12. Symbolic Importance: They are the state mammal of Colorado and an icon of the Rocky Mountains.
Predators
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep face predation from several predators, including:
Mountain Lions (Cougars): These agile predators are particularly adept at hunting bighorn sheep in rugged terrains.
Coyotes: They often target lambs and can be a significant threat, especially to
younger sheep.
Golden Eagles: Known to prey upon lambs, golden eagles are unable to kill adult bighorn sheep
Bears: Both black and grizzly bears may prey on bighorn sheep, though such
instances are less common.
•Wolves: In areas where their ranges overlap, wolves can pose a threat to bighorn
sheep. The bighorn sheep’s steep, rocky habitats provide natural escape terrain, helping them evade many predators. Their agility and climbing skills are crucial defences against these threats. It’s important to note that while predation is a natural aspect of bighorn sheep ecology, human-induced factors such as habitat loss and disease can exacerbate their vulnerability to predators.
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be
something to it.
My Grades for Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep : Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Jolly Snowman Puzzle Springbok, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 23.5” x 18”.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
Hmmm, champagne, I’d be jolly too! This puzzle took a bit of time, but it was so much fun piecing it together. It did have some issues, but once complete all that was set aside just looking at this adorable illustration. I like both ribbon and random cut but with this brand I actually enjoy the random. Springbok takes random to an extreme, more wonky than traditional shapes, crazy corner piecing for the frame, some straight sided pieces that are not edge pieces, lining pieces up by shape a challenge. I’m lucky - I seem to be able to match the empty space with the correct piece quite easily. That is why this puzzle was so much fun! Medium is a fair rating, I spent more time than I expected, and for those who prefer ribbon cut, this puzzle would present some challenges.
Quality: Just okay. There were several damaged pieces. Piece fit was awkward. Often with this brand pieces need to be mashed into place suggesting a tight fit. That was the case here, except that some pieces totally refused to lay as flat as their neighbours. The completed build broke apart in a few places when I tried to pick it up. That rarely happens with Springbok. The illustration had more room beneath the artist’s signature. The printed puzzle was cut just below the name,
losing much of the green fringe. There was some puzzle dust. The shrink- wrapped, medium sized, somewhat sturdy box has the full image on the top. Dimensions and other required info run along the sides. The bottom has examples of their other puzzles. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster. Color match pieces to graphic was on point. The solid pieces are thick and have some gloss. None were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always go beyond color to sort objects. In this case I sorted the blue snow flakes, the white snow flakes, the hatband, the champagne glass, the branch arms, mainly red, red with green, black, white, each shade of blue snow, each shade of the gradient background, and the carrot nose.
Construction: I built the frame first, then started from the top. My sorts kept the build moving along. I left the trays of red scarf to the end. That probably took the most time. Then it was done, and despite the quality issues I had had a really good time.
Final thoughts: I join the jolly snowman in a toast - With every best wish, may the new year bring health, happiness and good fortune to everyone. Here’s to a peaceful 2025!
My grades for Jolly Snowman: Quality B-, Fun Factor A+
ELK Puzzle
Master Pieces
Ribbon Cut
101 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 9.62” x 13.6
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It might take a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but will definitely be fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done fifteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Black Bear Elk. Elk, majestic and powerful, are large herbivorous mammals found in North America. With striking antlers and Socoloff behavior, they contribute to the rich biodiversity of their ecosystems.”
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Elk, with a small area of its back in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was adequate. Picked up was fragile.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 101 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, this time I Just lined up all the non edge pieces by shape and similar color.
Construction: I put together the bottom edge and started building up from there. I was also able to piece together the elk’s outline up to the head and fill in its body. Then I gave it an eye, nose and mouth. All that took very little time. Next came my “blue” sort where the elk got an ear and its antlers. The antlers were a bit tricky but all in all this was a fast, easy and very fun build.
Elk, also known as wapiti, are fascinating creatures! Here are some interesting facts about them;
General Overview
Species and Name: Elk are a member of the deer family (Cervidae). The word “wapiti” comes from the Shawnee and Cree languages, meaning “white rump.”
Range: Native to North America and eastern Asia, elk were introduced to other areas like New Zealand. In North America, they’re most commonly found in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest.
Physical Characteristics
Size: Male elk, called bulls, can weigh between 700-1,100 pounds and stand up to 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Females (cows) are smaller, weighing 500-600 pounds.
Antlers: Only males grow antlers, which can reach up to 4 feet in length and weigh 40 pounds. They shed and regrow them every year.
Coloration: Elk have a distinct light-colored rump and a dark, shaggy neck.
Behavior and Communication
6. Bugling: During the rut (mating season), males emit a loud, high-pitched call called bugling to attract females and intimidate rivals.
7. Social Structure: Elk live in herds, with cows and calves forming groups led by an older female, while bulls live in smaller bachelor groups or alone outside the breeding season.
Diet and Habitat
Diet: Elk are herbivores, grazing on grasses, leaves, bark, and shrubs. In winter, they rely more on woody plants.
Habitats: They thrive in forests, meadows, and grasslands and migrate to higher elevations in summer and lower elevations in winter.
Reproduction
Breeding Season: During the fall rut, bulls compete for harems of cows, sometimes engaging in antler battles. Cows usually give birth to one calf in late spring or early summer.
Cultural and Ecological Importance
Ecosystem Role: Elk are a keystone species, influencing vegetation patterns and providing food for predators like wolves and bears.
Cultural Significance: Elk have been central to many Indigenous cultures in North America for food, clothing, and tools.
Unique Adaptations
Velvet on Antlers: When growing, antlers are covered in a soft tissue called velvet that supplies nutrients and oxygen.
Sense of Smell and Hearing: Elk have excellent senses, allowing them to detect predators from a distance.
Fun Fact
Speed and Agility: Despite their size, elk can run up to 40 miles per hour and jump 8 feet high
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Elk: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+++
JET STREAM Puzzle
Blue Kazoo
Ribbon Cut
250 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 18” x 12"
My Confident Puzzler difficulty rating: Hard enough!
250 Pieces does not mean piece of cake, finished up no time! This puzzle was a testament to that!
Quality: Excellent! The attractive, sturdy, 6.25” square box and every thing in it is sustainable. Just two easy to peel clear stickers hold it together. An enlarged portion of the illustration, with minimal signage, covers the top and sides of the box top. There is some interesting facts about clouds aand sky color printed along the outer sides of the box bottom. A small but full illustration is on the box bottom. Inside is a resealable paper bag of pieces and a huge poster. The solid pieces have a matte finish, and a black core and backing. There was just a bit black puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was fine. Piece fit was amazing! it was immediately clear when a correct piece just fell into place. All of the traditional shapes were represented. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut. There were no false fits. No pieces were missing. If careful, the completed puzzle can be picked up from the narrow sides.
Getting started mantra: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted the colors as they appeared starting from the bottom - blue gray foam, gray foam, light green water, primarily green water, green with medium blue water, medium blue water and dark blue water. Then the sky - gray and white with light blue, gray and white with deeper blue, gray snd white with black, primarily blue, and primarily gray and white. I lined up each tray by shape. Thinking “that’s lot of sorting for only 250 pieces”? Trust me, it was a big help!
Construction: I built the frame first then went row by row from the bottom up. Piece shape and color played equal roles through the bottom half - maybe not quite a piece of cake, but that half went fairly quickly. The top half is where hard kicked in. Piece shape played the biggest part in the piecing. The sky was a time consuming effort but my sorts kept frustration to a minimum. When the last piece went in I felt accomplished even with the small piece count.
Final thoughts: This is not a puzzle style / illustration I would choose. But since it was only 250 pieces I wanted to give it a try. And it was fun - I never would have tried the 1000 pieces version! I've done several from this brand. The quality is always as described above. Certainly I can recommend checking them out.
My grades for JET STREAM: Quality A+, Fun Factor A-
Gradient Puzzle (Amazon Link), Brand: Cloudberries, Ribbon cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 13” x 19.5"
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy to Medium
This is my second favorite type of puzzle. I enjoy them because I have been blessed with excellent color vision. For me these puzzles are most often relaxing and fun experiences. No real exception here, but the green and yellow blends on the right side did take more concentration and time. Hence my rating.
Quality: Excellent! The sturdy box has the full image on the top with no signage. Required info runs around the sides. The bottom is blank. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, a Hello card and poem, and a large poster. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The solid pieces have a matte finish. None were damaged or together uncut, none were missing. Correct pieces just fell into place, and piece fit was pick up off the table tight.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Oh yes, sorting is key with gradient puzzles. I go to the extreme. I sorted the pure colors and the transitions (ie. red to orange) by lights and darks, and a separate sort of all the very lightest colors. As I went along, I lined each sort up by shape and shade. That was particularly useful with the right side mentioned above.
Constriction: I built the frame first. Then I started from the red corner and built across and down through the pure yellow and the blue green blend. All that just flowed along delightfully! I subsorted the remaining trays by shape and shade - the yellow / green and green / yellow blends were more tasking to differentiate. Most of the pieces were the 2 in / 2 out shape, so in that regard, not a big help for the build. That said, my sub sorts were accurate enough to complete the puzzle without frustration, and allowed for some accomplished satisfaction. Plus, of course, I had fun!
Final thoughts: I have done a few Cloudberries puzzles. The quality is excellent, although I did run into some false fits in a couple of them. They are colorful and the designs vary from geometric to illustrative. I can recommend checking out the brand.
My grades for Gradient: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
Vintage Red Jaguar
Robert Frederick, Ltd.
Ribbon Cut
100 Larger Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 10.25” X 15”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Speedingly Easy
To be clear, Robert Frederick, Ltd. is a distributer. To find some other truly extraordinary puzzles from that company, a hunt is required! I googled “Robert Frederick, Ltd. puzzles for sale”, and any number of retail sellers came up. Unfortunately those from “The Puzzle Cube” series, which includes the one above, are very hard to find now, especially at reasonable prices.
Quality: Almost perfect! The piece fit was too loose for pick up, but with only 100 pieces, not any issue with the build. This puzzle comes in a 3.5” sturdy, attractive cube box. Only portions of the illustration encircle the box top and 3 sides. The fourth side has the full illustration. The bottom has the dimensions and other required information. It appears this illustration has no title. I picked the one above with the help of AI. *(See About this auto for more info.) Inside is a sealed bag of easy to handle pieces that included a 2” x 2.25” card with a postage stamp size of the image (seriously, were they kidding?), but at the bottom there was a folded 6” x 8.25” poster, a much better reference. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to image was on point.
The solid pieces are a nice thickness; they do have some sheen. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing.
Getting started: find the edge pieces and sort by color. With only 100 pieces, turning the pieces face up while finding the edges is all that’s needed. I always sort. Here it was basically by color, gray, red, green, dark, chrome, grill and tire parts.
Construction: I built the frame first, then built up from the bottom. It went together quite quickly. A few moments of calm, relaxing fun. Sometimes that’s all I want from a puzzle.
Final thoughts: I think 100 piece puzzles have a place for almost any puzzler. Why? The puzzling process never changes, no matter the piece count or challenge. It clears the mind and provides calm. One hundred pieces offer a quick puzzle break when time is short. Or a few moments anytime, just to relax. So many puzzle companies offer 100 piece puzzles now, and with illustrations that are not just for children. Happy hunting.
My Grades for Vintage Red Jaguar: Quality A, Fun Factor A+++
*About this auto:
The car in this puzzle is a classic Jaguar, specifically a Jaguar XK120, which was produced between 1948 and 1954. The XK120 was a landmark model for Jaguar, known for its sleek design and impressive performance for the era. This particular model looks to be a coupe version with its closed-top design.
The Jaguar XK120 was introduced in 1948 as a roadster, and it quickly became one of the most iconic sports cars of its time. Here are some interesting details about this classic model:
Key Features
•. Engine: It was powered by a 3.4-liter inline-six engine, producing about 160 horsepower in its original form. The XK120 was known for its powerful, smooth engine that could reach impressive speeds.
•. Top Speed: The “120” in the name represents the car’s top speed of 120 mph (193 km/h), making it one of the fastest production cars of its time. In fact, the XK120 could exceed this speed, hitting 132 mph under controlled conditions.
•. Design: The XK120 featured an elegant, aerodynamic design, with flowing lines and a distinctive front grille. Its styling remains iconic and instantly recognizable among classic car enthusiasts.
•. Variants: The XK120 was offered in three body styles: the open two-seater roadster (OTS), a fixed-head coupe (FHC), and a drophead coupe (DHC). The puzzle image appears to show the fixed-head coupe (FHC) with a closed, hardtop design.
•. Racing Pedigree: The XK120 had a successful racing career and set multiple speed records. It participated in various races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it helped cement Jaguar’s reputation in motorsport.
Legacy
The XK120 was succeeded by the XK140 and XK150, both of which continued to build on the legacy of Jaguar’s sports car lineage. The XK120 is highly collectible today, valued for its beauty, engineering, and historical importance.
Interesting Fact:
The XK120 was initially intended as a limited-production model to showcase Jaguar’s new engine. However, due to high demand, it went into full production and became a huge success for the brand. This car continues to be celebrated for its classic appeal, blending style and performance that defined an era in automotive history.
DONUTS Puzzle, Brand: Fishwisdom, Ribbon Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished dimension: 19.5” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Deliciously Easy
Major kudos for a minor brand! This yummy puzzle was so much fun to build with no complaints to be found!
Quality: Perfect! The top of the relatively small, sturdy box has only a portion of the full image. There is a small, full image on one of the sides. There is only a bit of required information on the bottom. Inside is a lovely, reusable, drawstring, organza bag of pieces and a life size poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The near matte, solid pieces have a nice thickness and great fit. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. DONUTS passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always do more! I sorted by donut - solid background, background with other colors, donut only pieces, and the horizontal and vertical divisions between each square. This was hardly a challenging puzzle, but there were letters on the back of the pieces - sometimes one, sometimes a combination. So, just for fun I pulled a tray of A’s and one of C’s letter side up. When I turned them over they did not look like any sort I would have ever done! And clearly they were not divided by donut since there were only 6 letters represented to sort for the nine donuts. *(See Addendum) One thing I did love was about the pieces - most traditional shapes were represented but they had a wonky quality about them. That gave equal credence to building by both color and piece shape. As I went along I did line up the sorts by color and shape.
Construction: I built the frame first and just got started. I built each donut square but not in any particular order. The last one to be completed was the blue one with the yellow background. Relaxing, satisfying fun and hungry for a donut!!!!
Final thoughts: My search for an independent Fishwisdom puzzles site brought me to Amazon. I checked other multi brand vendors and came up empty. Amazon has a pretty good selection of the brand. I would categorize most of the puzzles as cute. Still, if the quality is consistent I could recommend checking them out.
My grades for DONUTS: Quality A+++, Fun Factor A+++
*Addendum to the lettering scheme on the back side of the puzzle: I should have paid even more attention when I was breaking up the puzzle but what I did see was neat little squares in order A, B, C, D, E, F, A, B, C. So, I have to assume that pieces with more than one letter were all those part of the vertical and horizontal division lines. And with double the number of As and Cs, no wonder my little experiment made no sense! More than that, using the letters to efficiently complete the puzzle would clearly be a waste of time. I honestly think those ordered letters get printed on the back as the full illustrations go through the printing process before cutting, Just a design on the back of the pieces. Nothing more!
African Ladies Puzzle (Amazon link), Brand: Anatolian, Ribbon Cut, 500 pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19” x 13".
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty rating: For time required, Medium
This stunning puzzle is one of two boxed as a set, and the second one I have completed. This review will sound much like the first - quality, sorting and the build were similar - but there are enough edits here to justify reiterating how this puzzle went down. This was a very enjoyable build, but took more time and concentration than anticipated upon second thoughts (see Final thoughts).
Quality: Almost perfect except for loose piece fit. Otherwise everything was fine. The large, sturdy box has the full illustrations and some non intrusive signage on the box top. The box bottom lists their puzzle features in eight languages. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces for each of the puzzles, a folding box cover holder, and missing piece info. There was no poster. There was noticeable puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustrations was on point. There were no false fits.The sturdy pieces have a nice thickness and some sheen. None were damaged in any way or together uncut, and none were missing. I dared to try to pick it up - not recommended!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Sorting was crucial to my happy success with this one as well. From headdress to feet, I sorted every fabric design, the moon, the flowers and stems, skin tones, yellow pieces that had hints of other color, all the shades of yellow and orange background, and those pieces with a distinct, straight line split of light yellow to orange. I found the face and feet while sorting. Also, because the frame had an interior outline, I could do a separate sort of the pieces with a white line that would fit next to the frame. As I went along I did some sub-sorting by shape and color - especially the orange / yellow - i.e. orange to yellow, yellow to orange, lightest to darkest yellow, etc.
Construction: I built the frame first then put in that separate sort mentioned above in Getting started. That was a piece of cake! As you can see, there still were barely any hints of the central figure. So, I put in part of the moon, the headdress, her face, her other foot and the white ruffle layer. I continued to build her costume up to her neck from there. That was a much easier process than it had been in the first puzzle. I put in the last of the moon pieces and the flower heads and leaves, and then stared at the unending trays of background. So much yellow! Ugh. I left it for last figuring it might take a long time. I started by putting in the sort of distinct split pieces also mentioned above in Getting started. It can be seen 3 pieces in on the right hand side. Then some dark orange to yellow pieces on the left and right went in fairly quickly. The rest of the pieces were mostly shades of dark and light yellow or much paler orange. Those took a lot of concentration, time, and some trial and error across the rows. With all that yellow, I worried a bit about false fits - none found! And finally the satisfying final piece went into place. This lovely illustration was complete! I felt accomplished and I definitely had fun!!
Final thoughts: I did this puzzle second because it had more background. When the background of the first one went together very comfortably, I reconsidered how time consuming this puzzle’s background would be, but my initial estimation was correct. Both puzzles got a medium rating based mostly on time. But for the first one it was the costume and the moon which had some tricky parts. This puzzle had none of that. This was my second Anatolian puzzle, so it’s difficult to recommend the brand as a whole. But if these two puzzles are any indication of the brand’s quality, I would say check them out.
My Grades for this African Lady: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Black Bear Puzzle, Master Pieces, Ribbon Cut, 103 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 12” x 10.74”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It took a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done fourteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Black Bear. Black Bears, elusive and adaptable, are widely distributed across North America’s diverse habitats. With a keen sense of smell and climbing abilities, they forage for various foods, asking them highly resourceful omnivores.”
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Black Bear, with a small area below its right ear still in pieces.The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight. Picked up from the top of its head, the Black Bear passes the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 103 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, but this time I pieced together the eyes then lined up all the other non edge pieces by shape and similar color.
Construction: I did not try to build the outline. To start, I pieced together the golden fur around the nose and mouth, and attached the eyes, the golden eyebrows, and the edge pieces below its mouth. The rest of the fur, with only shades of gray and black, took some time - especially the forehead gray fur that went in different directions. I was able to put in the edge pieces as the bear took shape. The ears were the last to be put in place. Then there it was - not looking terribly friendly. I think I will stay out of the woods!
The black bear (Ursus americanus) is a fascinating creature. Here are some details about the Field Notes, and some interesting black bear facts....
Wide Range: Black bears are the most widely distributed bear species in North America, found in forests, swamps, and even urban areas from Alaska to Mexico.
Color Variations: Despite their name, black bears can have a variety of colors, including brown, cinnamon, blonde, and even white (as in the Kermode bear, a rare subspecies).
Excellent Climbers: Black bears are highly skilled climbers and can scale trees with ease to escape predators or search for food.
Omnivorous Diet: They are omnivores and have a highly varied diet, including berries, nuts, fish, insects, small mammals, and sometimes even human food if they find it accessible.
Hibernation: Black bears enter a state of torpor during winter, where their metabolic rate decreases significantly, allowing them to survive long periods without eating, drinking, or passing waste.
Cub Survival: Mother black bears are highly protective, and cubs stay with their mother for about 1.5 years before becoming independent.
Intelligent Problem Solvers: They are known for their intelligence and memory, often solving complex problems and remembering locations of food sources over many years.
Communication: Black bears use a combination of vocalizations, body language, and scent markings to communicate with other bears.
As for predators . . .
Black bears, as large animals, have few natural predators, but they can still be vulnerable, particularly when they are young. Some of the predators that may pose a threat to black bears include:
Humans: By far the most significant threat to black bears, humans hunt them for sport, their pelts, or as part of wildlife management. Human activities such as habitat destruction also impact their populations.
Other Bears: In rare cases, larger bear species like grizzly bears or even adult black bears may attack smaller black bears, especially over territory or food.
Wolves: Packs of wolves could occasionally prey on black bear cubs if the opportunity arises, but this is rare due to the cubs’ protection by their mother.
Cougars (Mountain Lions): These big cats might prey on black bear cubs or juveniles, though it is uncommon, as bears are difficult and dangerous prey.
Coyotes: While not a threat to adult black bears, coyotes might attack and kill bear cubs if they are unprotected or separated from their mothers.
Adult Males: Male black bears may sometimes kill cubs, especially during mating season, in order to bring a female into estrus (a behavior seen in some bear species).
For the most part, adult black bears have little to fear from other predators, but young or injured bears are more at risk.
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Black Bear: Quality A++, Fun Factor A++
Smiling Cats Puzzle - Artist Olha Darchuk ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: Mine: 26.875” x 18.875”, on the Box: 26.75” x 19"
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
Olha Darchuk is a Ukrainian painter and art teacher who creates vivid compositions using a palette knife. Her work is inspired by color and is intended to convey positive emotions and inspire people. Her subjects include nature, animals, birds, flowers, and love. Certainly that describes this precious puzzle illustration! Many of this artist’s works are featured as puzzles at ENJOY.
Watching this puzzle come together was a lot of fun. I won’t say it deserves a hard rating, Clearly the colored areas are well defined. Finish a cat, and that color is complete (except for the yellow cat with the overlapping tail). Sorting was definitely key to the fun. Luckily my adult daughter, avid puzzler and super sorter extraordinaire, was here for a week to celebrate my birthday. Perhaps you read the review of Cool Rabbit - we did that one first. And we were busy - she made so many plans with others - we celebrated a lot! Then she had to leave, but not before this puzzle was sorted. She did it all. Major kudos to her - otherwise I’m not sure about that medium rating after all! Smiling Cats was still extremely time consuming.
Quality: I’ll give this one perfect! ENJOY touts its quality - strong connections, matte, glare free finish, unique traditional shapes, uniformity, very high quality rich and vibrant print, missing piece guarantee - and I agree! Yes - pick up, turn over perfect! Correct pieces fall into place, wrong pieces are clear, and every piece is different - no false fits, all traditional shapes are represented although a majority are the 2 in / 2 out variety, matte finish is great for all day, all night puzzling, when complete you see the picture more than its parts. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with minimal signage. The bottom has a selection of their huge, many theme collections. Inside the box is a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was no poster. I printed a screenshot of the uninterrupted full image from the sale page. Color match pieces to box image was on point. None were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Still, I say perfect!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Of course my daughter sorted the sky and major colors, but went much further. She sorted out the moon (pieced together while sorting), sky pieces that had other colors, the tails, the neck bows and ornament, and each face and its matching ears. Those faces also got mostly pieced together while she was sorting! Amazing! Then she had to leave. There was a huge pile of sky pieces. After goodbyes, I sub-sorted those by ones with large stars, one with smaller star dots, ones with some hints of color, and the rest by shades of dark blue. Later those, and all the other trays, got lined up by shape as I went along.
Construction: I built the entire frame first. This is my / our fifth ENJOY puzzle, so I wasn’t worried about false fits with all the blue pieces. The bottom edge was a piece of cake, the dark blue took more time. And, oh no, the last blue frame piece did not fit. Of course I finally found the piece that, upon closer inspection, was placed where it did not fit. Close but wrong. My bad. I put in the moon, then started building from the bottom, but did not go across from cat to cat. I went up and completed each cat from right to left. The shading of each cat’s color added time. The tails we’re tricky. The sky took forever! And it all took way more time and concentration than we expected from the illustration we couldn’t resist. But I had to smile when it was complete - it is so adorably cute!
Final thoughts: The puzzles are not priced out of range from others; it’s the European shipping that almost doubles the cost. But they are high quality puzzles, and the ENJOY collection is large and varied. Of course I can recommend checking them out. Look for special discounts on their site. I have used “buy 3, get free shipping”. Yes, I know, still an investment.
My grades for Smiling Cats: Quality A+++, Fun Factor A+ (A+++ if my daughter could have shared the construction fun.)
COOL RABBIT PUZZLE
ENJOY Puzzles
Ribbon Cut
1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 26.75” x 19"
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Tough but FUN!
We decided to purchase this puzzle, along with a few others, because of the illustrations. (I say we, because my super sorter adult daughter loves this brand as much as I do, and she would be visiting again.) But Cool Rabbit took us longer than we imagined - perhaps we should have been better judges of this puzzle’s background. YIKES!
Quality: I’ll give this one almost perfect! ENJOY touts its quality - strong connections, matte, glare free finish, unique traditional shapes, uniformity, very high quality rich and vibrant print, missing piece guarantee. But with this one the piece fit was not quite so tight and pick up, turn over was not so perfect! It did not interfere with the build. Correct pieces fall into place, wrong pieces are clear, and every piece is different - no false fits, all traditional shapes are represented although a majority are the 2in / 2 out variety, matte finish is great for all day, all night puzzling, when complete you see the picture more than its parts. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with minimal signage. The bottom has a selection of their huge, many theme collections. Inside the box is a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was no poster. Because of some signage masking the image, I printed a screenshot of the uninterrupted full image from the sale page. Color match pieces to box image and printout were on point. None were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. There was just a bit of puzzle dust. Still, I say almost perfect!
Getting started: find the edge pieces and sort by color. I am also a super sorter, going beyond color to sort individual areas or specific objects when possible. But I’m really slow, so I pulled the edge pieces and left the sorting to my daughter. Although sub sorting and lining up by shape was later required, she did a super job!
Construction: I built the frame thinking “Wow, this will give a lot of hints for the background.” It did, and the robe came together pretty comfortably — well faster than the small butterfly, the flowers and the greenery anyway — but way longer than we thought for any of that! (The large butterfly was the only section that got pieced together during the sorting!) Then the chest and the ears, and the face - that all came last, but how satisfying to see the puzzle complete! This puzzle took a lot of time and concentration, but it was so much fun, especially sharing it with my daughter!
Final thoughts: This is my / our fourth ENJOY puzzle. I will continue to recommend these puzzles even though they are more of an investment than others. I’m in the USA, but along with their site in Europe, (where I ordered directly and got great service and fast shipping) there is also ENJOY Canada and ENJOY Australia. Amazon carries a limited selection but they are not Prime, so for me the shipping is European. From the ENJOY site - look for the buy 3 and get free shipping offer - it did provide a savings. So many beautiful and varied themes - it’s hard to be selective. But it’s worth checking them out! Most are more complicated or challenging than the ones I chose. (I don’t look for a huge challenge - for me it’s the simple pleasure of the benefits of the puzzling process - to clear the mind and be calm - that happens no matter the piece count or the difficulty.) Among all the lovely ENJOY attributes, piece fit and matte finish are the most outstanding.
My grades for COOL RABBIT: Quality A++, Fun Factor A+
BAT Master Pieces Ribbon Cut 101 Pieces Finished Dimensions: 17.43”” x 7.41”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It took a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done thirteen, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Bat. ”Bats, fascinating mammals, possess uiquue wings and exceptional echolocation abilities. These nocturnal creatures play crucial roles i in pollination, insect control, and seed dispersal, making them indispensable to ecosystems worldwide.
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Ba with a bit of a small amount of the left wing still in pieces.The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight. Picked up from the wing tips, the Bat passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. More than half the pieces — fifty three to be exact — were edges! With 101 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, but this time I lined up all the non edge pieces by shape and similar color.
Construction: I did not try to build the outline. With the distinct variations in color, I was able to piece several sections and work around them, adding edges along the way. This puzzle was completed very quickly and just a lot of fun!
Here are some fascinating and unusual facts about bats:
1. Bats Are the Only True Flying Mammals: While flying squirrels and similar animals can glide, bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight.
Echolocation Masters: Many bat species use echolocation to navigate in the dark,
emitting high-frequency sounds that bounce off objects, allowing them to “see” their
surroundings with sound.
Long Lifespan for Size: Despite their small size, bats can live for over 30 years, a
surprisingly long lifespan for a mammal of their size.
They Pollinate Over 500 Plant Species: Bats are crucial pollinators, especially for
plants that bloom at night. Some species of fruit bats, also known as flying foxes, are responsible for pollinating plants like mangoes, bananas, and agave (used to make tequila).
Largest and Smallest: The bumblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), weighing just 2 grams, is the world’s smallest mammal, while the giant golden-crowned flying fox can have a wingspan of up to 5.6 feet.
Vampire Bats Share Food: Vampire bats feed on blood, but they’ve been known to share their meal with other bats in need. They regurgitate blood to feed sick or hungry colony members.
Social Creatures: Some species of bats form colonies that number in the millions. The Bracken Cave in Texas is home to the largest bat colony in the world, with over 20 million bats.
They Can Eat Thousands of Insects a Night: Some insectivorous bats can consume up to their body weight in insects each night, making them excellent for pest control.
Bats Have Unique Immune Systems: Bats carry a wide range of viruses but are often unaffected by them, thanks to their strong immune systems. This makes them crucial for understanding zoonotic diseases.
10. Hanging Upside Down: Bats roost upside down because it allows them to quickly drop into flight. Their legs and feet are structured to hold onto surfaces while upside down with minimal effort.
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I may never have heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info!
I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for BAT: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+++
The last word: Those wings — I immediately thought of “batwing” in fashion. I learned more. The batwing style has been used in a variety of ways, including in fashion, architecture, and rodeo:
Batwing chaps - A style of rodeo chaps that became popular in the 1910s. They had wider legs than other chaps and were known for flapping in the arena. Modern chaps are based on the batwing design, but are more streamlined.
Batwing sleeves - A popular style in the 1980s, often seen on sweaters. Some consider batwing sleeves to be a timeless look.
Batwing roof - A roof design developed in 1954 by the Vickers Petroleum Company. It has two opposing corner points as its highest points, and the other two corners as its lowest points.
Batwing bow tie - A small, sleek style of bow tie that was often worn by Walter Gropius, the father of the modern Bauhaus movement.
African Ladies Puzzle, (Amazon Link) Brand: Anatolian Ribbon Cut, 500 pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19” x 13"
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty rating: For time required, Medium
This stunning puzzle is one of two boxed as a set. (See image below.) This was a very enjoyable build, although parts of it were tricky and, in total, took more time and concentration than anticipated.
Quality: Almost perfect except for loose piece fit. Otherwise everything was fine. The large, sturdy box has the full illustrations and some non intrusive signage on the box top. The box bottom lists their puzzle features in eight languages. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces for each of the puzzles, a folding box cover holder, and missing piece info. There was no poster. There was noticeable puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustrations was on point (better than my photo, sorry to say.) The sturdy pieces have a nice thickness and some sheen. None were damaged in any way or together uncut, and none were missing. I dared to try to pick it up - not recommended!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Sorting was crucial to my happy success with this one. From headdress to feet, I sorted every fabric design, the moon, and all the shades of yellow and orange background. I found her face and feet while sorting. Also, because the frame had an interior outline, I did a separate sort of the pieces that would fit next to the frame. As I went along I did some sub sorting by shape and color - especially the orange / yellow. i.e. Lightest to darkest yellow, yellow to orange, a distinct split of light yellow to orange, etc.
Construction: I built the frame first then put in that separate sort mentioned above. That was a piece of cake! As you can see, there still were barely any hints of the central figure. So, I put in the headdress and her face, and her other foot and some of the blue and purple stripes. I kept going, and was able to build some sections, loose fit became an issue each time, Ugh! The trickiest builds for me were the edge of the moon and the pink and green fabric in the skirt ( lower left). I was left with several trays of yellows / oranges. I left it for last figuring it would take a long time. And then the most pleasant surprise of all — my studious sorts of those trays had me finishing the background in record time! This lovely illustration was complete! And I definitely had fun!!
Final thoughts: I did this puzzle first because it had less background! Now that it wasn’t the time consuming issue I had imagined, I might rethink how long I wait to do the other one. Could be soon. This was my first Anatolian puzzle, so difficult to recommend the brand as a whole. But if this puzzle is any indication of their quality, I would say check them out.
My Grades for African Ladies: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Miss Sunshine Puzzle - Art by Dawn Allen, GoodWay Puzzles, Random Cut, 300 Large Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 23.25” x 19.25”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Surprisingly Easy
Another one done, and oh so much fun! The brand has a website showing their gallery of 33 puzzles. But also this notice: “GoodWay Puzzles are sold online exclusively at Puzzle Warehouse.com and its subsidiaries.” I so hope Puzzle Warehouse encourages GoodWay Puzzles to expand their line, especially ones with this totally matte finish.
Yes, I went ahead and purchased this one to confirm my assumptions it would meet the quality of 300 piece Luna, the first I built from the Mermaid WhimSea series. It most certainly did!
Quality: Excellent! The sturdy, medium sized box has the full illustration on the box top. The box bottom has info about the artist and more puzzle info including “proudly made in the USA.” Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, there was no poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to graphic was on point except for the skin, but that was close enough. The thick, sturdy, easy to handle pieces have the most matte finish I have ever seen - absolutely, positively no sheen whatsoever. It is like flat paint! Piece fit was so exact that, as you can see from the photo, the outlines are barely visible. Some pieces did need coaxing to fit into place. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. When complete, feel free to pick it up!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always try to sort beyond color, by object or specific areas, but that was not so easy for this one. I did sort the blue sky, the cloudy sky, the water, the mermaid’s flippers, the mermaid’s lower torso design, the skin, and the hair. The greens were a bit trickier - I sorted the dark and light greens of the foreground but the flower leaves were mixed in with the lighter one. And there was one sort for all the yellow petals and one for all the flower centers. Some sub sorting and lining pieces up by shape was required as i went along. I really like random cut pieces, they can still be lined up to a degree by shape.
Construction: This puzzle was definitely more detailed than Luna, hence my Surprisingly Easy rating. It was a totally joyful experience! I built the frame first and started at that top with the sky. One thing I took the time to do was build the flower centers - that was a big help! Next I was able to complete the flowers over the sky and water. I kept going - more water, darkest foreground, the flippers, the lighter grass. Most time consuming was the Mermaid, but my sorts were a great help with her. It just flowed along and sooner than expected it was complete.
Final thoughts: Well, I can definitely recommend the Mermaid WhimSeas series now. There are two more, both 500 pieces. I am so tempted to get them! I’ve done higher piece counts of course, but 300 pieces can be done in a day. ( I’m slow and happy to spend time in the mind clearing, calming puzzling process.) Still, there is enough to accomplish to feel it was worth the effort, even if one’s time is shorter than mine. I cannot vouch for all the other designs. I have done one other GoodWay puzzle that was totally different. It had a lot of sheen, loose piece fit, hanging uncut backing pieces - not a particularly enjoyable build at all! In all fairness GoodWay did represent both parties, but a politically motivated puzzle will not be reviewed here in 2024, if ever. Thing is, most of their selection are not designs that appeal to me, so more comparison might not happen. But trust me, this Mermaid WhimSea series is wonderful.
My grades for Miss Sunshine: Quality A-, Fun factor A+++!
Carnival Mystery Puzzle (Amazon Link)- Art by Dan Craig, Brand: Spilsbury (from Bits and Pieces), Random Cut, 300 Oversized Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 24” x 18”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Tricky but Easy
Well, I just finished reading a lot about the illustrator Dan Craig and his enigmatic style. I could not find out any background for the puzzle image above, but I an in awe of his talent. I guess we can write our own story about the Carnival Mystery.
Quality: Almost perfect. The box claims “printed on recycled linen paper, with a fine texture that reduces glare while puzzling.” This puzzle had a lot of sheen - daylight was much more comfortable than room light. And, there was quite a bit of puzzle dust. Otherwise quality was fine. The sturdy, square box has the full illustration on the box top along with other signage - none interferes with the image. The bottom gives a brief history of Spilsbury, and puzzle features. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The pieces are thick and solid, None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight - when the puzzle was complete there was no mystery about picking it up!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I try to do exacting sorts including objects, although this one was mostly by color. I sorted the road, the lighter and darker greenery, the tents, the Ferris Wheel (see Note), the sky, and the darker and lighter bricks.
Construction: I built the frame first and started at the bottom with the road. I prefer to work in and around from the frame, but not this time. During the sorting I had put together the carnival pieces, so I dropped that in the middle, added some of the greenery and trees, and was able to attach all that to the frame. Then I filled in the sky and worked on the rest of the greenery.. I actually like random cut pieces, and for all of that piecing I used both color and shape. Last but not least was the tricky part - the bricks. For those pieces I did line them up by shape, and that was my primary guide to fill them all in. Some random cut pieces will have characteristics of the
traditional ones, and the crazy wonky ones got their own tray. I had a lot of fun doing this puzzle!!
Final thoughts: Three hundred pieces is an ideal size. They can be completed in a day. (Or less, of course - I’m slow, I take breaks.) But they take enough time to feel accomplished, and get the best from the puzzling process - a few hours with a clear mind and a sense of calm. Try one! As for this puzzle - it is only the second one I’ve done from the brand. I looked back at the other review. I wasn’t very kind about the quality. Difficulty to whole heartedly recommend. Did I get the one bad Apple or was Mystery Carnival just a lucky one?
My grades for Carnival Mystery: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Note: “For the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, engineer George Ferris presented fair organizers with his idea of a giant rotating wheel that would carry passengers in cars attached around the outer edge. He convinced organizers to allow him to build the structure, which would rival France's Eiffel Tower. Indeed, Ferris's wheel, which cost $380,000 and stood 264 feet (80 meters) tall with a wheel diameter of 250 feet (76 meters), was a huge success. Each car held 60 people, and, at 50 cents a ride, the wheel was one of the most popular attractions at the World's Fair.”
BISON Jigsaw Puzzle, Master Pieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 103 Pieces Finished Dimensions: 14.23” x 9.06”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. It took a bit longer than a regular 100 piece one, but was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them.
I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done twelve, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read.* (See Final thoughts.) Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Bison. Bison, majestic and resilient, are native to grasslands and prairies. Once on the brink of extinction, conservation efforts have allowed them to roam freely, symbolizing the untamed spirit of the wild.”
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Bison with a bit of the right side, between the horn and eye. Still in pieces.The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions, the actual piece count, and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were
a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight. Picked up from head to chin, the Bison passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 103 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I found the eyes, and the nose and mouth, and sorted the distinctly textured pieces, and the shades of fur from light to dark. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: Much to my surprise, I was able to piece together the entire outline first. Some of those pieces did not interlock but were attached with inner pieces soon enough. I started from the light top fur, them moved to the bottom and put in the nose and mouth, connecting that to the chin. I built the eyes - they attached right below the horns. The fur had a lot of similar color, so that took the most time. The Bison’s uniquely textured forehead got filled in last. What a formidable animal!
Here are some fascinating facts about bison:
1. Largest Land Animal in North America: Bison are the largest land mammals in
North America. Males can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand about 6 feet tall at
the shoulder.
2. Fast and Agile: Despite their size, bison are incredibly fast, capable of running at
speeds up to 35 miles per hour. They can also jump over 6 feet and are
surprisingly agile for their bulk.
3. Ancient Survivors: Bison have been around for thousands of years. The species
has survived multiple ice ages and was once widespread across North America.
4. Role in Ecosystem: Bison are considered a keystone species. Their grazing
patterns help maintain the grasslands by preventing overgrowth, which supports a
wide variety of other species.5. Buffalo vs. Bison: Although they are often called “buffalo,” the American bison is only distantly related to the true buffalo found in Africa and Asia. The term “buffalo” was likely used by early European settlers due to their resemblance to water buffalo.
6. Near Extinction: By the late 1800s, bison were nearly hunted to extinction, with
only a few hundred left. Conservation efforts have since helped their numbers
rebound, and today, there are hundreds of thousands, though many live in
managed herds.
7. Sacred to Native Americans: Bison hold great cultural and spiritual significance to
many Native American tribes. Historically, they provided food, clothing, and
tools, and almost every part of the animal was used.
8. Thick Winter Coat: Bison grow a thick winter coat that allows them to survive in
extremely cold climates. During the winter, you can often see them covered in
snow or frost, thanks to the insulation provided by their dense fur.
9. Communication and Social Structure: Bison communicate using a range of
sounds, including grunts and snorts. They live in herds with a complex social
structure, where females and calves typically form one group, while males often
live separately, joining the herd only during mating season.
10. Wallows: Bison create shallow depressions in the ground called wallows, which
they use to roll in the dust or mud. This behavior helps them shed fur, cool down,
and protect against parasites.
These impressive creatures play an essential role in the history and ecology of North America! Bison do have natural enemies, though their size and strength offer them significant protection.
Here are some of the main predators that can pose a threat to bison:
1. Wolves: Wolves are the most significant natural predators of bison, especially in
regions like Yellowstone National Park. They typically target young, old, or
injured bison. A wolf pack can work together to wear down and isolate a
vulnerable bison from the herd before attacking.
2. Grizzly Bears: While not as common as wolves, grizzly bears may occasionally
prey on bison, particularly calves or injured adults. Bears are powerful but usually
opportunistic hunters, more likely to scavenge on bison carcasses than actively
hunt them.
3. Mountain Lions: In some areas, mountain lions may attempt to take down a bison
calf, though it’s rare for them to hunt adult bison due to the size difference.
4. Humans: Historically, humans were the biggest threat to bison, especially during
the 19th century when they were hunted nearly to extinction for their hides, meat,
and to clear land for agriculture. Today, while protected in many areas, bison are
sometimes culled or hunted as part of population management efforts.
5. Coyotes: Coyotes, like mountain lions, primarily target young bison calves. They
are opportunistic predators but usually pose little threat to adult bison.
Despite these predators, adult bison are generally well-equipped to defend themselves. Their massive size, sharp horns, and powerful charge make them formidable against most threats.Additionally, bison herds provide protection, as individuals will often gather to protect calves from predators.
Final thoughts: *I started adding more info beyond FIELD NOTES a few animals ago, so ”quick read” may no longer apply. But part of the fun for me is learning about animals I had never heard of or ever seen, even in a zoo. I hope you enjoy the additional info! I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Bison: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
Luna Jigsaw Puzzle, Art by Dawn Allen, GoodWay Puzzles, Random Cut, 300 Large Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 23.25” x 19.25”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Delightfully Easy
I recently came across this brand doing a Google search for 300 piece puzzles. There are four in the Mermaid WhimSea series. The brand has a website showing their gallery of 33 puzzles. But also this notice: “GoodWay Puzzles are sold online exclusively at Puzzle Warehouse.com and its subsidiaries.”
Quality: Excellent! The sturdy, medium sized box has the full illustration on the box top. The box bottom has info about the artist and more puzzle info including “proudly made in the USA.” Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, there was no poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to graphic was on point. The thick, sturdy, easy to handle pieces have the most matte finish I have ever seen - absolutely, positively no sheen whatsoever. Piece fit was so exact that, as you can see from the photo, the outlines are barely visible. Some pieces did need coaxing to fit into place. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. When complete, feel free to pick it up!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always try to do exacting
sorts so for this one I did the palm fronds, the sun, the right tree trunk, the sky, the dark water, the 2 small plants, the hair, the skin, the blue body, the tail flippers, the
foreground, and the starfish. I really like random cut pieces, they can still be lined up to a degree by shape. I did that as I went along.
Construction: I built the frame first and started filling in from the top down. My sorts made this a most enjoyable puzzling experience! Nothing was tricky. It was just a lot of fun. And, the finished puzzle looks amazing!
Final thoughts: I am impressed enough by this one puzzle to recommend checking out the brand. I cannot vouch for all the others in the gallery, but my guess is the other 3 Mermaid ones would have the same matte finish. Two of them are 500 pieces and one is 300 pieces. So if you like mermaids maybe choose one of those.
My grades for Luna: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
PIKA Puzzle, Master Pieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 103 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 11.75” x 11.2”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, these are easy. This one particularly so! It took no longer than a regular 100 piece one, and was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done eleven, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Pika. Pikas, small alpine mammals, thrive in rocky mountainous regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. With their distinctive calls and hay pile homes, they exemplify resilience in the face of climate change.
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed Pika with one piece of its cheek and some of the leaves still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. (Full disclosure here - this humble guest writer is not perfect. It took me putting eleven of these together to notice that directly below the dimensions is the actual piece count. I will put the list of the previous ten
counts at the bottom of this review. Oops!) There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was tight. This little Pika more than passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 103 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I found the eyes, and the nose and mouth, and sorted the flower, the rocky stand, and the shades of fur from light to dark. I lined them all up by
shape as well.
Construction: Much to my surprise, I was able to piece together the entire outline. I started filling in at the bottom with the rock stand. Then it got a little “hairy” (forgive me the double entendre). The fur had a lot of the same color. But actually, if I had to point one out, the trickiest part were the eyes. Cute as it is, it might bite or worse (See # 6). I surely doubt I would go where it lives . . .
I had never heard of this animal, so I used ChatGPT, and found a few more interesting facts:
1. The pika is a small, mountain-dwelling mammal closely related to rabbits and hares. With short limbs, a very round body, an even coat of fur, and no external tail, they resemble their close relative, the rabbit, but with short, rounded ears.
2. Cold Climate Adaptation: Pikas are highly adapted to cold environments, typically found in alpine regions and high-altitude areas across Asia, North America, and parts of Eastern Europe. They live in rocky areas called talus, where they find shelter from predators and harsh weather.
3. Haymaking Behavior: Pikas do not hibernate. Instead, they collect and dry plant material during the summer to create “haypiles,” which they store for food during the winter months. This behavior is crucial for their survival when food is scarce.
4. Vocal Communication: Pikas are known for their high-pitched calls, which they use to communicate with each other. These calls can serve as warnings about predators or as a way to establish territory.
5. Indicator Species: Pikas are often considered an indicator species for climate change. Because they are highly sensitive to temperature changes, shifts in their populations or ranges can provide early warnings about the effects of global warming. In some areas, warming temperatures have forced pikas to move to higher altitudes or have even led to local extinctions.
6. Social Behavior: Although pikas are generally solitary animals, they do have complex social interactions, especially related to their territories and food stores. They can be quite territorial and will defend their haypiles aggressively from intruders.
7. Survival Challenges: Due to their limited ability to handle heat, rising global
temperatures pose a significant threat to pika populations. In some regions, they have been observed moving to higher elevations or cooler microhabitats to avoid the heat.
8. Small But Resilient: Despite their small size, pikas are resilient animals. They can survive in some of the harshest environments, enduring freezing temperatures and thin air, which would be challenging for many other animals.(Wikipedia)
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids.They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Pika: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
Previous Piece Counts:
Cow - 105 Giraffe - 102
Pig - 101 Dolphin - 102
Horse - 102 Wolf - 101
White Tailed Deer - 100 Bald Eagle - 104
Desert Bighorn Sheep - 103 Grizzly Bear - 100 More a curiosity than important. I’ve done 275+ puzzles. One brand (Clementoni) puts an information card in the box that lists the real piece count for all their puzzle sizes. Otherwise I had never seen this exact count info included on or in any box.
Rainbow Fizz Puzzle, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions:26.75” X19”
Finished Dimensions:26.75” X19”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Not easy, but not hard . . .
So, medium by default. This puzzle sat on my table for a week. Mainly because I didn’t have a lot of concentrated time to work on it. That was probably a good thing. When I did, it required a lot of concentration, which in turn required more breaks from it. All that said, it was really fun. I continue to gravitate to this brand because of the . . .
Quality: Excellent! ENJOY touts its quality - strong connections, matte, glare free
finish, unique traditional shapes, uniformity, very high quality rich and vibrant print, missing piece guarantee - and I agree! Yes - pick up, turn over perfect! Correct pieces fall into place, wrong pieces clearly do not fit, and every piece is different - no false fits, all traditional shapes are represented although a majority are the 2in / 2 out variety, matte finish is great for all day, all night puzzling, when complete you see the picture more than its parts. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with minimal signage. The bottom has a selection of their huge, many theme collections. Inside the box is a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was no poster, but the signage did not hide any of the illustration enough to be an
issue. Color match pieces to box image was on point. None were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Forgiven - this puzzle was perfect!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color - exactly the way to go for this one. I did a very exacting sort that included all the shades of green, orange, blue and purple, and the transition colors from one to the next. As I went along I lined the pieces up by color and shape.
Construction: I built the frame first and started working from the corners. First was the red- orange, then the purple, then the blue. I attempted the green corner but was unsuccessful - there wasn’t as much color change in that corner, plus the green was the largest, most demanding section. I decided to leave that for last. But the “easier” sections still took more time than anticipated. I used color ahead of shape until there were fewer pieces of a color to deal with. The green definitely took the most time. I sub-sorted those trays to be even more exact about the
subtle color changes, as well as sorting out the pieces that had white or gold highlights. I also made trays of sections I could build using those highlights. None of that was necessary for the other colors. Finally the last piece went in place - the puzzle was complete! Along with the fun, I certainly felt accomplished and wore a big smile!
ENJOY Puzzles are based in Europe. That are just a bit pricier than other premium brands. But, if you live in the USA, the shipping and tax can significantly add to the cost. Look for buy 3, ship free specials on their site. I am so enamored with their quality and the amazing themed selections, they are hard to resist. I’ve done 4 of them now, I cannot recommend then strongly enough!!
My grades for Rainbow Fizz: Quality A+++, Fun Factor A++ (The green section was fun as well, but time consuming tough! My patience to see the puzzle complete wore a bit thin!)
Madera Canna Lily Puzzle Amazon Link, Springbok Puzzles, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimension: 20” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Hard
Such a striking image - all of the flower parts are high gloss, the black background is matte. I thought it might be challenging, but I had to do it. I did label it hard. It took quite a while tocomplete, and I do use time spent as a measure, but I felt it was difficult beyond that. Normally I really like random cut pieces, I seem to have an affinity for recognizing the piece that fits the
empty shape, but in the beginning even that didn’t help much. As can be seen, I was determined, and for the most part the effort was worth it! The one draw back, although they don’t all show in the photo, was the . . .
Quality: Less than stellar due to many damaged pieces. Hanging backing, separating corners, bent and split to the point of torn pieces - hard to ignore all that! Even the 9” x 12” box is less than sturdy and larger than necessary. It is sealed in plastic wrap. The full illustration as described above is on the box top, below it is Springbok signage. The box bottom shows other puzzle offerings. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces and a coupon card for a free gift (first time buyers only.) There was no poster. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Color match pieces to cover illustration was on point. The pieces are thick and fit is tight to the point of having to mash some in place. Surprisingly, pick up was less than successful.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. When Springbok says random cut, they mean it! Huge pieces and tiny pieces, and in the case of edge pieces, many small ones with a flat edge fit within the puzzle rather than the frame. I make a separate sort of those. My other sorts were solid red, red with yellow, dark red, primarily green, primarily blue, primarily pink, primarily purple, darker leaf colors, very dark brown, black with shiny parts and / or other color, and matte black. To a degree, pieces can be lined up by shape. I did that as I went along.
Construction: I built the frame first. Four of those flat edge pieces mentioned above went in the frame. I used the hints in the frame to get started with the build, finding the blue leaves at the bottom. I added the pink and a bit more to the left side. I was also able to piece together most of the yellow outline of the center petal and bits of some others. So much red! It was very slow going, I switched gears and started working on the green sepals and the tall buds. I kept moving around until trays of bright red and black were all that was left. With fewer pieces, filling the random pieces in those areas went more quickly. I left the matte black for the end. Finally it was done and I wondered if I had much fun. Surely there was a sense of accomplishment, but this puzzle was work. And the completed puzzle did not have the impact of the picture on the box. I would not choose to do it again.
Final thoughts: Springbok is the oldest puzzle company in the USA. Their puzzles have always been manufactured there. How can I not recommend a puzzle company that has lasted 60 years? I’ve not even done too many from this brand. I went back to some of my reviews — seems I found similar quality issues with some of them. It also seems I had fun with most of them as well. When I started this hobby, almost 3 years ago now, the first 1000 piece puzzle I chose was from Springbok (“State Plates”) - would you believe it had a missing piece?! I can vouch for their excellent customer service. And they do have a vast and varied selection. So, I will say check them out.
My grades for Madera Canna Lily: Quality B-, Fun Factor B+
Note: I learned something while writing this review, so I’ll pass it along: “The green part of the lily in the image appears to be the sepals. Sepals are the outermost parts of the flower, usually green, and they protect the developing flower bud. In some lilies, the sepals may be colored and resemble petals, but their primary function is protection.” (From ChatGPT)
Desert Bighorn Sheep, Master Pieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 11.4” x 11.45”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several ofthem. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done eleven, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a pretty quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Species: Desert Bighorn Sheep. Desert bighorn sheep, rugged and adapted, inhabit arid regions of North America. Their iconic curved horns and agility enable them to navigate steep canyons, making them an emblem of survival in harsh desert landscapes.
Quality: Almost perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed desert bighorn with part of the right shoulder still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was loose. This desert bighorn did not pass the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. There were quite a number of them! With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I found the eyes, and the nose and mouth and the lightest fur around them. I sorted the rest by light to dark pieces. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: I pieced together the mouth, nose light area around them and the dark area under the chin. From there I went up the forehead to the split between the horns. Next came the eyes and ears. The horns were mostly edge pieces, so those went together and attached at the ears and top. I was able to attach the rest of the edge pieces to shape the body and then fill it in. All much easier than the life of the desert bighorn! It looks pretty friendly but I don’t think I will ever see one!
Apparently the desert longhorn is not alone in the harsh desert, and not always safe . . .Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) inhabit arid desert regions, particularly in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. These areas are home to a variety of other wildlife that have adapted to the harsh, dry environment.
Some of the animals that share the habitat with desert bighorn sheep include:
Mammals:
Mountain Lions: Predators that sometimes hunt bighorn sheep.
Coyotes: Another predator that can pose a threat to younger or weaker
sheep.
Bobcats: Smaller than mountain lions but still formidable predators.
Mule Deer: Herbivores that share some of the same feeding grounds.
Desert Foxes (e.g., Kit Fox): Smaller carnivores that prey on small
mammals and birds.
Black-tailed Jackrabbits: Common prey for the region’s predators.
Desert Cottontails: A type of rabbit that also serves as prey for larger
predators.
Birds:
Golden Eagles: Large raptors that may prey on young sheep or other small
mammals.
Ravens: Opportunistic birds that scavenge and can sometimes prey on
eggs or small mammals.
Gambel’s Quail: Ground-dwelling birds that are common in desert
environments.
Roadrunners: Known for their speed and ability to catch small reptiles and
insects.
Reptiles:
Rattlesnakes (e.g., Western Diamondback): Venomous snakes that inhabit
the rocky terrain.
Desert Tortoises: Slow-moving reptiles that are well-adapted to the dry
conditions.
Gila Monsters: Venomous lizards that are unique to the region.
Chuckwallas: Large, herbivorous lizards that thrive in rocky desert areas.
Insects and Arthropods:
Scorpions: Common in desert regions, they are nocturnal and predatory.
Tarantulas: Large spiders that inhabit the desert, often hiding in burrows
during the day.
Ants and Beetles: Various species that have adapted to the desert
environment.
These animals, like the desert bighorn sheep, have evolved to survive in the challenging conditions of desert ecosystems, with adaptations that help them manage extreme temperatures, scarcity of water, and limited food sources.
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Desert Bighorn Sheep: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Rainbow Popsicle Puzzle - Art by Kii Arens, Brand: de.bored puzzles (from KESS.CO),
Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 27.56” x 19.69”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
About de.bored puzzles: “We are a new puzzle company bringing artist -inspired puzzles to you. These frame-worthy designs will help you unplug and destress, allowing you to de.bored your life.”About the artist: Kii Arens is an American contemporary, pop-artist, graphic designer and director. He is the owner of La-La Land Gallery in Los Angeles. A quote from him on the box: “Welcome to my deliciously colorful Rainbow Popsicle Pop-Art Jigsaw Puzzle. Just let yourself
drift away to this colorful mental vacation.You deserve it.” And that’s exactly what I did. I completely got immersed in the mind clearing, calming process of building this puzzle. There were some tricky parts, but the whole thing just kept flowing
together. Not a moment of frustration, just fabulous puzzling fun! So, imagine how totally fantastic it would have been without the following issues.
Quality: Severely lacking. But, I’ll start with the good or better things.The box was sturdy. The full illustration (minus the top and bottom border) covers the entire box top. The bottom had some of the info quoted above and other required info. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a letter size poster. The pieces were solid enough and unique - there were no false fits and no pieces were missing. However, the piece fit was absurdly loose, some pieces were damaged, some were together uncut, and so many pieces had backing hanging from the pieces. Color match pieces to illustrations was, well, bad. The poster did not match the box top and neither were a good match to the pieces. The illustrations also were brighter than the completed puzzle. Those two things made sorting more of a chore than anticipated.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Sorting by color was the way to go. I had a tray / trays for each shade of each rainbow arc and the sky. Some of the shading on the pieces was quite subtle, but lighter / darker were distinguishable. The rows of popsicle ice were more complicated to sort, I sorted those by darker and lighter shades as well. I also had trays of pieces that had multiple colors on each piece. Lastly, trays for the wooden sticks pieces. As I went
along, I lined up the pieces by shape. All the traditional shapes were represented.
Construction: I built the frame first and worked up from the bottom. As a graphic designer, I was of course taken with this illustration - at first glance it looked pretty straight forward. Clearly, the trickiest parts of this puzzle were the rows of popsicle ice, but I credit my sorts for the steady progress as I went up to the top. So, despite the quality issues, this was a really good time and the finished puzzle is definitely “COOL” in more ways than one!
Final thoughts: YUM! It’s summer, and temperatures here are over 100 degrees eery day. I want to be enjoying a giant popsicle right now! Are you wondering about my medium rating? I based that on the larger areas of similar color to fill, plus the tricky piecing of the popsicle rows. Steady progress didn’t mean easy for this one! The copyright on this puzzle is 2020. I went directly to the de.bored site to see if they still existed. They did. It had 8 puzzles plus a set of 3 as a panorama display (apparently not available). But if I clicked on “order now” for any of the others, it went directly to Amazon, where they sell five of the eleven (including the Popsicle.) The prices vary, but lower than other brands by quite a bit. I suppose that might explain quality issues. Yes, I enjoyed this puzzle, but I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it.
My grades for Rainbow Popsicle: Quality C-, Fun Factor A+
Grizzly Bear Puzzle, Master Pieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 11.49” x 11.34”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Roaringly Easy
“Roaring is often associated with larger bear species like grizzly bears and brown bears. It's a deep, resonant sound used to communicate over long distances, especially during the mating season or when defending their territory.”Master Pieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the
same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done eight, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Grizzly Bear. Grizzly bears, iconic North Americans predators, are renowned for their size and distinctive shoulder hump. As keystone species, they maintain ecological balance, inhabiting wilderness areas with great strength and agility.”
Quality: Excellent. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed grizzly with part of the right face still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was great. The bear passed the pick up (by either ear) test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the eyes, and the nose and mouth and the lightest fur around them. I sorted the rest by light to dark fur. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: I pieced together the mouth, nose light area around them and the eyes. I built out and around from there. I did piece together the ears but it took a while to connect them. Most of the edge pieces came last. Considering all the similar color fur, this grizzly bear was assuredly a fun build that came together relatively quickly. It looks pretty friendly but I think I would definitely avoid wilderness areas!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Grizzly Bear: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
Title: Legendary Landmarks Amazon Link, Brand: A Broader View, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Diameter: 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
These are the monuments listed in the brand’s description (starting from top center):
1. Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2. Big Ben, London, UK
3. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France4. Statue of Liberty, New York City, USA
5. St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia
6. Washington Monument, Washington, D.C., USA
7. Devils Tower, Hulett, Wyoming, USA
*Notice: This brand’s concentration was on creating puzzles to be played at a round
table with more than one participant. Everyone would have a right side up view of their section. I went to their website only to find a notification that after 22 years they have closed shop. Most I found on Google were sellers like eBay. Amazon has this one and 3 other designs still available - 500 and/or 1000 piece counts vary.
All unfortunate, as the idea was a worthy one and the . . .
Quality: Top notch! The small, sturdy square box has the full illustration on top. The
bottom shows others in the collection plus the story behind the idea. In side was a
sealed bag of pieces and a large poster. There was just a bit of puzzle dust. The solid,
average sized pieces are very low sheen. The print was vibrant and color match pieces to images was on point. No pieces were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit for the build was fine, but a pick up was not possible.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color
when applicable. So for this one I sorted each monument, each section in between
them, the solid dark blue sky, the dark blue sky that had other color, the light blue sky
and clouds, the light blue sky / clouds that had other color, and the balloons. As I went along I lined up the pieces by shape.
Construction: I built the frame first than filled in each monument from the bottom up - yes, I carefully turned the circle around. Next I filled in the bottom areas between the landmarks. Careful sorting and random cut pieces made all that an easy and fun
puzzling experience. Progress was constant. Oh yes, that left a lot of sky, but there
were also a lot of clues by that point. I filled in and connected the center sun to the
building tops and continued with the lightest sky pieces. The balloons floated in and
the dark sky met the mountain top. The puzzle was complete and just a world of
landmarks fun!!
Final thoughts: The 1000 piece version of this puzzle is only 1” larger in diameter. I
wonder if the pieces are noticeably smaller? On my discriminating opinion of one
puzzle, I am going to recommend trying to find one of these. The other designs are
busier — not my style, but I know many puzzlers would like them. Have a round table
puzzle party or not - this was a great puzzle!!
My grades for Legendary Landmarks: Quality A, Fun Factor A++
The Flintstones, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Random Cut, 500 Pieces Finished Dimension: 15” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
“The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC fromSeptember 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television. The show follows the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their pet dinosaur, Dino, and they later on have a baby girl named Pebbles. Barney and Betty Rubble are their neighbors and best friends, and later on adopt a super-strong baby boy named Bamm-Bamm and acquire a pet hopparoo (kangaroo) called Hoppy.
The Flintstones was the most financially successful and longest-running network animated television series for three decades, until The Simpsons surpassed it in 1997. In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Flintstones the second-greatest TV cartoon of all time, after The Simpsons.”
Yabba Dabba Doo! I completed this puzzle much more quickly than anticipated. And, it was really fun the whole way through. (This 3 puzzle series also includes The Jetsons and
ScoobyDoo!.) Definitely just nostalgia moments for those growing up in the 60’s or watching The Flintstones in many years of reruns.
Quality: Excellent! The flip top puzzle box is a 4” cube with the small but full, 3.5” square
illustration on the top and 3 sides. The fourth side shows the series illustrations. The bottom has the dimensions and other required info. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, and much to my surprise, an 8.5” square poster. (None was included with The Jetsons — a much simple illustration, by the way.) There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to images was on point. The solid pieces have some sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was great — pick up off the table great!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always go beyond color when
applicable. This puzzle has a lot going on - I really thought it would take some extra time to piece it together. So, I did a very deliberate sort. That included primarily light blue, the parts of Yabba Dabba Doo!, primarily medium blue, medium blue with character parts, Primarily green, green with Barney and Betty parts, the yellow car, character faces and skin, other character parts, primarily purple, purple with character parts, pieces with white, the parts of The Flintstones, and the to Bedrock sign.
Construction: I built the frame first, attached the to Bedrock sign, and started with the medium blue corner. I did the green corner next. Then I added the big Fred, the yellow car, the characters in that along with Dino, and filled in the remaining purple background. I chose to leave the lettering for the end. The Flintstones took a bit of extra time, Yabba Dabba Doo! the most time of all. I did piece together a few sections, but mostly this was a piece by piece build. I did line up piece shapes as I went from area to area - loved that this was random cut as I seem to have an affinity for quickly matching those odd shape pieces to the spaces where they belong. Progress was almost constant until it came to the lettering. No, this wasn’t done for speed, I’m slow andrather enjoy the time spent with the puzzling process. But in this case, the sorting may have taken longer than the build!
Final thoughts: I have no nostalgic memories of ScoobyDoo! - I will probably pass on that
purchase. But, I can recommend the other two relaxing and fun cartoons. Enjoy!
My grades for The Flintstones: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
ASTROLOGY from the Circle of Colors Series, Ravensburger, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Diameter: 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Fairly Easy
This is not my puzzle design of choice, maybe that’s why I have only done one other from this series. But I liked the image and the dark background. I could see sorting by color and taking each one in turn. How hard could it be? Unfortunately I started out by under-minding my ownconfidence. Even as I was purchasing it I was asking myself if I really wanted to do it. Piecing by color was not going well . . . (see Construction)
Quality: Except for annoying loose piece fit, all else was fine. The sturdy, square box has almost the completed puzzle on the top - only a few pieces broken out from the edge. No shrink wrap, just 4 clear stickers around the sides. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a huge poster. There was some puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The solid pieces have some sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. There was an extra, duplicate piece! No chance of puzzle pick up - even a few pieces put together fell apart trying to move them. Ugh!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. In this case that’s exactly what I did. I sorted the predominantly orange, shades of pinky purple, shades of darker blue, shades of turquoise blue, and shades of green. I also put together the center and colorful row around it during the sort.
Construction: . . . not going well at all. I built the frame first. I started with the orange and became frustrated as nothing seemed to fit in place. So I switched tactics and saw progress. I put together the Astrology symbols and the planet first as I went from color to color. Things were looking up! So different from how I like to puzzle - building in from the frame and connecting pieces as I proceed. I continued with the pinky purple, then the green, the dark blue and finally the turquoise - much to my surprise I was having fun! It was so satisfying to put the center section in last. I will even admit to a sense of accomplishment for sticking with it. I’m happy I did! Go figure!
My grades for Astrology: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Eagle Puzzle , MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 11.48” x 11.35”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was very easy. It did take me longer than a square or rectangular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done eight, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Eagle. The bald eagle, a proud symbol of the United States, is a majestic bird of prey with its striking white head and tail feathers. Known for its soaring flight and keen vision, it represents freedom and resilience in North American ecosystems.
Quality: Perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed eagle with part of its right side still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit definitely passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort. I found the eyes and beak pieces and sorted the rest by the lightest to darkest shades of the head and the feathers.
Construction: I started piecing from the top of to head - the face and white feathers took no time! The dark feathers took a bit more time, but much of the edge pieces connected and filling in the rest was easy enough. A fun, puzzling break! The bald eagle was in flight in pretty short order!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Eagle: Quality: A+, Fun factor A+++.
Fairy Tale Houses Puzzle, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 26.75” x 19”
My Confident Puzzler difficulty rating: Comparatively easy
Why have one house in a tree when there can be five? When a puzzle illustration is cute or clever or humorous, when it makes me happy or evokes a
smile, I want to put it back together. My favorite design has a central interest and a textured or shaded background. If it has a satisfying build, that’s a bonus. This puzzle met all those criteria!
This is the third Enjoy puzzle I have done. The second one had an odd color match issue, but it really didn’t interfere with the completion or mar the finished product. In all other regards this brand has qualities beyond measure. Tight piece fit, matte finish, every piece fits only in one place - so no false fits, rich and vibrant print, missing piece guarantee - yes, perfect!
Quality: I won’t repeat the above, but truly, these puzzles are nothing but perfectly satisfying. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with minimal signage. The bottom has a selection of their huge, many theme collections. Inside the box is a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was no poster. Because the signage hides some of the image, I printed a screenshot of the uninterrupted full image from the sale page. Color match pieces to box image was on point. None were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Still, I say perfect!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. With this puzzle each color is self contained, so I suppose “sort by color” is adequate, but . . . My adult daughter, avid puzzler and super sorter, has also fallen in love with this brand. She was visiting when we put together the first one (Princess on the Pea - medium difficulty), and here again for the second (Cute Giraffe - medium but time consuming) and this one. She loves to sort and it is my least favorite chore. We have similar sort styles and go beyond color to sort areas and objects when possible. I am just so much slower at it. She did the sorting for this one just before she went home. So what got sorted? The grass, each background shade, the tree bark and leaves, each house face with doors, windows and flowers, and each roof and chimney! Yes, the build was delightful!
Construction: I built the frame and filled in from the bottom. Up the tree I went, house by house. The dark background at the top took a bit of time compared to the rest, but in total this was just so much fun!!!
Final thoughts: I will continue to recommend these puzzle even though they are more of an investment than others. I’m in the USA, but along with their site in Europe, (where I ordered directly and got great service and fast shipping) there is also ENJOY Canada and ENJOY Australia.
Amazon carries a limited selection and they are not Prime, so for me the shipping is European. From the ENJOY site - buy 3 and get free shipping - it did offer a savings. So many beautiful and varied themes - it’s hard to be selective. But it’s worth checking them out! Most are more complicated or challenging than the ones I chose. (I don’t look for a huge challenge - for me it’s the simple pleasure of the benefits of the puzzling process - to clear the mind and be calm - that happens no matter the piece count or the difficulty.) Among all the lovely ENJOY attributes, piece fit is the most outstanding.Note: When I thanked my daughter again for her sorting effort she replied “My pleasure. It was a very gratifying sorting process- totally manageable.” And I look for a satisfying build. We make a great puzzling team!!
My grades for Fairy Tale Houses: Quality A++, Fun Factor A+++
Cute Giraffe Puzzle © Ivaylo Ivanov, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 26.75” x 19”
© Ivaylo Ivanov: I’m sorry, hundreds (maybe many more) of people have this name. I added “artist” but still could not find any comprehensive info that confirmed who did this illustration.
Difficulty level: My adult daughter, an avid puzzler and super sorter, is visiting. She chose this puzzle I recently acquired because we agreed it was just so adorable. We tend to sort similarly - she also likes to sort by areas and / or objects when possible. We knew it would be more challenging to sort the flowers separately since the colors, particularly the orange and pink, duplicated all over and all the flower centers were orange. That’s where difficulty measured in time was prominent. (See “Getting started”).
Quality: I’ll give this one almost perfect! ENJOY touts its quality - unique traditional shapes, tight, pick up off the table fit, matte, glare free finish, pieces are soft and silky to the touch, very high quality rich and vibrant print*, missing piece guarantee - and I mostly agree here! Yes - pick up, turn over perfect! Correct pieces fall into place, wrong pieces are clear, and because every piece is different there are no false fits, all traditional shapes are represented although a majority are the 2in / 2 out variety, matte finish is great for all day, all night puzzling, when complete you see the picture more than its parts. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with
minimal signage. Unfortunately that covers some of the design. The full but stamp size image is on all box top sides, but practically useless for reference.
My solution is to go to the sales page, take an enlarged screen shot of the full image, and print it on letter size paper. Why? Because inside the box there was no poster, just a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was a bit of puzzle dust. No pieces were damaged or together uncut. None were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted the edge pieces and the very top white clouds. My super sorter daughter took on the rest. The upper grays and softer lower clouds, solid blue and mostly blue pieces, the 2 blue flower petal parts, the giraffe’s ossicones, ears, facial features, and body sorts were the easiest. While she was at it she pieced together that left side - that’s when we really noticed the color discrepancy. Even she basically finished with color sorts of the greenery, pinks, oranges and yellows
Construction: I built the frame and started filling in the top clouds. I moved to the bottom and did some greenery and darker pieces, and the 2 flowers on the giraffes lower body. From there, some lighter body parts got filled in. Then it was off to the flowers. This was a harder puzzle to work with two people because the individual prominent oranges, yellows, and pink flowers were in several places and we found ourselves reaching for the same trays or just in each other’s way.
But we persevered taking turns. It was a piece by piece, sometimes trial and error exercise, but finally the flowers big and tiny were complete. We worked together to fill int the giraffe’s head and face, and had to smile seeing the completed puzzle. Yes some hard work, yes adorable, yes those feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction — all together well worth the effort. And to repeat it was a lot of fun!
Final thoughts: This was my second ENJOY Puzzle. The quality was totally impressive on the first one, The Princess On The Pea. Once again my daughter was here and that sort and construction went like clockwork. It is beautifully displayed, framed and matted, hanging on a master bedroom wall - the subject could not be more perfect! My daughter collects giraffe’s - I know this one will find a place in her home too! When completed probably only we know about the color glitches. Finished it looks great. Both puzzles measure the same and require a custom frame, matting or not. My daughter is leaving tomorrow — she is sorting our next Enjoy puzzle while I’m typing this — an angel who travels 2500 miles to visit me and loves to sort - my least
favorite puzzling activity.
My sorts are also comprehensive but take me hours on end. My super sorter is so much faster and very accurate unless that’s impossible - ie. the flowers. By color is not enough for either of us! I will continue to recommend these puzzle even though they are more of an investment than others. I’m in the USA, but along with their site in Europe, (where I ordered directly and got great service and fast shipping) there is also ENJOY Canada and ENJOY Australia.
Amazon carries a limited selection and they are not Prime, so for me the shipping is European. Buy 3 and get free shipping - it did offer a savings. So many beautiful and varied themes - it’s hard to be selective. But it’s worth checking them out! Among all the lovely attributes, peace fit is the most outstanding.
Fun Fact! “The massive bumps on a giraffe's head aren't horns, or antlers, they're different, and they're called ossicones. They actually are like cartilage like in your ear and when they're born they're flat, and then they fold out and they become bone and fuse to the skull.”
My grades for Cute Giraffe: Quality A-. Fun Factor A+
The Blue Car Puzzle Amazon link, Clementoni, Ribbon Cut, 500 Pieces Finished Dimensions: approx 14.125” x 19.375”
My Confident Puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
At first glance I thought there might be some tricky parts but, perhaps because of my dedicated sorting (see Getting started), this puzzle went quite quickly and was definitely fun! There were some niggly issues (see Quality) but otherwise I quite enjoyed finishing this in a number of hours. I’m slow — for me it was like speed puzzling.
Quality: Below average. Loose piece fit and false fits were the niggles. Building even small sections that fall apart trying to place them is really annoying, false fits are maddening. In this puzzle they showed up twice, first in the bottom frame row and secondly in the maroon strip, center right side. The shrink wrapped box is sturdy but oversized. The full illustration is on the
top. Inside was a sealed plastic bag of pieces, a multi language, informational, customer service card, and a promo card with a discount for “my frame me UP”. That apparently is a custom puzzle and framing service offered from Clementoni. There was no poster. There was some puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The solid pieces have some sheen. All traditional shapes were represented. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Do not even try to pick up the completed puzzle.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color to include objects and areas where possible. I sorted the road, the blue car, the tires, the sidewalk, the dark maroon/dark blue strip, solid pink pieces, pink pieces with leaves and branches, the troublesome maroon strip, the maroon wall dividers, the solid green pieces, the green pieces with black railings, the green pieces with white stairs, the five windows and door parts, and some solid black pieces. As I went along, I lined up the trays of pieces by shape, and also by shade for the pink and green.
Construction: I built the frame first and started filling in from the bottom. Obviously I had barely begun when The first of the false fits showed up. I moved away several of those frame pieces, completed building the second row of the street, rearranged the frame row to fit, and kept going. The car was no problem. I put in the pink above the car roof and then built the maroon strip. Very few of the rows of pink above or below it found a home. I removed most of the maroon strip and filled in the cutouts in the pink wall. After putting back the maroon strip pieces, there were no more issues. If I had to say something was tricky it would be the angled black railing, but in total it all went together without a hitch. Despite the niggles, this really was a satisfying puzzling experience.
Final thoughts: I have done three other Clementoni Puzzles. They were all 1000 pieces. Two had both loose piece fit and false fits, the other two, just loose piece fit. Sounds like at least that is possibly a constant for this brand. I have one more (500 pieces) Clementoni in my stash — please stay tuned. Meanwhile, I know a lot of puzzlers like this brand - understandable for the
large and varied collection they offer. And my final thoughts on the ones I’ve done were all positive as far as overall enjoyment was concerned. I can recommend checking out the brand.
My grades for The Blue Car: Quality B, Fun Factor A++
White Tailed Deer Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces Finished Dimensions: 9.7” x 13.2”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: a bit more time but Easy
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented thesame in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a square or rectangular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done seven, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: White Tailed Deer. White-tailed deer, graceful and common, inhabit forests, fields, and even suburban areas across North and Central America. Their distinctive tail and antlers, shed and regrown annually, are characteristic features of this beloved species.”
Quality: Almost perfect. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed white-tailed deer with part of the chest fur still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration
was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was too loose to pass the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. There were many of them for this animal - maybe almost half the pieces! With 100 pieces, all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort. I found the eyes and pulled out most of the antler edge pieces, and sorted the rest from lightest to darkest shades.
Construction: I started piecing from the bottom filling in the edge pieces with the dark and light fur up to the mouth. The nose, eyes and white surrounding them, along with the edge pieces up to the ears came next. Then the fur above the eyes that connected the antlers finished everything but the ears. They came last. I mostly pieced by color; a bit past mid way done, I lined up the
remaining interior pieces by color and shape. Then the friendly white tailed deer came out of the woods. When I lived in the Northeast of the USA deer were everywhere. Hello lovely deer - I always observe “watch for animals” signs!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for White Tailed Deer: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Welcoming All Puzzle, Masterpieces (Amazon Store), Random Cut, 500 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 15” x 21”
My Confident Puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
From the box description: “Sometimes simple is best. This rainbow puzzle features panels of bold color with a single heart in the very center, conveying the message that all are welcome.
Open this colorful gate and enjoy the wonderful world of puzzling. ”This Rainbow Sauce puzzle is meant to convey unity - a message bigger and more meaningful than any puzzle. There are 4 in the series. This one is surely the simplest in the collection. And indeed, sometimes it’s all that’s needed to fulfill the benefits of the puzzling process. No matter piece count or difficulty, the process clears the mind and offers calm. I am slow, I don’t watch the clock, I take breaks, and this puzzle was sorted and finished in an afternoon. Yes - totally simple fun!
Quality: Excellent! The small, sturdy, square box has the full illustration on the top. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a large poster. There was some puzzle dust. The solid pieces have a nicethickness and some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was spot on. None of the pieces
were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was perfect. The completed puzzle more than passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Certainly by color was the way to go! I also separately set aside those pieces that had adjoining colors, and those pieces that made up the heart.
Construction: I built the frame first, then filled in the panels from each side moving toward the center. I like random cut, but that could be the tricky part for puzzlers who don’t. In each panel I put together the pieces with adjoining colors (blue to purple, turquoise to green etc.) first. To
repeat -totally simple fun!
Final thoughts: I have done only one other in this series. Unfortunately “Paint and Play” had a missing piece. I mention that only because there was an easy avenue to request a replacement. I have done several others from this brand without any issues. Their selection is huge and varied - definitely worth checking out!
My grades for Welcoming All: Quality A, Fun Factor A++
Giraffes Puzzles Amazon link, Eurographics, Ribbon Cut, 250 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19” x 13”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Some extra time for the sky, but still easy
This puzzle is part of Eurographics’ Save Our Planet Collection. As of this production run they have “1000 trees planted . . . and counting!”
This was a fun puzzle to build even with all that sky. Love without conditions, so hard to resist this illustration. Awww, so sweet.
Quality: Quite fine except for extremely loose piece fit. With only 250 pieces, it wasn’t much of an issue. (Please see my “Final thoughts”). The long, narrow sturdy box has an enlarged portion of the full image on the top. The full image is on the box bottom. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, and a promo card to visit their site and use a discount code. There was no poster. The solid, easy handle pieces have some sheen. All traditional shapes were represented. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. No pieces were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Do not try to pick up this puzzle!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color when applicable, so I sorted the grasses, the tree, the little giraffes, each big giraffe, the dark blue water, and each shade of the blue sky. After finding the edge pieces, I also lined up the interior pieces by color and shape. Yup, all ready to tackle that sky!
Construction: I built the frame first (lots of sky hints), and started filling in from the bottom. The small giraffes, the grass, the tree and the water went quickly. The 2 central giraffes went next, which did give more hints for starting the sky. Having all that sky lined up by shades and shape kept the time and concentration level manageable. It was just so heartwarming to see this illustration complete.
Final thoughts: Early on in my puzzling adventure I completed two other puzzles from this brand - Harmony and Ice Cream Flavors - each 1000 pieces. Harmony is a gorgeous illustration I could not pass up! And, yes, I love ice cream. I went back to my reviews. Loose piece fit was Harmony’s only quality negative, but puzzle construction happiness was hindered. Ice cream went negative beyond the loose fit. There is one more 1000 piece puzzle from this brand in my stash. I doubt I will ever open it.
My Grades for Giraffes: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
WOLF Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 10.1” x 12.96”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: a bit more time required, but Easy
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several ofthem. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done six, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal Grey Wolf: Grey wolves, highly intelligent and social predators, inhabit a wide range of ecosystems in North America. As keystone species, they play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance and biodiversity,”
Quality: Pretty good. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the
completed wolf with part of the fur still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was a very loose. The wolf did not passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I found the eyes. I sorted the rest by the several light and dark colors. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: I built this one from the inside out doing the face first. Then I filed in the lighter fur under and around the nose and mouth. Then more fur above the eyes, The darkest sections were the trickiest, but the edge pieces finally got pieced all the way around up to the ears. The ears and the area that connected them came last, Soon the wolf was staring - hopefully not with any ill intentions on me! I took it’s picture and left the scene!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. They are not as easy as 100 piece square or rectangle ones. The elephant one is totally grey except fir the tusks. But with each one, I have so much fun watching them come to life. I might get more! So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Horse: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Inch by Inch Puzzle (Amazon Link), New York Puzzle Company, Random Cut
500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 24” x 18”
My Confident Puzzler difficulty rating: Medium, but harder for me than I expected
About the artist: Peter de Sève is an Emmy award winning American artist who has worked in the illustration and animation fields for 40 years. He has drawn many covers for the magazine The New Yorker.I recently did another 500 piece puzzle from this brand. It was my favorite style - a central interest with a shaded or textured background.
From the sorting to placing the last piece it was a satisfying and fun experience. I bought the one above almost on the illustration alone — really, isn’t it just so cute? Not exactly my favorite style, but hardly a “busy” one. So, why did I I say harder than expected? That’s all on me because of my sorting style. I like to sort beyond color to objects and distinct areas when possible. As a matter of fact my decision to purchase might rely on asking myself “can I sort this?” Obviously I thought so or talked myself into it. (See more in Getting started/ Construction)
Quality: Pretty good. The full illustration is on the sturdy box top. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. There was some puzzle dust. The solid pieces had some sheen. A couple were bent but not torn or splitting, none were together uncut, and none were missing. As is often the case with this brand, piece fit was loose. The completed puzzle failed a low lift off the table.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. My reason for more precise sorting is simple - I can experience more progress without frustration and be totally engrossed in the process of puzzling. I am slow, I don’t mind that, I don’t watch the clock. Peace of mind and calm — bring it on! So, I started sorting.
When I can’t find where a piece goes I set it aside. That aside pile kept growing. With a closer look I realized how many of the colors repeated all over the puzzle. The sidewalk and the windows, the stone building and the skin, the dark areas - tree, skirt, hair, shadow, curb? So beyond the teacher’s shirt and knapsack, the grass, the gold school shirts, clothes and shoes, the red and blond hair, the flowers, the yellowish gray of the sidewalk, the fence parts, and the inchworm, the rest of the sorting was by color. Did I mention that sorting is my least favorite part of the process? It is not its own reward. It is the means to an end - easy
or challenging - a fun build.
Construction: I lined the trays of pieces up by shape. This was random cut, but the majority of the pieces was some semblance of the 2 in / 2 out variety. I built the frame first. At least that offered a lot of information. I like to build in from the frame. I filled in the flowers. Then I did the sidewalk through the crack, including the inchworm (the only 2 pieces I put together during the sort), on the lower right. Next I put in the teacher’s shirt. Then maybe the grass. I opted to leave the children for the end. I did keep going, but there was a lot more hunting for the next piece than usual. As more pieces were placed I could re-sort the remainder more strategically. Finally those adorable little children were all lined up and the puzzle was complete!
Final thoughts: Did I have fun? “This was such a fun, rewarding and satisfying puzzling experience!” That’s what I said when I finished the previous puzzle I mentioned at the beginning. For this one I suppose I had a sense of accomplishment for sticking with it. But all that hunting was not fun, especially with only 500 pieces. To repeat, this was my own fault for copping out on
my sorting style. Trust me, 1000 pieces of central interest and a lot of background can be very challenging - my sorting is the key, and I enjoy taking on the challenge. I hadn’t expected 500 pieces of cute picture to feel frustrating or challenging! Thank goodness puzzling is an individual endeavor! I respect all the styles that bring pleasure to those who indulge in this hobby. It is, after
all is said and done, supposed to be fun! As for Inch by Inch, I had fun seeing it finished. Darn — it’s so cute!
My grades for Inch by Inch: Quality A-, Fun Factor B+
HORSE Jigsaw Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 8.9” x 14.48”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: a bit more time but Easy
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take melonger than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done five, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal Horse: Horses, majestic and intelligent creatures, have distinct personalities. Some are calm and gentle, while others may be spirited and energetic. Forming strong bonds with humans, they have been valuable companions and work partners for millennia.”
Quality: Pretty good. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed horse with part of the left face still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was
no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was not on point. The box picture is darker than the puzzle pieces. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was a bit loose. The horse almost passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the light mane, the white areas on his face, and the rest by light and dark colors. I lined them all up by shape as well.
Construction: The outline pieces were straightforward for the most part, so I was able to piece together the left side, hair and ear and down and around much of the shape. I happened to find the eye during the sort so I put that in along with the white streak and the white area near its nose. The rest went piece by piece — so many dark pieces to fill in took some time. Soon the
horse was looking expectantly at me. Hello, let’s go for a ride!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the
MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My Grades for Horse: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Lady on a Zebra puzzle, New York Puzzle Company, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 24” x 18”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easier than I imagined!
From the box description: “A.E. Marty crafted one of Vogue’s most fantastical covers with a sure hand and clean lines. At first glance the reader might not even notice that the modestly dressed, veiled, behatted, and bepearled adventuress sits astride a rearing zebra, rather than a steed, as three giraffes wander in the distance. Here was an imaginative “fashion catalogue” that spoke to the issue’s theme. Southern Fashions — “the great migration to sunny climes” — and “those small accents of so vast importance to chic — the wearing of the scarf, the tilting of the hat, and similar weighty details” that add to the element of fantasy in fashion.”
This is my favorite puzzle style - a central interest and a shaded or textured background. So why did I imagine it would be difficult? There was a lot of similar background that could take extra time, and the zebra would probably be tricky. Neither was the case, but what surprised me was exactly how quickly I completed it. I don’t watch the clock, and as long as I see progress, I
actually relish the time spent. This was done in some number of hours — for me that’s fast!
Quality: Quite good! The full illustration is on the sturdy box top. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster. Color match pieces to illustration was on point.There was a small pile of puzzle dust. The solid pieces had some sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was fine. My one complaint of this brand is loose piece fit. It wasn’t as much of an issue this time. The completed puzzle passed a low lift off the table.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color to include objects and areas. So, I sorted the pieces that read V O G U E, the pieces that made up the bottom script, the background, the lady’s hat, face and torso (pieced together during sorting), the green dress, the zebra, the giraffes (also pieced during the sort), the gray hills, the brown ground,
the top and bottom interior border pieces, and the pieces that would fit into the interior border.
Construction: As I went along, I lined my sorts up by shape. There were plenty that looked “traditional”, but enough wonky random cut ones as well. I like random cut, I seem to have an affinity for recognizing the piece that fits the crazy shape, so that was a major part of the quick progress. The trickiest part was probably the frame. The outside of it was white. The left and right edge pieces did include the inside border, but I did not build the frame first. I started by piecing the bottom and top edge pieces, then put in the script and bottom interior border. Next I pieced together V O G U E and added the top interior border. Then I did build the frame sides. I put in the giraffes, the ground, the gray hills, and the remaining sorted pieces that fit inside the
interior border. One of those pieces had the top of the hat, so the lady went into place. Next came the scarf, the green dress and the zebra. A lot of the background went into place as all that building was going on, so lastly I filled in the remaining background pieces. This was such a fun, rewarding and satisfying puzzling experience!
Final thoughts: I know this type of puzzle design isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I can assure you that they can be as challenging as a busy puzzle, which is not my favorite. I would fill in backgrounds in favor of busy all day long, but I can no longer say I would never do a one color puzzle. The puzzle I did before this one was a 250 piece solid white one that was not finished in hours or days. I had to keep walking away from the exercise because it was soooooo boring just looking at piece shapes that had no design. I’m sure my enjoyment of Lady on a Zebra was heightened by that experience — I was so happy to watch the graphic come together and enjoy the finished product. It is a lovely, if curious, illustration after all. As for this brand. I have done many now, from 100 to 1500 pieces. This was possibly the first one that was random cut. The
1500 piece one was all the same 2 in / 2 out shape - that I definitely remember! I can certainly recommend New York Puzzle Company’s collection even if piece cut is not a given.
My grades for Lady on a Zebra: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+++
WHITE Puzzle, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 250 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 12” X 18”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Only in terms of time, Hard
Okay, I have completed my first and last one color puzzle. I have said more than once I had no interest in doing one. Then I came across this little one and thought I could do it, so why not broaden my repertoire? My favorite puzzle designs are those with a central interest and a textured or shaded background. A lot of 1000 piece puzzles I’ve done could have 250 pieces of
background, so its something I’m used to and usually enjoy despite the possible challenge. But this puzzle certainly convinced me it’s why jigsaw puzzles have pictures! Watching an illustration come together is quite rewarding. Hours and hours and hours of looking at nothing but piece shapes was not! It was so repetitive I was quite bored by the whole thing. But I do
judge time spent as a measure of difficulty, and 250 pieces felt like it took forever, so hence the hard rating.
Quality: Admirable.There are things to admire. The attractive, sturdy, 8” square box and everything in it is sustainable. Just two easy to peal clear stickers hold it together. An enlarged portionof the illustration, with minimal signage, covers the top and sides of the box top. Yes, it was just white. The box bottom has a small complete image, Yes, it was a white rectangle. Inside is a resealable paper bag of pieces and a huge poster. Yes, it was just white. The solid pieces have a matte finish, and a black core and backing. There was some black puzzle dust. Piece fit was loose, but still amazing! It was immediately clear when a correct piece just fell into place. All of
the traditional shapes were represented. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut. There were no false fits. No pieces were missing. The completed puzzle could not be picked up.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I pulled the edge pieces as I was lining up the rest of the pieces by shape and direction. Clearly the easiest sorting possible!
Construction: I built the frame first and just got to it. There’s not much to tell. Sometimes there would be clues enough to eliminate some piece shapes from the search - clues like what I call arrows or flags, or 2 knobs at right angles on the same piece - but sometimes I was forced to look through almost all of them. The last 50 pieces went, comparatively, very quickly. That was fun only because it was almost over. It was finally complete. Never again!
Final thoughts: Is such a puzzle “challenging”? I suppose. I’d rather reserve that for an interesting illustration where the pieces are giving me the visual information beyond shape to find where it goes. I’ve taken hours on those puzzle too, but as I said at the start there is real pleasure in seeing a picture come together. This one was just work, and for all my effort I got a white rectangle. No thanks, just not for me. Blue Kazoo had 1000 piece solid White, Red and Black puzzles in their Classic collection but did not reissue them when they went to sustainable. In their beginning in the early 1960’s, Springbok made a lot of round, one color puzzles. There
are no solid color puzzles in their collection now. Just sayin’.
My grades for WHITE: Quality A-, fun Factor C.
DOLPHIN Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 13.34” x 9.7”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Not quite so easy!
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was fairly easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying
several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done four, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal Dolphin: Bottlenose Dolphins, commonly found in the coastal waters off the USA, are intelligent and playful marine mammals. With their iconic curved mouths and acrobatic leaps, they captivate both locals and tourists alike, contributing to the country’s vibrant marine life.”
Quality: Pretty good. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed pig with part of the belly still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no
puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was good enough, but darker than the box pic. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was loose. The dolphin did not pass the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the edge pieces, the water, and the rest by shades of color.
Construction: I did start by piecing together the body outline. I filled in from that, starting with the darkest areas The rest went piece by piece, with the splashing water coming last. Then the dolphin was leaping out at me. Hello dolphin, let’s go for a swim!!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. In this case, I had to take a break from the time consuming but rather boring puzzle I was working on. (That reviews will happen sometime -
hopefully soon.) The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
PIG Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 8.9” x 14.48”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done three, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal Pig: Pigs, highly intelligent and social animals, display diverse personalities. Some are curious and affectionate, while others show independence and playfulness. Their intelligence have made them excellent learners, and they form strong bonds with their caregivers.”
Quality: Very good. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed pig with part of the left ear still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The box bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, there is no poster. There was no
puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was perfect. The pig passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the ears, eyes, snout, and grass pieces, and the rest by shades of color.
Construction: I did not even try to piece together the outline. I pieced together the grass, then the snout and ears. The rest went piece by piece with the body happening as I went along, until the pig was staring up at me. Hello piglet, I hope you are kept as a pet!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the
MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
Flamingo Playground Puzzle, JIGGY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 450 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 18” X 14”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
JIGGY Puzzles supports independent artists. The designer of this one is Karen Lynch. “Based in Adelaide, Australia, Karen Lynch creates both digital and hand-cut paper collages, made from vintage magazines, books and catalogues found at thrift shops, second-hand bookstores, markets and garage sales.
Quality: Acceptable. This puzzle arrives shrink wrapped in a 5.5” x 6.5” very sturdy, attractive, square, white box. Signage is extremely minimal. The front has a 3.75” x 2.75” full puzzle image. Inside is a glass canister with a cork top holding the pieces, a letter size poster, a tube of glue, and a glue spreader. The last two items are provided to emphasize JIGGY’s statement “We make puzzles worth framing.” The poster is an improvement over what had been a postcard size reference image.There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have a matte finish. Color match pieces to illustrations was on point. There were 3 instances where the shiny white backing was splitting from the pieces, all fixed with a little household glue. No others were damaged or
together uncut, and none were missing. Most traditional shapes were represented. Piece fit was variable. Even some correct pieces left me wondering. The completed puzzle barely passed a very modest pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort by area and object when possible, so here I sorted the sand, the small red boat and the people at the water’s edge, the red and white boat and the people on it, the red sail, the yellow sail, the tree line, the mountain, the pink, white, purple and shades of blue sky, the water, and the flamingo and the flamingo’s legs.
Construction: I built the frame first, the thin white border was different widths on each side making that easier. Then I worked the puzzle up from the bottom. My sorts made that a simple task. The sky was last by default.Yes, that took the most time, but again lining up my sorts by shades and shape made it a satisfying exercise.
Final thoughts: Being only 450 pieces, this build was more fun than any kind of real challenge. After a short while I got past the little jiggle of some correct pieces. These puzzles are more pricey than most. This one was on sale. I know their pricing is higher because part of the purchase goes back to the artist, but I have to imagine the elaborate packaging adds to it as well.
This was my third JIGGY puzzle, all chosen because I loved the illustration and just couldn’t resist. And, yes, I framed the first two and this one will be as well. I looked back at my other reviews. Loose piece fit for both of those too. Still and all, I am willing to support independent artists, and the selection is quite extensive. The largest piece count is 800 pieces, the smallest is 100 pieces. Most of the puzzles are 500 pieces, twenty seven of them are 450 pieces. Some dimensions do not fit ready made frames, but Jiggy sells those too. Some come in magnetic closure boxes or cardboard tubes instead of jars. I certainly can suggest checking them out.
My grades for Flamingo Playground: Quality B+, Fun Factor A
GIRAFFE Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 10” x 12.91”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy
EasyMasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. It did take me longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun! I couldn’t resist buying several of them. I truly apologize for their reviews, and the COW one that came first, for reading very much alike. The point is I’ve done two, they are quality moments of relaxing puzzling fun. There will be edits, and each will be a quick read. Thank you!
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal Giraffe: Giraffes, iconic African mammals, are known for their towering necks and distinct spotted patterns. These graceful giants are gentle herbivores, thriving in savannas and grasslands, and are the tallest land animals on earth.”
Quality: Very good. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed giraffe with part of the neck still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wrap, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, there was no poster. There was no
puzzle dust. The solid pieces had some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point.
Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was okay. Piecing it together was fine, but the giraffe did not pass the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the neck pieces and the rest by shades of color.
Construction: I did not even try to piece together the outline. I pieced together the neck, then the ears. The rest went piece by piece with the horns happening last, until the giraffe was staring down at me. Hello up there!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or, some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the
MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My grades for giraffe: Quality A, Fun factor A+
VELOCIPEDE Jigsaw Puzzle, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 30” x 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Moderate
VELOCIPEDE: “A version of the bicycle reinvented in the 1860s by the Michaux family of Paris. Its iron and wood construction and lack of springs earned it the nickname “boneshaker.” It was driven by pedaling cranks on the front axle. To increase the distance covered for each turn of the cranks, the front wheel was enlarged until, finally, in the ordinary, or penny-farthing, bicycle, the wheel would just go under the crotch of the rider. The “penny-farthing” nickname came from the smallest and largest British coins of the time, in reference to the disparity in the size of the wheels. By the second half of the 20th century, the original meaning was restricted to those knowledgeable in the history of the bicycle, while to others it referred to a children’s tricycle, which duplicates the differentiated wheel size. The velocipede was eventually replaced by the more stable safety bicycle, having a chain-driven rear wheel.”
This is my favorite puzzle design - a central figure with variations of shade or texture in the background. Still, I selected this one because I thought it would be a challenge. I previously did a more colorful one from Blue Kazoo called Barrier Reef, which had its challenging moments. For Velocipede, with all those shades of brown and black, all those letters to piece together, and the
large areas of color to fill the main subject, I was convinced it would be tough. I settled on moderate difficulty because I was surprised at the outcome!
Quality: Excellent! The attractive, sturdy, 8” square box and every thing in it is sustainable. Just two easy to peal clear stickers hold it together. An enlarged portion of the illustration, with minimal signage, covers the top and sides of the box top. There is some interesting facts about bicycles printed along the outer sides of the box bottom. A small but full illustration is on the box
bottom. Inside is a resealable paper bag of pieces and a huge poster. The solid pieces have a matte finish, and a black core and backing. The black is bit jarring when dumped out of the bag, especially here, where many of the printed pieces were also black! There was some black puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was fine. Piece fit was amazing! it was immediately clear when a correct piece just fell into place. All of the traditional shapes were represented. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut. There were no false fits. No pieces were missing. If careful, the completed puzzle can be picked up from the narrow sides.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted the edges, the white parts of “Orient .…”, the white outlined black pieces of “Lead ...” And the black parts of “Waltham ...”, the hair and face of the big rider, the skin, the red clothes, the big bike and handlebars, the black and brown/black background, the parts of the riders and bikes in the background, the light brown and darker brown background textures, and the name of this poster’s artist that I found while sorting. (“Edward Penfield is considered the father of the American poster ... He went on to become art director for Harper’s Weekly Magazine.”)
Construction: As I went along I sub-sorted my trays by shape. I built the frame first and paid homage to Mr. Penfield in the lower left corner. The frame offered only a few clues but did include the top of the O. In order to see at least some quick progress, I pieced together the rider’s face and hair, then got to work on the white words. They took forever and there was still so much
left to do! Since I use time spent as a measure of difficulty, it seemed challenging was right on track. I moved to the bottom and filled in the rider’s smokin’ fast shoes and the bike, the label, hands and handlebars.
Now what? I bit the bullet and decided to do the rest of the words - what I had considered the most difficult things in this puzzle. From “cycle” I was able to piece in the rider’s left arm outline to start Lead the Leaders. Small bits on 2 handlebar pieces gave a start to Waltham. That was made even easier by the textured background, as I could line up the pieces byshape in that vertical orientation. I’m still glad “Manufacturing Company” was abbreviated (Thank you Mr. Penfield!). Much to my pleasure and surprise they went together in a breeze.
Next I filled in the background riders and bikes, and quit for the night.
At left was what remained - lots of skin, red clothing, and black and
brown textured backgrounds. A most enjoyable way to wake up! Not
that I want to do a one color puzzle, but I will do large areas of
similar color over a busy puzzle any day of the week! The puzzle
was complete before my coffee was cold! Okay, it was my third
cup. I’m slow but that doesn’t bother me. I don’t watch the clock, I
take breaks, but for me there’s still a big difference between “took
forever” and “in a breeze”.
Final thoughts: Can I say perfect? This puzzle was so satisfying, some hard, some easy, no frustration, always a sense of progress, enough work to feel accomplished, and most of all so much fun! Challenging - in total, no, time consuming relative to other puzzles - yes, so I’ll stick with my moderate rating. I’ve done 5 other puzzles from this brand. Quality was comparable, piece fit being the highlight where the actual puzzling is concerned. I've said this before, but worth repeating. I can recommend this brand, obviously I enjoy their puzzles. I also admire the Blue Kazoo Team’s dedication to the environment shared with a kitschy sense of humor throughout their site. Laughter is a good thing!
My grades for Velocipede: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
VELOCIPEDE Jigsaw Puzzle, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 30” x 20”
COW Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 11.75” x 10.9”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
From the box: “FIELD NOTES, Animal: Cow: Cows have diverse personalities, with some being friendly and affectionate, while others are more reserved. They form social bonds within their herd, showing empathy and experiencing emotions like joy and fear.”MasterPieces has a slew of these shaped, 100 piece, animal puzzles. They are all presented the same in cute, 3.5” cube boxes. Fun to puzzle, fun to collect, fun to gift. I’ve tried other shaped puzzles and actually given up on them. So relatively speaking, this one was easy. I did take me
longer than a regular 100 piece one, but it was definitely fun!
Quality: Excellent. The full illustration is on the top flap. Three sides have most of the completed cow with the right ear still in pieces. The fourth has the “Field Notes.” The bottom has the dimensions and other required info. There is no shrink wasp, just one clear sticker keeping the top flap closed. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces, there was no poster. There was no puzzle dust.
The solid pieces had some sheen. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. Other than the wonky edge pieces, the rest were a mix of traditional shapes. Piece fit was great. With care I could even pick up the completed cow. No pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. No pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edges of course are different with a shaped puzzle, but I did pull the likely candidates. With 100 pieces all that need be done is turn them all face up and get started. I always sort, so I sorted the nose and mouth, the bell, and the white, dark, and part white, part dark pieces.
Construction: I did not even try to piece together the outline. I pieced together the bell, then started with the top of the head, then the nose and mouth, and filled in the white area between them. The rest went piece by piece with the ears happening last, until the cow was staring back at me. Moooooo!
Final thoughts: I know, I know - Seriously, 100 pieces? Well, I don’t think they are just for kids. They are a quick puzzling fix when time is short. Or some relaxing time to end a busy day, or some calming moments when sleep is futile. The puzzling process never changes, no matter the difficulty or piece count. It clears the mind and offers calm. I certainly can recommend the MasterPieces’ selection of shaped animal puzzles. So many brands have 100 piece puzzle now. There must be something to it!
My grades for COW: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
Mariposas Puzzle Buffalo (from the Vivid Collection), Ribbon Cut, 300 Large Pieces Finished Dimensions: 21.25” x 15”
My confident puzzler difficulty rating: Easy(ish)
It’s just so pretty! Besides that, 300 piece puzzles offer enough puzzling to feel accomplished but
can be finished in some hours even for a slow puzzler like me. I actually like taking my time.
After all, the puzzling process clears the mind and offers calm — the more of that the better, I
figure!
Quality: Excellent! The small, sturdy box has no shrink wrap. The sides of the box are glued closed to protect the loose pieces inside.This one split open cleanly without ripping any card
board - that has often happened in the past, perhaps they have changed the adhesive. But for this
one no quality points off. The box remains pristine. The full illustration is on the box top. The
box bottom emphasizes Buffalo’s commitment to the environment for their made in America
puzzles. Inside were the unpackaged pieces and a large poster. There was a bit of puzzle dust.
The solid pieces have some sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were
missing. Piece fit was great - easily passing the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. That’s about all I did. Even though this
was ribbon cut, the pieces had some random cut qualities. I did line some of them up by shape,
but color was prime for the build here.
Construction: I built the frame first and started filling in from the bottom. It was clearly the
easier half of this illustration. I continued upward, building the butterflies and then filling in the
solid blue background. So lovely to look at when completed, and just so much fun!
Final thoughts: I love puzzles like this - a central figure with at least some variations to the
background. If this were a thousand pieces it would not have been finished in a day, but I would
have enjoyed the challenge. Unfortunately it only comes in this piece count.
My grades for Mariposas: Quality A, Fun Factor A+
Princess on the Pea, ENJOY Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: Mine: 26.875” x 18.875”, on the Box: 26.75” x 19”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
“The Princess on the Pea is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who is tested to become wife to a lonely prince. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in a cheap booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C. A. Reitzel.”The Plot: “The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. He meets many princesses, but is never sure that they are real princesses—until one stormy night, when a mysterious young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a princess, but the prince's mother, the queen, has doubts.
She decides to test their unexpected guest by placing a hard uncooked pea in the bed she is offered for the night, covered by twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds. In the morning, the mysterious woman tells her hosts that she endured a rather restless night, kept awake by something in the bed that made her feel uncomfortable. The prince's family realizes that she is a princess after all, since only a true princess could be so delicate. The prince and the princess are happily married, and the story ends with the pea being placed in a museum, where it might still remain.”
This happy ending little story has been critiqued good and bad, and revised as an opera, a play, a musical, a ballet, a TV adaptation, a poem, and feature films, all the way into the 21st century. Quite a ride from a cheap booklet to all of that! And of course this charming puzzle illustration - so far, after searching for quite a while, I cannot find the artist. But isn’t it delightful? Is it not the perfect puzzle to hang in a bedroom? It’s destined for mine, anyway.
Quality: I’ll give this one perfect! ENJOY touts its quality - strong connections, matte, glare free finish, unique traditional shapes, uniformity, very high quality rich and vibrant print, missing piece guarantee - and I agree! Yes - pick up, turn over perfect! Correct pieces fall into place, wrong pieces are clear, and every piece is different - no false fits, all traditional shapes are represented although a majority are the 2in / 2 out variety, matte finish is great for all day, all night puzzling, when complete you see the picture more than its parts. The medium size, attractive box has the full image on top with minimal signage. The bottom has a selection of their huge, many theme collections. Inside the box is a sealed bag of solid pieces and a card with a QR code to register and get 2 years of free missing piece replacement, and a chance to win 2 puzzles every month. A second QR code offers a monthly giveaway chance to win up to 4 puzzles each month. There was no poster. I printed a screenshot of the uninterrupted full image from the sale page. Color match pieces to box image was on point. None were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Still, I say perfect!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. During a week long visit from my adult daughter - avid puzzler and super sorter - we had the comprehensive sort done in really short order considering all the parts. She sorted the floor, the bed frame, the ladder, each blanket, the hanging pieces, the quilt, the pillow, the sleepy princess’s hair, head, crown, dress and body, probably even the pea. I sorted the edge pieces and the green background. This was our third puzzle, My daughter had to leave and I was left with only the green background - Ugh!
Construction: But all fun!!!! I started at the bottom, built just the flooring edge there and going up the sides. Then we put in each row from the bed frame onward and upward. Her sorts madethat very easy indeed! We always have fun puzzling together, even ones that are more of a challenge, this was just a joy! Some edge pieces went in along the way. Given the ENJOY touts I was not worried about false fits, so I finished the frame off before my wonderful daughter had to go home, 2500 miles away. The green background was not so joyful. I methodically lined up the remaining green pieces by shape from dark to light - in total, about 1/4 of the puzzle were green pieces! Progress was VERY slow compared to the central subject. Hence, the medium rating. But I persevered and the puzzle was complete! Seeing it finished brought back the joy!
Final thoughts: This puzzle was only available from outside of the USA. (In Europe, Australia, and Canada) Shipping doubled the price. It was on back order at ENJOY. There were other sites that had it, prices where it was available were similar. But after one failed attempt - no sales receipt was ever issued, and my CC number was out in hyper space - that ended in my having to cancel my credit card. ENJOY was legit, so I pre-ordered it there. Obviously I really, really wanted it! Much to my surprise and pleasure, it arrived within 2 weeks. Enough time to take advantage of my visiting super sorter - it is not my favorite activity, er chore! I since discovered Amazon carries a smaller ENJOY selection (not including this one) but they are not Prime, so the cost with required shipping is the same — pricey! Maybe there will be a sale. The quality would have me buying more! Of course, other than perhaps the price, I can recommend ENJOY Puzzles even after having done only one from the brand.
My grades for Princess on the Pea: Quality A+++, Fun Factor - shared with my daughter, A+++, alone A++ (again the green background - Ugh!)
Pretty Feline (part of theFloral Friends series)
Heye Puzzles
Ribbon Cut
1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 19.7” x 27.6”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium to Hard
There are now 6 in the Floral Friends Collection, all crafted by artist Mia Charro. Five of them, Sweet Squirrel, Cuddly Panda, Gentle Bruin, Friendly Fox, and this one have 1000 pieces. Funny Hedgehog has 500 pieces. All six, from the flowers to the shirt, have the same layout. They are so adorable, I had to own each one. As for my rating - with determined sorting, parts of theseillustrations require time and concentration, but they are straightforward enough. The fur and the background require the most effort. The background and frame are the biggest challenges to one’s patience. (See below)
Quality: False fits and loose piece fit are the major downsides. Yet again they were present during this Floral Friends build (see Construction). Otherwise the quality is acceptable. The sturdy but overly large.box has the full puzzle image on the top. Unfortunately a part of the kitty’s shirt is hidden behind large signage for “Floral Friends”. There is no shrink wrap, just 2 clear stickers keeping the box closed. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces. It is a good idea to print out a screenshot of the illustration - there is no poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The solid pieces have some sheen. Most traditional shapes were represented, but the majority of the pieces were the 2 in / 2 out variety. None were damaged
or together uncut and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted every area: the blue background, the patterned shirt, the collar and buttoned placard, each shade of fur, the eyes, nose and mouth, the ears, and the flowers. As I went along I lined up each sort by color and shape.
Construction: I learned, from the first of these I did, that false fits were an issue, so not to try to build the frame first. I did piece the bottom edge and built up from there. Full disclosure - after completing the shirt up to the kitty’s chin I got stuck on the fur. Absolutely nothing was happening. I bagged each sort and boxed them up. My adult daughter, an avid puzzler, came to visit for a week over Mother’s Day. She gifted me the newest in the series, Friendly Fox! I simply couldn’t start that one without finishing Pretty Feline. I described my plight and she agreed we should do it together. So the sorts came back out and once again I built up to the kitty’s chin. We have different puzzling styles. She likes to piece sections together and wait for the chance to secure them. I like to build from a foundation and connect pieces as I go. So she put together the eyes, cheeks, nose and mouth while I did the shirt. Then, she started piecing
together the frame pieces. We ended for the evening and the next morning she went out to see friends. I looked at the trays of fur, took a deep breath, and lo and behold, by the time my daughter returned the kitty had whiskers and a furry face. Why did I box it up? I guess puzzles can just be intimidating sometimes!! But back to the build. We worked on the ears and flowers together. That went together with steady progress. Left with only the blue background pieces, I suggested we leave the frame for last and build the background out from the kitty, but I deferred. We ultimately had to move the frame out of the way. False fits! There were some within the body
of the background, luckily caught early. But, except for the frame bottom, several more in the frame itself. It got rearranged more than once! Trust me, these puzzles are time consuming enough without that added annoyance. We did another puzzle when she first arrived. She completed it while I was sleeping. Tonight was the opposite, while she went to sleep I put in the 60 remaining background pieces and rearranged and attached the frame pieces. Complete and so smile inducing cute!!!Final thoughts: Aside from this series, I’ve done 2 other 500 piece Heye Puzzles. Their only issue was loose piece fit. That shows up in other brands too. It makes moving pieced sections
difficult and negates puzzle pick up. It’s not a deal breaker if the puzzle subject is appealing. The illustrations in this series are actually my favorite type of puzzle — a central figure with a background that, at the least, has different shading. That was very subtle in Pretty Feline, somewhat more pronounced in the other four. But, once complete, it was fun to look at and in retrospect, fun to do, especially sharing the puzzling with my daughter. Certainly both of us felt accomplished. I’m glad I gave this one a second chance. I think I will wait a while to tackle Friendly Fox! I can recommend the brand - their selection is varied to say the least.
My Grades for Pretty Feline: Quality B, Fun Factor A-
Gradient Cube Puzzle, Grateful House, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19.6” x 19.6” (24” in longest length)
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Brutally Hard when it could have been easy
That is a lost piece, not a missing one. I searched and searched. Finally I found a piece under the
bed. Yay! Sadly, when I retrieved it, it was a missing piece from a puzzle I finished 8 months
ago. I suppose there’s always hope for this one. But I know why it happened. Please read on.
The only thing I liked about this puzzle was the illustration. I love gradients. I am blessed with excellent color vision. This could have been easy, fun, and relaxing for me, instead it had
annoyances at every turn. The pieces were ridiculously small and hard to handle. (At left they are compared with pieces from a 1000 piece Magnolia puzzle.) False fits were too many to
count. Piece fit was loose, pieces popped out as new ones went in. Some pieces were together uncut.
Quality: Lacking, as noted above. The small box is attractive. A portion of the graphic covers the
top and sides with only the GH logo in one corner. There is a tiny, not helpful, full illustration on
the box bottom along with info about the artist and other required information. Inside was a
sealed bag of pieces, a greeting card with the puzzle pic and an envelope, a welcome card with a
QR code to be entered into a drawing for a free puzzle, and a zippered cloth bag to store the
pieces. There was no puzzle dust.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Color for this one of course! I can speak
again to the piece size. I used half the number of trays I usually use for a 1000 piece gradient
puzzle. That says a lot!
Construction: I built the frame first. It was complete. About 1/3 of the edge pieces did not
interlock. Add loose fit to that, and break ups ended up on the floor. That’s when the piece got
lost. Initially I was going to try to go around and build the second row to secure the frame, but
gradients are better built in order. I had taken a picture of the frame, but got into the puzzling and
forgot about it until I was editing the pics above. And there it was, the now lost edge piece. Darn!
Even a puzzle that I was going to trash deserves to be finished.
The build: I started at the top and went down the left side of the first 5 rows. It was only stubborn
determination that kept me going. I will say the center from the white square down would
probably have been the most fun and a bit more challenge had everything that was now beyond
annoying had not occurred. My daughter arrived for a week long visit over Mother’s Day at
about that point. Some yellow, some blue and the green were left. She is an avid puzzler. I did
most of the yellow and blue, she took over the rest. Many hours later, the puzzle was done, if not
complete. Her complaints mirrored mine.
Final thoughts: I cannot recommend this particular puzzle, and it was my first from Grateful
House. I had even sent my thoughts in an e mail to the company to which I received this reply:
“Thank you for the feedback, I understand what you are saying. I’m sorry for disappointing you.
Our other puzzles are a normal template and cut and are enjoyable to build.” Confirmation of
that came from a friend who has done several from this brand. I would say this might be a one
off for the company, it is the only shaped puzzle in their collection. This puzzle is going in the
trash. I kept the nice cloth bag.
My grades for Gradient Cube: Quality: C-, Fun Factor, C
Paint and Play Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished dimensions: 15” x 21”
My confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy (perhaps not, unless you like random cut)
Stuff happens. This puzzle had a missing piece. Otherwise it was quite colorful and fun to put
together. Masterpieces has an avenue for puzzle replacement. The form asks for info from the
box and you can choose “same puzzle if available”, or “different puzzle” of their choice. I guess
if “same puzzle” is unavailable, they still send something.
Yes, when a missing piece is clear from the start, it does take some of the fun out of doing it, but
not all of it. This one was really satisfyingly simple, so I prevailed.
Quality: Well, 99% of it was actually near perfect. The small, sturdy box had the full illustration
on the top. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a large poster. Color match pieces to graphics
was on point. There was some puzzle dust. None of the relatively thick, solid pieces were
damaged or together uncut. Piece fit was pick up off the table excellent.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted by color and also set aside the
pieces that had two colors where different paint colors abutted (ex. orange to red). For each sort I
lined the pieces up by shape.
Construction: I built the frame first. I filled in the dark blue and red paints and continued going
in toward the center. I happen to like random cut; I seem to have an affinity for recognizing the
one that fits the space pretty quickly. Lining them up was a major help in seeing quick progress
through this build.
Final thoughts: MasterPieces is a long established brand with competitive prices. They have a
huge selection of puzzles in many themes. This one is from the Rainbow Sauce Collection. I’ve
done a few others from this brand without any issues. I can recommend checking them out.
My grades for Paint and Play: Quality B-, Fun Factor B+ (a missing piece is a big deal!)
S’mores Puzzle, MasterPieces, (Amazon Store), Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimension: 10” Square, My Condident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Deliciously Easy
Well, I don’t have a fire pit, and a gas grill is useless. After seeing this little puzzle I want one of
these ooey, gooey treats! But I just finished a very time consuming 1000 pieces puzzle requiring
a lot of concentration and patience, so I’m settling for the simple quick fix pleasure of thepuzzling process that clears the mind and offers calm. That happens no matter the piece count or
difficulty level.
Quality: Excellent! This little puzzle comes packaged in a 3.5” cube. The full illustration is on
each of the four sides. There’s a bit of signage on each, but really not an issue. For some reason
there is a large product info sticker covering much of the full illustration on the flip top box
cover, but again, not a problem. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster - clearly not
needed anyway. There was no puzzle dust. Color match image to pieces was on point. The solid
pieces are a very nice thickness. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing.
There were no false fits. Piece fit was superb, when complete it could be picked up and tossed
around!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. With 100 pieces, just spill out the pieces,
maybe sort out the edges, and otherwise just get started. I always sort, so I pulled the edge pieces
and lined up the rest of the pieces by dominant color and shape. It doesn’t take long, so why not?
Construction: I built the frame first and worked down and around from the top. Only relatively
speaking there were tricky areas, but never anything approaching frustrating stops to the
progress.. I don’t watch the clock, but it all went pretty quickly. I was relaxed and calm when it
was done, but I still want a S’mores, maybe 2!
Final thoughts: I’ve said it before, 100 piece puzzles are a good thing to have in any puzzler’s
stash. Yes, they are just a few puzzling moments when time is short. Or, some relaxing moments
when sleep is elusive. I would put this one in the nostalgia category, not something just for kids.
The best selection I’ve found with illustrations that have more grown up appeal is the “Mini”
Collection from New York Puzzle Company. They have average size pieces that finish to a
frameable 9” x 7” size. They come in very small, travel size boxes. I’ve said this before as well
— many brands carry 100 piece puzzles now, there must be something to it!
My grades for S’mores: Quality A+, Fun / Relaxation Factor: A++
BARRIER REEF PUZZLE, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 1000 pieces, Finished dimension: 30”x20”
My Confident Puzzler difficulty Rating: Hard
This puzzle was hard for a couple of reasons. I think time spent is a measure, and I spent a lot of
it on every part before ever getting to the blue background! I actually found piecing the background (about 1/4 of the pieces) much more relaxing and fun despite the time it took. I will
explain more as this review goes forward.
Quality: Acceptable. My biggest issue (the second reason referenced to above) was that the puzzle pieces were darker than the enclosed poster or the full illustration on the box bottom (at left). Even the brightest yellow on those had more of a greenish tint on the pieces. Obviously that made the
sorting and piecing more difficult and added to time spent. Otherwise there are things to admire.
The attractive, sturdy, 8” square box and every thing in it is sustainable. Just two easy to peal clear stickers hold it together. An enlarged portion of the illustration, with minimal signage, covers the top and sides of the box top. There is some interesting and upsetting information about the Reef printed along the outer sides of the box bottom. Inside is a resealable paper bag of pieces and a huge poster. The solid pieces have a matte finish, and a black core and backing. The black is not a detriment, just a bit jarring when dumped out of the bag! There was some black puzzle dust. Piece fit was amazing! Except for all of 2 instances where a piece was so close to perfect as to be in doubt, it was immediately clear when a correct piece just fell into place. (I put those two pieces aside, they eventually found their home.)
All of the traditional shapes are represented. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut. There were no false fits. No pieces were missing. I cannot recommend trying the extraneous completed puzzle pick up.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always try to sort by more than color - by objects and areas, where possible. My sorts here included the edge pieces, pieces with beige and other color that would connect to the frame, each line of type, the yellow land, the grass, the watery blue, the horizon hills and line of distant land edge, the branch on each side, the hat, the shades of the beach dress, the buttons and logo, the lady’s skin, face and hair, the blue pieces that had other color, and tray after tray, after tray of blue sky. As I went along I sub sorted each tray by piece shape and better defined the shades of color in the skin and dress. Any shades in the sky were so subtle I only noticed them when I began the solid blue piecing.
Construction: Although the edges had some useful color information, I waited a while to build
the whole frame. I started with the bottom edge and worked my way up. Progress was mostly
built piece by piece, it was slow going but never frustrating. Other than the three people, I got up
through the hills and land line and the hat brim without issue. Except for the color difference
from poster to pieces, those areas were well defined. At that point I got braver about the frame
and filled it all in. I attached the lady’s hair and face (a lucky section that got built during the
sorting) to the frame. Everything else just felt more complicated and less fun. The 3 people, the
logs, her hands, the rest of the hat, the enclosed blue areas, and the illusive sock top - it all took
so much time! Eventually the people showed up, from the neck down the lady got all of her
extremities and got dressed, and she was relaxing on the log. And I could finally get to the sky.
Seriously, I was looking forward to it! Since I sorted the different piece shapes into their own
trays, I could eliminate several of them from any given search. Admittedly, the knobs, holes, and legs were not always obvious enough to find a piece first try, so I was trying possible choices,
piece after piece, in the same space. But I didn’t care about the time it took. Each success was a
satisfying experience. The last 50 pieces went quite quickly in comparison! And I was really
having fun. Finally it was complete and I felt quite accomplished for the effort. Not as bright and
colorful as the poster, but the puzzling process, that offers a clear mind and a sense of calm, is
it’s own reward.
Final thoughts: Puzzles like this are my favorites - a central focus and a textured or color
variation background. No, this puzzle did not have that! But I particularly like the perspective in
this one. In general I like them so much more than busy puzzles - I rarely choose those any more.
My puzzles of choice are easier to sort comprehensively, and honestly take no more time to piece
together than a busy one. Besides, I like to choose puzzle that appeal to me visually, whether
artful, or clever, or humorous, or just plain cute. Busy puzzles normally don’t have that appeal
for me. There is one exception to all of that — I really love doing pure, full spectrum gradients
because I’m good at them. I am blessed with excellent color vision. I hope Kazoo’s 1000 piece
gradient comes back in stock. But just because I can enjoy something like that solid blue
background as part of an interesting illustration, I swore early on I had no interest in doing a one
color puzzle.
So why on earth did I just buy Blue Kazoo’s 250 piece, solid white puzzle? Well, that’s about the same piece count as the blue sky, and thank goodness, it has a variety of piece shapes! So I figured I could get through it, and add it to the kinds of puzzle types I have completed. I’ve only done 4 other puzzles from this brand. Quality was comparable, piece fit being the highlight where the actual puzzling is concerned. I can recommend this brand, obviously I enjoy their puzzles. I also admire the Blue Kazoo Team’s dedication to the environment shared with a kitschy sense of humor throughout their site. Laughter is a good thing!
My grades for Barrier Reef: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Safe Travel Potion Puzzle Amazon Link
eeBoo
Ribbon Cut
100 Pieces
Finished dimension: 8” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy, no magic required
Good morning! An odd way to begin a review perhaps, but this little puzzle is one testament to why there should be some 100 piece puzzles in any puzzler’s stash. Can’t fall asleep? Do one torelax. It’s not magic, it’s the puzzling process. No matter the piece count or the difficulty, it clears the mind and offers calm.
eeBoo is a “Women Owned - Mother Run” Company featuring puzzles, games, crafts and activities for all ages, with a concentration on the very young - from infant to pre school, and from ages 5 and above - and jigsaw puzzles for everyone. The100 piece puzzles geared toward children, or for people with dexterity or memory issues, have extra large pieces and finish to a standard 18* x 27” size. Lo and behold, I found this set of four 100 piece ones clearly geared toward adults!
Quality: Perfect! The illustration is on the top and 3 sides of the 3” x 3” x 4.25” box — all that’s needed for a puzzle this size. The box top lifts off to reveal a cellophane bag of pieces. There was no puzzle dust. Piece fit was pick up off the table tight. Color match pieces to image was excellent. The solid pieces have quite a bit of sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. A curiosity — along with the completely sealed bag there was a loose piece in the box - it was part of the puzzle and there were no extra pieces. Was it magic?
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Grab any small board, turn the pieces right side up, maybe pull out the frame pieces, and just get started. Or sort if desired, I always do.I pulled the edge pieces, then sorted out the railing pieces and the rest by color.
Construction: I built the frame first and filled in and around from it, ending with the bright yellow potion. Then, yes, I fell asleep for seven delicious hours!
Lobster Serenade Vintage Magazine Cover Amazon Link
New York Puzzle Company
Random Cut
750 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 24” x 18”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating; Medium
About the New York Puzzle Company’s Vintage Collection: “The images have been pulled from the pages of antique dictionaries, covers of out-of-print magazines, and other historical works of art. Some are informative while others are comical, but all make beautifully detailed and challenging puzzles.” There’s is no artist credited for this fanciful drawing. Their initials appear to be in the lower right corner. “The artwork in this puzzle is in the public domain and not being used under license.”
My difficulty rating: Since I think time is a measure of difficulty, and progress through this puzzle was slower than I expected, I chose medium. At first glance this looked pretty straightforward, even easy. The areas of color were distinct and confined. My sorts are always precise. I would leave the sand for last. Simple fun, right? I could complain that the printed image on the pieces was not as defined as the one on the NYPC sale page (shown at left). Not to the point of out of focus or pixelated, just softer. The image on the box I received is darker and somewhat more like the pieces. I was
disappointed but determined. All that may have added to the extra time. But in the end, the finished puzzle had a vintage appearance that was quite appealing in it’s softness. It looked old, as it should!
Quality: Now what? I think the enlargement of the image for puzzle production may have caused the lack of sharpness, but it enhanced the finished product - I’m hard pressed to take off quality points for that! Otherwise, the one big miss is loose piece fit - very common with this brand.
Don’t try to pick it up! On the brighter side, the sturdy, medium sized box has the full illustration on the box top that is sufficient for reference. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces. There is no poster. There was some puzzle dust. Color match pieces to box image was on point. The solid pieces have a near matte “linen” finish. Just a few had a bit of hanging backing paper. None were otherwise damaged or together uncut, and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color, and by object where applicable. So, I sorted from top to bottom: each shade of blue, purple, pink and white in the sky, the lady’s hair, face, and skin, the green ocean, the dark green swim outfit and water shoes, the lobster’s antennae, the lobster, the banjo parts, the green water, the blues, pinks, purples, beige, and white water swirls, and the variety of lights and darks of the sand. As I went along I sub-sorted my trays by piece shape.
Construction: I built the frame first (not an easy task!), it offered so much color information. While sorting I pieced together the lady’s hair and face. It happened to connect to the frame, so I started there, filling in her arms, back, dress, legs and feet. Next I pieced in the antennae. My preference is to build in from the frame, so I moved back up to the top and filled in the sky, green ocean and water line. By far the trickiest part was the lobster. After that, the water at the bottom got filled in. Ah — the sand. Leaving it for last made it less daunting since a lot of it was part of the pieces already in place. The sandy beach got done, the puzzle was complete! After my initial
disappointment, it ended up being fun!Final thoughts: I’m happy I kept with it. My sorts were accurate, but because of the “softness” of any given piece, using piece shape was tantamount to completing this puzzle. I actually like random cut pieces, I seem to have an affinity for recognizing the oddly shaped piece that fits the hole.
About my detailed sorting - I do it to see more progress than frustration during the construction. I do not watch the clock, I really don’t care how long a puzzle takes. But in this case my initial expectations were thwarted and I let that get in the way. Once I got back to the puzzling I do best, it was actually entertaining. I’ve done many puzzles from this brand. Overall I have no reason not to recommend it. Would I recommend Lobster Serenade? I’ll let my review speak to that and just say maybe.
My grades for Lobster Serenade: Quality B+, Fun Factor A-
Fluffy Team Puzzle Amazon Link, Panorama, Trefl, Ribbon Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Measurements: 26” x 9.3”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Five hundred pieces doesn’t necessarily mean easy, but this one was. I bought it because it was just so cute! I had never done a Trefl puzzle. This one did not disappoint.
Quality: Other than loose piece fit - a quality minus I’ve encountered across brands - this puzzle was very nice. I imagine it’s packed in a sturdy, long, narrow, box because it is a panorama style, not necessary, but understandable. The full image is on the box top, and excellent for reference.
Inside was a sealed bag of pieces. There was no poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. The solid pieces seemed a bit smaller than average, but still easy to handle. They were a nice thickness. No pieces were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color when applicable. Here, of course, I sorted the various parts - clothes, fur, eyes - of each fluffy team member. I also sorted out the blue background pieces, and the white or mostly white pieces.
Construction: I built the frame first and then worked up from the bottom starting with the professor, and then the Viking, and the fisherman, and lastly, the sea captain (it’s fur was the least mottled, so a tad trickier). Finally, the few remaining background pieces went into place and this adorable quartet was complete. So much fun!!
Final thoughts: I tend to choose puzzles that appeal to me visually, be it artistic, or colorful, or clever, or humorous, or just darn cute. I am positive my first question is not “will this be challenging?” Some I’ve chosen have ended up being very difficult, and I do feel particularly accomplished finishing them, but I don’t have to be challenged to enjoy the puzzling process. It’s the opportunity to clear my mind and recognize the calm that I enjoy the most. So this little
puzzle provided that and a big smile. I can’t possibly recommend Trefl on the basis of one puzzle, but this was a good one!
My grades for Fluffy Team: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Disney 100 Years of Wonder Puzzle Amazon Link, Ceaco, Random Cut, 200 Extra Large Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 19.5” x 14.25”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: For an adult, Easy, for a young child, Variable
The suggested age for this puzzle is 8+. I can only imagine how disappointed an 8 year old
would be to work this puzzle and end up with 4 pieces missing. I’m not 8, but for a child there were some tricky aspects to this one. Looking for a piece that will never be there only adds to the difficulty. I didn’t pay attention to the puzzle measurement when I purchased this one - the pieces were huge. On the flip side, a person with dexterity or memory issues would benefit from that.
Missing pieces would not sit well in that instance either. For me, it’s only that I often do low
piece count puzzles when time is limited, or when I’m looking for some simple moments after completing a 1000 piece difficult one. My simple moments ended in annoyance!
Quality: Obviously not perfect. The piece fit was loose and there was a mountain, okay, a pile of puzzle dust. I have read other users unfavorable reviews of the brand. I looked up my reviews of the three other Ceaco puzzles I have done. Other than loose fit (possible among many brands), I gave them pretty high marks. None had missing pieces. So I certainly can’t unequivocally write off this brand. As for this puzzle, the small box is sturdy, no shrink wrap, just clear stickers. Only a portion of the illustration is on the box top. A small but complete version is on the box bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces and a large poster.
Color match pieces to illustrations was on point. The fairly thin but solid, low sheen pieces (that were there) were not damaged or together uncut.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. That’s what I did. I actually like to get more precise and sort by object, but with so many black and white pieces that made it tricky to differentiate each character’s face, plus the low piece count, color seemed adequate.
Construction: I built the frame first, so from the beginning, after hunting for that one edge piece, I knew there would be a missing piece. Then the red nob I could not find, then part of the chipmunk’s face, then Goofy’s cheek — well you get the picture. Incomplete! Annoying! I finished what I could only for the sake of this review. Ugh!
Final thoughts: The Ceaco Puzzle Company website carries this message: “Since our start in 1987 we have remained true to our mission: To create high quality, innovative and challenging jigsaw puzzles and to provide hours of family fun. We pride ourselves on developing and maintaining long standing relationships with some of the finest artists of our time. . . Our purpose is clear: to continue to be in the forefront of our industry and create a product that combines family entertainment with a distinctive aesthetic. Count on Ceaco for the most Creative, Exciting, and Colorful products ever!”
Ceaco is a USA based company, their puzzles are manufactured there. Their prices remain very competitive. They do feature Disney, but their entire collection is quite large and varied. At least give them a look.
My grades for Disney 100 Years of Wonder: Quality C+, Fun Factor C+
Paws and Reflect: A Fishbowl Caper Amazon Link
Cross & Glory
Ribbon Cut
1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 20” x 27”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
From Cross & Glory: “Welcome to Paws & Reflect: A Fishbowl Caper, your invitation to a
cheeky feline escapade, captured in a captivating 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Here, the playful antics of a curious black cat meet the tranquil life aquatic, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and vibrant hues. This isn't just a puzzle; it's a charming narrative woven piece by piece, challenging your dexterity and tickling your sense of humor.”
Just the title elicits a smile - naughty kitty! Is it really reflecting on what it did or rather on that it got caught? Either way, this puzzle was so engaging and tons of satisfying fun to put together.
Quality: Impeccable! This is my seventh puzzle from this brand. The quality does not waver. Piece fit is the star. When you put a piece where it goes you know immediately that it is correct as it literally just falls into place. I have never had a false fit. When complete it can be picked up, turned over, slide it into the back of a ready made frame without tape or glue, and enjoyed until it’s time to do the next one from this brand.
The small, sturdy, 8” box has the full illustration on the box top and a slightly smaller one on the box bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, a promotional catalogue, and a 7.5” square image card for reference. There is no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to images is perfect. The solid, almost matte, “satin” finish pieces are a contemporary thickness. None have ever pealed or split, none were ever damaged or together uncut. None were ever missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. (Full disclosure here: All the puzzles from this brand are 1000 pieces and all are comprised of one piece shape - the 2 in / 2 out variety. There is a sample with the piece cut on each sale page. I have done each puzzle as if it were the first and have never compared the piece cuts among the others. They could all be exactly the same, but with 1000 pieces does that really make a difference? Yes, I reference the box and poster. And only once, for their puzzle called Reach for Stars, did I reference the cut illustration to find the area of the puzzle with the piece I needed. It had a very challenging background!)
Sorting Paws and Reflect was very straightforward as almost every area or object is its own color and was pretty much self contained. Yes, I sorted every single area and object, which was very helpful - finish one color and go on to the next. That is why I gave this one a medium difficulty level. Was the puzzle construction easy? No!
Construction: I built the frame first. I like to build in from the frame when possible and attach the pieces to it and each other as I go along. The frame offered a lot of information. I started from the bottom and worked around. I did piece together one section, the two fish that had not yet been been beached by the cat. For the rest of the build, well that took a lot of time, concentration, patience, and piece by piece building. But my deliberate sorts allowed for progress without frustration, so I totally enjoyed however long it took. For most of the areas and objects, there were good color clues to find the pieces. The black cat’s full tummy was the last to be built - about 70 pieces with no clues beyond piece shape. Admittedly, looking at empty holes and finding the same shape piece, with only one basic shape to choose from, can get tedious at best.
The only clue is that they alternate from horizontal to vertical. What I do as I go along is sub-sort my initial sorts by lining up the pieces going in the same direction and then rotate my tray to change the orientation. News flash — maybe the piece cuts are not the same for each puzzle. In this one the shape orientations were very clear. Hmmmm. The medium difficulty still fits. This was not the most difficult Cross & Glory puzzle I have built! At any rate, the cat got filled in and I felt quite accomplished for my effort. Plus, to repeat, it was so much fun!
Final thoughts: I love this brand — it’s all about the quality. With each puzzle, the description reflects their pride in their puzzles. It is well deserved. They are a pleasure to build despite the lack of piece shape variety. Their collection is varied, going from beautiful to odd, from florals to aliens, realism to op art, geishas to race horses, cookies to cows. Many look really, really difficult! Something for every one! Obviously I can recommend them!
My grades for Paws & Reflect: Quality A+++, Fun Factor A+++
Trippy Picnic by artist Kayla Carlson Brand: bluekazoo, Ribbon Cut, 250 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 18” x 12”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
The artist, whose pet cat Puffin is the inspiration for much of her art, titled this illustration
Curious Foragers. I suppose that’s possibly a nod to “curiosity killed the cat”.
Hopefully the cats haven’t used up all of their 9 lives. In the Colab with the artist, I guess bluekazoo was allowed to change Curious Foragers to Trippy Picnic. The bluekazoo team have an off beat sense of humor reflected throughout the descriptions of their puzzle offerings; they usually make me laugh.
IMHO, magic mushrooms are nothing to laugh about, but I’m willing to look at the lighter side
of this. The white cat looks cautious, the beige one looks ready to cut up lunch. Yikes, a knife?!
But, there is a mushroom book that will show the safe ones to pick. Right?
Quality: Perfect! (I recently reviewed another 250 piece puzzle from this brand, so please forgive
the repeat.) The 6” square, attractive, solid box has a part of the design on the top and around the
sides. There is very little signage. A Tiny bluekazoo logo is in the lower right corner, 250 in gold
numbers is in the upper left corner. The title is on one side, also in gold, along with another tiny
logo. They are surely meant to look pretty on a bookshelf. The full image is on the box bottom. A
while ago the company changed their production to become more environmentally friendly. The
new line is called Premium Sustainable Editions. The box and everything in it has zero plastic
and is totally biodegradable! This puzzle is one of them. Inside the box is a resealable paper bag
of pieces and a 16.5 x 11” puzzle poster for reference. Color match pieces to illustrations was on
point. There was just a bit of puzzle dust. The solid pieces are matte finish. None were damaged
or together uncut and none were missing. Most of the traditional piece shapes were represented,
so one could count on shape and color to get the job done. Piece fit during construction was
excellent and it passed the pick up test when complete.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color when
applicable. Here I sorted each cat, each larger mushroom, the greenery and.basket on the left, the
basket, greenery and blue mushrooms on the right, the log snd mushrooms in the center, and the
log and mushrooms on the bottom.
Construction: I built the frame fist. With only 250 pieces, that was pretty easy and offered a lot of
clues to start building. I built in from the sides, put in the cats, and kept filling in what was left. It
was a quick and simple build because of my sorts. I have no idea what magic mushrooms look
like, maybe all of them in the image are just that. Without the word “Trippy” this would just have
been a fun, colorful little puzzle of 2 unusual cats.
Final thoughts: This puzzle also comes in 1000 pieces, pictured at left. Not
really my illustration style, just a bit too busy at that piece count. I prefer to
build the frame first and fill in from it. The blue edge pieces offer no clues.
The 250 piece one looked cute at first glance and it was on sale. I often
follow a large piece count puzzle with an easy, low piece count one. No
stress, something that takes only a small amount of time, and still offers the
benefits of the puzzling process - clearing the mind and creating calm.
bluekazoo puzzles are excellent quality and the designs are certainly
different. I recommend checking them out.
My grades for Trippy Picnic: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
I’d Rather Be Reading Puzzle Amazon Link, Galison, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Dimensions: 27” x 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Almost Medium
Almost medium? Well, I wouldn’t label this easy. A hard difficulty would definitely be overkill.
But in terms of time, this took longer than I thought it would, and I think time spent is a measure.
Certainly the image is straightforward. The initial sorting will be a breeze. Once into the puzzle
however, certain requirements became apparent. Before I go on, if anything I describe belowsounds like annoyance or frustration, it is the farthest thing from what actually was going on. I
had FUN through the whole build - when is extra FUN TIME a bad thing????
Quality: The negatives - a few damaged, bent and splitting pieces, and some hanging backing
paper. Otherwise quite acceptable. The small, sturdy box has only a portion of the puzzle
covering the box top. There is a large, white, center square with the puzzle title. There is a small
but full version (no title square) on the box bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces and a 7” x
9.5” full image poster. There was a bit of puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on
point. The pieces are low sheen. Most of them were solid and none were missing. Piece fit was
excellent, when complete it passed the pick up test.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Yes, my initial sort was strictly by color -
blue, green, yellow, red, and the shelves and shadows. All the pieces in this puzzle were the same
2 in / 2 out shape. Sorting by distinct shape is not warranted. The best clue is they alternate from
horizontal to vertical. What I do is line them up going in the same direction and turn my trays to
change the orientation. I did quite a bit of sub-sorting along the way (see more in construction).
Construction: I built the frame first and started from the top. The blue books, all with English
titles, had enough color variation to piece it together without any sub-sorting. That went
smoothly and I thought, hmm, piece of cake for the others. Um, not so much. The rest of the
rows of books were not as well defined by color change, so I sub-sorted them by pieces with
words going read right, pieces without words, and some darker and lighter shades. The green
titles were also in English. The yellow titles were in French. The red titles - well, I’m not exactly
sure. Some of the text was a mix of letters and numbers (?), none of the text was English or any
language I was familiar with. (For spine title / text read right orientation, a magnifying glass
might help.)
As for the wood and black pieces - if looked at in good light the wood was more
visible. So, I sub-sorted out the fully black pieces from those that were wood and black. Some of
those pieces had color clues. I pieced those in place along with others as I went along. Actually
building large sections wasn’t feasible, but one thing that was helpful was pulling out the top and
bottom pieces of the books first and connecting those rows, or at least parts of them. I did the
rows of colored books in order. By the time they were complete so was much of the shelf and
shadow areas. The trickiest were the pieces across the center of the shadows. It was by shape and
more so by trial and error, one piece at a time, to fill them all in. The impressive and entertaining
puzzle was complete! The fun was over, but I still could enjoy the accomplishments of the effort.
Final thoughts: “Longer than I thought” is probably longer than most puzzlers take to complete a
puzzle! I am slow and not bothered by that. And I do a lot of sorting to see more progress than
frustration during any build. That said, this puzzle did require a lot of patience, concentration and
piece by piece construction throughout. But there was a lot of satisfaction seeing it come
together. It was a good time filled with fun! Damaged pieces happen across brands. They won’t
stop me from recommending this puzzle or checking out Galison’s varied selection. I’ve done
many enjoyable ones from that brand.
My grades for I’d Rather Be Reading: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Animals of America DOWDLE Amazon Link, sold from Buffalo Games Ribbon Cut 300 Large Pieces Finished Dimensions: 15” x 21.25”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium
My reason for the difficulty ratings: When I started this hobby about 2 1/2 years ago I did a lot of research. I had not touched a puzzle since my grown grandchildren were very young. It seemed to me that serious puzzlers were doing puzzles with 1000 pieces or more. I was definitely serious about a new hobby, but that seemed daunting. However, my ego wouldn’t let meet start with fewer than 500 pieces. Since then I’ve done puzzles from 100 pieces to 1500 pieces. After doing a few 300 piece ones, I’ve changed my mind about what might best suit a new puzzler. That piece count presents some bit of challenge, takes enough time to feel accomplished, but not so much time to cause frustration. So for a new puzzler, medium difficulty might apply. Now of course, for me, they are just an easy thing to start and finish even on the busiest of days.
Quality: Excellent. The Dowdle Brand puzzles are packaged like the Buffalo ones, so the small sturdy box sides are glued together to protect the loose pieces inside. When the side are split apart some cardboard is damaged. It does not show when the box is closed. But if a pristine box is important, that could reflect negatively on the quality. (I’m not bothered by it.) Otherwise, all is fine. The full illustration is on the box top, with information about artist Eric Dowdle on one side and piece size and required info on the others. The box bottom covers all Buffalo’s commitments to the environment. Inside are the pieces and a large poster of the illustration that includes interesting facts about the flag, the majestic mountains, and each of the 32 animals featured in the puzzle. There was no puzzle dust. The solid, easy to handle pieces have some sheen. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was good, and when complete the puzzle passed the pick up test.
This is a Pronghorn (In the puzzle to the left of the Black Bear). I had never heard of that animal. From the enclosed poster: “They can jump but have adapted to an environment with typically low brush. They will actually go under fences that are too high.” I googled it, so also learned the pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Americas, with running speeds of up to 88.5 km/h (55 mph).
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color when possible, so here I sorted the stripes and stars areas of the flag, the faces and heads of the animals, the various furs and skins, the antlers and talons, the eagle and the turkey.
Construction: I built the frame first. I like to build in from the frame. At first glance I was sure I was going to connect the moose to the flag and build the flag first. Just the opposite is what happened. I was having so much fun working around and piecing together the animals that most of the flag came last. The completed puzzle is really quite striking!
Final thoughts: There are advantages to low piece count puzzles for every puzzler, even seasoned ones, when puzzling time is limited. The benefits of the puzzling process never change no matter the piece count or difficulty. It clears the mind and offers calm. More brands are offering 100, 200, and 250 piece puzzles. They offer relaxing fun! I certainly realize the accomplishment factor of completing a challenging, high piece count puzzle, but any puzzling is better than none!
My grades for Animals of America: Quality A+, Fun factor A++
TRIANGLES Puzzle, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 250 Larger Pieces, Dimensions:12” x 18”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
Blue Kazoo carries a very limited selection of their 1000 piece puzzles in a 250 piece
count size. I decided to try one on a day with limited puzzling time. It ‘s amazing that a
puzzle 1/4 the piece count of 1000 pieces can take so much less than a quarter of the
time! I truly never watch the clock. I don’t care that I’m slow. And rarely, if ever actually,
have I sorted and finished 1000 pieces in one day. This little puzzle was sorted and put
together in I’m sure, less than an hour.
Quality: Pretty nice. The 6” square, attractive, solid box has a part of the design on the
top and around the sides. There is very little signage. A Tiny Blue Kazoo logo is in the
lower right corner, 250 in gold numbers is in the upper left corner. The title is on one
side, also in gold, along with another tiny logo. They are surely meant to look pretty on
a bookshelf. The full image is on the box bottom. A while ago the company changed
their production to become more environmentally friendly. The new line is called
Premium Sustainable Editions. The box and everything in it has zero plastic and is
totally biodegradable! This puzzle is one of them. Inside the box is a resealable paperbag of pieces and a 16.5 x 11” puzzle poster for reference. Color match pieces to
illustrations was on point. There was some puzzle dust. The solid pieces are matte
finish. None were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. Most of the
traditional piece shapes were represented, so one could count on shape and color to
get the job done. Piece fit during construction was quite good. Unfortunately it did not
pass the pick up test when complete.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Starting from the top and going
clockwise around, I sorted the colors and the transitions from one to another as they
appeared on the image, making a lovely rainbow across my board. I did separate out
the somewhat muddy pieces that met in the center.
Construction: I built the frame first then filled in from the rainbow of sorts. An easy,
relaxing, fun exercise utilizing the puzzling process to clear my mind and offer calm. A
broken up “gradient” like this one is not as easy as with the flow of a pure gradient
puzzle. With only 250 pieces that didn’t really matter. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed
the 1000 piece version quite as much. I have excellent color vision, but pure, full
spectrum gradients are by far my favorites. Triangles posing as gradients is a whole
different thing!
Final thoughts: The benefits of the puzzling process happen no matter the piece count
or the difficulty level. Even 100 piece puzzles seem to be gaining in popularity. It’s all
about place and time. They come in small boxes, can fit in a handbag, backpack or
travel bag and can be put together almost anywhere. They are a quick puzzling fix
when time is short. 250 pieces are not so portable and may not be easy at all. Blue
Kazoo has a totally white puzzle that comes in 1000 or 250 pieces. More doable in the
250 count perhaps, but more time involved for sure. I certainty can recommend
Triangles along with checking out their other offerings.
My grades for Triangles: Quality A, Fun Factor A+
Beauty of Color Puzzle Amazon Link, Brand: eeBoo , Ribbon Cut, 100 Huge Pieces, Dimension: 23” Round
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Depends on age and ability.
How “colorful” is this puzzle? Very! Learn 48 true colors and 8 blended ones. Who would enjoy
this puzzle? Any puzzler looking for a little time of relaxing fun, or an adult with dexterity or
memory issues, could experience its benefits. I’m not sure this should be a 5 year old’s first
puzzle, but it would be an entertaining shared experience for parent and child. I’m an “anypuzzler” - I would never have chosen this if it had 1000 pieces! “Busy” is just not my puzzling
nirvana. That aside, I thought it would be interesting to review it. :-)
About eeBoo: It is a women owned, mother run company featuring puzzles and activities for
both adults and children. They have a large and varied selection of puzzles. Funny thing is an
eeBoo puzzle was one of the first 1000 piece puzzles I did when I started this hobby about 2 I/2
years ago. I was taken with the lovely gloss of the finished product. Ultimately I’ve shied away
from them because the high gloss makes puzzling in evening room light difficult. I can certainly
still recommend the brand.
Quality: Almost perfect. There was one damaged piece where the colorful layer was lifting from
a corner. Easily repaired with a bit of glue, but easily destroyed by little fingers if not caught in
time. Otherwise this was a well presented puzzle. The large, 11” square, sturdy box covered with
a huge, colorful circle would excite a young child ( or even an “any puzzler” adult :-)). The box
bottom has a smaller version of the full design, the actual huge piece size, other required info,
and a cute poem. Inside is a sealed, clear plastic bag of pieces, a little fold-over titled Always
Good &Why and inside the fold A Curriculum for the Whole Child, and a 20‘ square
informational poster. There was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustrations was excellent.
The very solid pieces have a high gloss. None were together uncut, and none were missing. Piece
fit was acceptable but don’t try to pick up the completed puzzle.
About the informational poster: It is written for adult readers. Each of the 48 colors in the puzzle
border is described in detail with historical and unique facts. Adults may choose to share info
appropriate to the age of their audience. For example, Emerald Green. In the early 1800’s a new
emerald green pigment was introduced. It contained arsenic. People who lived in rooms painted
with that color, or wore clothing dyed with that color, died of arsenic poisoning. On a more
shareable note, Indigo. Ever wonder why your worn, torn blue jeans have white threads? The
indigo plant has been used to dye fabrics dark blue for 3,500 years, and grew in use when blue
denim jeans became popular. It is unique in that it changes the surface color of fabric, but the
inside of the fibers stay white.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Edge pieces - Yes! Sort by color - not so
much. Here it would be sort by design. That said, with only 100 pieces, turning them right side
up might be all that’s required. But I always try to sort, so here it was the border, a pile of the
pieces with the words on the center square, and the sections that made up the square below that.
The rest were just spread around my large puzzle table with room left for the puzzle.
Construction: I built the border first. Then I put together those center square pieces with the
words and filled it in. Next I attached the square pieces with the simple line design. Then I added
in the left and right striped designs, and top and bottom geometric ones. The trickiest part ( a
relative term here ) was the third square with the sides of multicolored, small triangles. I never
watch the clock, but the whole process surely took less than an hour. Perhaps I could have used
the help of a recommended 5+ year old!
Final thoughts: The little poem: “Cobalt, Turquoise, Indigo. You’ve got the blues. What do you know? Cerulean or Aubergine? There’s a word for what you’ve seen. Learn your colors, know their names, Your world will never look the same!” Clever! As a graphic designer I’ve lived in the digital world of CMYK and RGB for a long time. I could probably walk down the street and point out many of those 48 colors. Well, maybe not Puce. The light brownish purple color refers to the color of fleas, or more precisely, the tiny stains left on the bedsheet if bitten by one. Fleas were common when puce was first recorded as a color in 1787. It was Queen Marie Antoinette’s favorite color. So, my favorite part of this puzzle was the informational poster - it was interesting and fun to learn those historical facts! The puzzle was fun too. Clearly the giant pieces and large finished circle are meant mostly for young children to enjoy. I’m a kid at heart, maybe you are too!
My grades for Beauty of Color: Quality A-, Fun factor A+
Starlit Tulip Soirée Amazon Link, Cross & Glory Puzzle, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 20” x 27”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: almost medium
This is the sixth puzzle I have done from this beautiful brand. I love everything about them!
There is one thing I don’t love quite as much, but I’ve gotten used to it now. Every puzzle is
made up of only one piece shape - the 2 in / 2 out variety. So lining them up by various shapes,
or seeing major distinct differences among them is not happening. The best clue is that pieces
alternate from horizontal to vertical. What I do, along with color, object or area sorting, is line
them up in the same direction and turn my trays for a different orientation. Admittedly, looking
for differences in holes, knobs and legs can get tedious after a while. Just take a short break. It’s
really hard to stay away from these puzzles for very long!
Quality: Impeccable! The sturdy, 8” square box has the full illustration on the top, and another
good sized one on the bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, a promo catalogue, and an 7.5”square image poster card for reference. There is no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to images is
perfect. The solid, almost matte, “satin” finish pieces are a contemporary thickness. None have
ever pealed or split, none were damaged or together uncut. None were missing. The big star of
these puzzles is piece fit. It is immediately clear when the correct piece literally falls into place.
I’ve never encountered a false fit. Once complete, the tight fit puzzle can be picked up, turned
over, slid in a frame without tape or glue, and hung to enjoy the achievement and remember what
the fun of puzzling is all about.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. These puzzles are not easy peasy. At the
very least they require time, patience, and concentration. Only in relative terms, this one was
easier than the other 5 I’ve done. That said, it did take some time and concentration to piece it
together. Personally, I think time taken is a measure of difficulty, and “almost medium” is a fair
level for this one. What I learned from the other 5 is a dedicated sort will be an immense help. I
always sort beyond color when applicable; this one lent itself to a color sort by area. That covers
the tulip stems, the four colors of tulips, the green hills, the white snow caps, each shade of the
lighter blue clouds, the darker blue clouds with and without black, and the black sky with and
without blue. I also sorted out each balloon and its matching basket. For the moment, I ignored
all the stars.
Construction: I built the frame first. I prefer building in from there. I connected the white, then
pink, then orange then yellow tulips first, and then the tulip stems, continuing up through the
snow caps. Next I pieced together the two balloons that connected to the frame, built the other 3,
and placed them where they would end up - it took some time, but my balloon sorts were
amazingly accurate! Approximately one third of this tulip puzzle is sky. My personal puzzle asset
is excellent color vision. My lighter blue hue sorts were on point. I am not a seasoned puzzler, I
do reference the illustration. I sub-sorted out the stars and dots in each color group and pieced the
few stars that needed to be put together. The star locations were a definite asset to the
construction.
Reach for Stars Puzzle, Cross & Glory, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 27” X 20"
Above is another from this brand called Reach the Stars. It is difficult to forget how much time that sky took! So, yes, the tulip sky was easier. I continued upward, experiencing slow but satisfying, rewarding progress. Trickiest were the black with darkest blue pieces toward the top. And when it was complete, for the 6th time I declared “that was so much fun!”
Final thoughts; Puzzling time is a gift. The process clears the mind and offers calm. The quality
of these puzzles enhances the experience. Reading their puzzle descriptions exudes the pride they
take, and IMHO well they should! Here’s part of what they say about the puzzle reviewed here:
“Our Starlit Tulip Soiree puzzle is a tribute to our ethos of environmental care and exquisite
craftsmanship. We partner with the most skilled jigsaw artists to offer puzzles that are
environmentally conscious and designed to challenge, engage, and entertain. This 1000 piece
marvel embodies all these virtues, perfect for puzzle aficionados and art lovers alike.” Their
selection is quite unique. A mix of styles and subjects that are oddly fascinating, colorful,curious, thought provoking ( as in “How difficult will that be?” :-) ), humorous and more. I
strongly recommend checking them out.
My grades for Starlit Tulip Soirée: Quality A++, Fun factor A++
Title: Dinosaur Jigsaw Puzzle Amazon Link, Artist: Robert Frederick, Ltd., Cut: Ribbon, Pieces:100 Larger Pieces, Size: Finished Dimensions: 10.25” X 15”.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Prehistorically Easy
To be clear, Robert Frederick, Ltd. is a distributer. To find some other truly extraordinary puzzles from that company, a hunt is required! I googled “Robert Frederick, Ltd. puzzles for sale”, and any number of retail sellers came up. And, yes, even that one named like a river, where I found the one above. When to do a 100 piece puzzle? Almost anytime! In this instance it followed three 1000 piece, time consuming and somewhat challenging ones. I needed a break! Why do one at all? I think 100 pieces have their place in anyone’s puzzle collection. If time is limited or just to relax, they still offer the benefits of the puzzling process - to clear the mind and provide calm.
Quality: Excellent! This puzzle comes in a 3.5” sturdy, attractive cube box. Only portions of the illustration encircle the box top and 3 sides. One side has the full illustration. Inside is a sealed bag of easy to handle pieces that included a 2” x 2.25” card of the image (seriously, were they kidding?), but at the bottom there was a folded 6” x 8.25” poster, a much better reference. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces are a nice thickness; they do have some sheen. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was pick up tight!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. With so few pieces, all that’s necessary is turning the pieces right side up, maybe sorting out the edge pieces, and just getting started. I always sort, but this time I set aside the edge pieces, greenery and the light upper area and not much else.
Construction: I built the frame and worked my way in from there. I put in the sorted pieces that attached to the frame and continued filling in until this prehistoric puzzle was complete. Just relaxing fun. Don’t laugh - from pouring out the pieces to picking up the completed puzzle an hour had gone by. It was a delicious, unrushed hour of mind clearing, calming entertainment.
Final thoughts: So many puzzle brands offer 100 piece puzzles now - there has to be something to it. I appreciate the quality of these little The Puzzle Cube ones, but they are hard to find at reasonable prices. Maybe dinosaurs aren’t appropriate on a work desk at lunch break, but New York Puzzle Company has a slew of their “Mini Collection” choices with illustrations and themes that appeal to adults. They come in small boxes, measure 9” x 7”, and have average sized pieces. I recommend trying one.
My grades for Dinosaur: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
NO BULLSIT, Blue Kazoo, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 30” x 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: A time and patience challenge, hard
The folks at Blue Kazoo have a brassy sense of humor. The original painting of this reproduction
was created by Russian artist Alexej von Jawlensky over a century ago (1902). He titled it
Spring. There are two more similar ones by the artist in Blue Kazoo’s collection. Frankly, one
was enough! This brand can be commended for restyling their puzzles in 2023 to be much more environmentally aware, from the no shrink wrapped small box, pieces in a reusable, black paper
bag, to “no plastic - zero, zip, zilch. High-end sustainable materials throughout, for a longer
living planet for all of us.” They are rebranded as Premium Edition. The original collection is
called Classic Edition, some remain available. Both collections are colorful, intriguingly
interesting, and most appear challenging - very challenging!
I chose this one because it actually meets my aesthetic - a central figure with a textured
background. I would much rather spend the time on that than a busy puzzle where every piece is
a visual challenge! I shared building this one with my adult daughter, an avid puzzler. Our styles
are different. She loves to sort and build sections. Sorting is by far not my favorite part, and I like
building in from the frame. But, we do work well together despite all that, and our different
styles actually worked well here.There were some issues. Although this puzzle left us feeling
accomplished, it was less than satisfying in some regards.
Quality: Less than perfect. Yes, the small, sturdy, square box is artistically attractive. The cover
shows only an enlarged area (in this case the face) of the puzzle on the top and around the sides.
The gold lettered title and a small Blue Kazoo logo are on one side. The box bottom has a small
full puzzle illustration, an artist credit, other required info and this self promo “The best puzzles
in the world” - probably everyone. So far so good - I rather like their kitschy style. Inside the box
is the bag of pieces and a large reference poster. Color match poster to the pieces was poor. The
poster was more vibrant than the pieces. Not so good. There was no puzzle dust.The matte finish
pieces are solid and thicker than many other current brands. With the sustainable changes, the
core and backing are now black. Not an issue, just a bit jarring when the pieces are poured out
for sorting. None of the pieces were damaged or together uncut and none were missing. But,
even though every traditional piece shape was represented, beware of false fits! Because of the
textures and no real pattern, they were not easy to spot. Again, not so good. Loose piece fit was
not an issue, but pick up was a minor fail. It’s fun when it works but not a big issue for me
anyway.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. The first sort was easy - at most seven
colors - pink, red, blue, purple, black, yellow, green - and the edge pieces. It quickly required
sub-sorting by shades of color and piece shape.
Construction: I built the frame and my daughter starting piecing together the sections of the
neckband, the neck, face parts and the hair. We got the entire head together and what was left is
obvious and daunting. I took the green / yellow background. Mean Mommy! No, not really. My
daughter went out to meet with friends while I sub-sorted those lights, darks and piece shapes,
and hours later almost completed that part. Upon her return, she started to sub-sort what took
almost half the puzzle real estate, while I finished the upper background. We worked together to
finish sub-sorting and complete the pink sweater - it took a long time!!
Final thoughts: We always have fun puzzling together, laughing when things get frustrating. So
we laughed a lot working on this puzzle! We also went out, meeting friends for dinner, going to amuseum, and of course shopping, so this puzzle took 4 days to complete. The Blue Kazoo folks
suggest “You’ll definitely want to get this one framed when you’re finished.” I’ll pass on that,
but there are ready made 30” x 20” frames. All of the larger puzzles are 1000 pieces. It won’t be
the easiest lower piece count puzzle, but for a shorter experience, some of their puzzles come in
an 18” x 12” 250 piece version. This was my second Blue Kazoo puzzle. The first was from the
Classic Series. It was called Train - one in 3 from their Vintage Travel series. Very much
different illustrations from any of their others.
I re-read my review. The poster wasn’t as bright as the puzzle, otherwise I quite enjoyed it. I even mentioned there were no false fits. I’m a bit leery now because of the false fits we experienced in this one. But there is another in my stash with an entirely different design, so I might give it a go. I feel fairly comfortable recommending checking them out, if only to read their descriptions. These are really humorous people who respect the environment while having a good time. No BS - I like them!
My grades for NO BULLS#IT: Quality - B+, Fun Factor - Alone B, With a partner, A :-)
Gilded Garden: Radiant Hens & Chicks, Cross & Glory, Ribbon Cut, 1000 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 27” x 20”.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
Hens & Chicks? I had to look it up! Here’s what I learned about these plants: The hen is the
mother plant. She produces seeds that grow into succulents - the chicks. Eventually the hen will
grow a stalk and flower. Unfortunately that’s the end of her time. Meanwhile the chicks mature
into hens and the cycle continues.About the puzzle: With dedicated sorting, concentration, time and patience, this puzzle was really fun. It was exciting watching it come together succulent by succulent by multicolor flower. A lot of the pleasure comes from the brand’s level of excellence.
Quality: Beyond excellent! The small, square, sturdy box has the full illustration on the top and
bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces and a reference poster. Color match pieces to graphics is
on point. There is no puzzle dust. None of the solid, low sheen pieces were damaged in any way
or together uncut, and none were missing. The A+++ grade goes to piece fit. It is immediately
clear that the correct piece is in place, and when complete, pick up and even turn over is a no
worry event.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. My adult daughter, an avid puzzler, is
visiting. She actually loves to sort, so this time I gave her the chore - it’s my least favorite part of
puzzling! She did a great sorting by color job! My way is to sort beyond color to objects - I
would have sorted each flower. In this puzzle, it was really the same thing! There wasn’t much
black in this puzzle, but I did pull out pieces with black from her sorts. As we went along, we did
sub-sort the colors by predominantly light or dark.
Construction:I should mention here that all the puzzles in this brand have 1000 pieces, and have
only one piece shape, the traditional 2 in / 2 out variety. The one clue is the pieces alternate from
horizontal to vertical. Arranging by shape doesn’t really apply. We just lined them up in the same
direction and turned the trays for piece orientation. We built the frame first and built in from the
edges, starting in the lower right corner. The upper left quadrant was the trickiest area. Otherwise
each succulent bloom was pretty distinct color wise. My daughter likes to build sections, I’m
more a piece by piece, connect to the whole, person. But we do work well together despite
individual technique. The progress was slow but steady, there was no frustration. Next to last to
get pieced together was that upper left quadrant - it includes the hen’s final flower. Lastly we had
that large blue chick - that took the longest amount of time. The finished puzzle is so vibrant and
pretty and the process to get there so satisfying. We felt accomplished. And sharing with my
daughter increased our fun ten fold.
Final thoughts: This is my fifth puzzle from this brand. The quality does not waver. Their
selection is varied, from collage style to op art, alien beings to animals, maps to donuts, flora and
fauna, ballerinas and geishas, and much more. None look easy. I know I want more of them!
They are worthy of framing and their size accommodates a ready made frame. That’s where the
piece fit really is handy. Turn the puzzle over and slide it from a board into the back of the frame
— no tape or glue required! I highly recommend Cross and Glory puzzles!
My grades for Gilded Garden: Radiant Hens & Chicks: Quality A++, Fun Factor A++
Whales On A Rainbow Reef Puzzle
Cross and Glory
Ribbon Cut
1000 Pieces
Finished dimensions: 27” x 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty. Rating: Medium to Hard
If one wants a long and satisfying puzzling experience and have fun doing it, this is a great
choice!
Quality: The best! No quality points off, but all the pieces are the same traditional 2 in / 2out shape. The sturdy, small, square box has the full illustration on the top. There is also one on the box bottom, somewhat obstructed by the large number 1000.
Inside is a sealed bag of pieces, a promo catalogue, and a small reference poster of the full image. There is no puzzle dust. The solid, low sheen pieces are a perfect color match to the illustration. None of the pieces were damaged in any way or together uncut. None were missing. Most exciting of all is the piece fit. It is immediately clear the correct piece is in place, and the fit is so tight when complete, pick up and turn over is no issue at all!
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. In this case I sorted by the rainbow’s
prominent color - purple (only a few), red to pink, orange, yellow, and light green, and the
turquoise blue water. I always sort by more than color when possible, so I also sorted each plant
on the left, each plant on the bottom, and the blue plant on the right. I also had a tray of pieces
that looked like parts of the larger fishes; the orange ones were easy to set aside. As for the
whales, I sorted the blue underbellies of each one, just black pieces, and the dark pieces that were
a mix of blue and black. I did a lot of sub-sorting during construction.
Construction: I built the frame first. Since it is my preference to build in from the frame, I started
from the top. After the purple and just a bit more, it became extremely clear this was not going to
be as straightforward as what I first thought. So I moved to the lower left side and bottom and
pieced in those plants. Then I moved up and put in the green and blue plants and the 2 orange
fish. Ever stubborn, and knowing I could attach the big whale to the frame, it got its underbelly,
and eventually the rest of it was complete. Of course all that building allowed me to fill in some
of the water. Now what? I went to the tray of fish pieces and put together the four largest ones
and the two pale green and white ones, connecting four of them to the large whale. (Yes, I love to
make things whole!) I put together the next larger whale, yes it had a home on the frame as did a
home for the two fish on it’s body and the little yellow one. Now I went out of character, built
the other whales and placed them where they would eventually go. But of course, I built around
them until they were attached to something. It might sound easy, but all of the above took a lot of
time and concentration, and that was just the beginning. All that was left was the rainbow and the
water - construction became a very slow, piece by piece operation, finding them much more by
color than shape. With all the pieces the same shape, it becomes very tedious to compare knobs
and holes to empty spaces. I sub-sorted each rainbow color by light and dark shades, and the
water by shades and with or without clues. I started with the light green area and moved up to the
top. The water was last, and several of the pieces had clues, so it went comparatively quickly and
the puzzle was complete!
Final thoughts: I’ve done a lot of time consuming puzzles where I say “will this ever be done?”
Not this one - it gave me joy! It was so much fun! Difficulty - no way was this an easy puzzle,
but it wasn’t a challenge puzzle either. I think time is a measure, in which case I would say hard
is fair. But it was never frustrating so I’m a bit at odds with my own rating! I know my puzzling
style might be unusual, and my sorting style might be over the top. Thank goodness puzzling isan individual activity! I need to make order out of chaos. To each his / her / their own on that
score!
About the brand: “Cross & Glory Puzzles and Games was founded in 2020 by a team who
were passionate about art and wanted to bring modern and contemporary artwork to the world of
jigsaw puzzles. The company was named after the Flag of England and the American Flag, as a
tribute to the diverse cultural backgrounds of the founders.” From reading their puzzle
descriptions it is clear they take great pride in their product, and well they should! The quality
speaks for itself! I have done four from this brand. Yes, they all had that one piece shape, but it
doesn’t stop me from wanting more. I can highly recommend checking them out. Their selection
is extremely unique.
My Grades for Whales On A Rainbow Reef: Quality A++, Fun Factor A++
Rainbow whales puzzle framed
1000 Colours Puzzle, The Play Group, Ribbon Cut, 1000 pieces, Finished dimensions: 19.7” x 27.6”
My (advancing) Newbie Difficulty Rating: easy to moderate
I love to read, but I don’t re-read books. I had imagined neither would I replay a puzzle. Wrong! I enjoyed this puzzle so much; I am sure I will do it again!
Difficulty - I finished this puzzle in just about a day — I have never come close to that with any of the twenty four 1000 piece puzzles I have completed since I began this new hobby near the end of 2021. So, for me, this was a relatively easy puzzle. I think it all had to do with good color vision. More about that in the Construction section.
This puzzle is very unique. Every single piece is an individual solid color. That’s 1000 different colors! While working on it and seeing rather distinct transitions, I wondered how it would be a flowing gradient when completed. But it was, beautiful, vibrant and smooth.
Construction: Step one is always find the edge pieces and sort by color. I have read and seen YouTube reviews of this puzzle. Some people do not do the frame first because it is just almost black, near white and green. They work on sections doing the lighter colors first. I did the frame first, and I filled in a lot of the bottom to get it out of the way. Having the frame also helped with getting the green pieces in the correct location. My initial sort by color filled 14 trays, doing light and dark separately for each color. Good color vision made that an easy task as well. No sub sorting required until near the end. I left he dark blues and purples for last; they were the most challenging for me, I sorted those by shade and shape. Otherwise, I just worked the puzzle piece by piece, from top to bottom, working toward the middle from each side. This puzzle deserves a shout out for tight piece fit even though I was not moving sections of pieces around to work on it. I have experienced my share of loose piece fit across brands, where everything fell apart. It definitely detracts from the puzzling experience. It makes me sad.
Puzzle quality: This is not an inexpensive puzzle, making any imperfections highly annoying. The oversized box is beautiful to look at, with limited verbiage. The puzzle design wraps around the sides but is still incomplete. There is no additional poster inside, only the sealed bag of pieces. So, go on line and view any pic of the entire puzzle, if for no other reason than to know the order of the colors. An available visual reference is always helpful, but perhaps less important for a puzzle like this. I was very surprised to see uncut pieces. It was only one group of 3, and I carefully cut through the backing with a craft knife, but still. And then there were the three pieces where the tabs were splitting, and I had to apply a bit of glue to press them back together. Bent tabs requiring careful readjustment occurred a few times. Geeze! I have no idea if this company has an unhappiness guarantee, but I was considering it. In the end, the puzzle looks wonderful, and there are no missing pieces. Not always having luck on my side, a replacement could end up with one, so I’m keeping this once wounded puzzle. It is healed now and I’m rather attached to it. It did, after all, make me happy.
With the mantra “find the edge pieces and sort by color”, I suspect most of us — this audience of puzzlers — have acceptable color vision / perception. If you are curious, or reading this because you are introducing yourself to the world of puzzling, there’s all sorts of info on line. I Googled it and got 81,100,000 results. In a nutshell:
“Color vision, a feature of visual perception, is an ability to perceive differences between light composed of different wavelengths (i.e., different spectral power distributions) independently of light intensity.”
“Color Perception. Mental processing of chromatic signals (COLOR VISION) from the eye by the VISUAL CORTEX where they are converted into symbolic representations.”
Final thoughts: Okay, I’m not brand new to this hobby anymore, but I still try to select puzzles I know I can sort, I still reference the box / poster often, I’m generally very slow, and I’m not bothered by that. This puzzle surprised me no end! Gradient puzzles are very popular. The Play Group has 4 more in their line up, all of them way more challenging and more costly than this one (a Mother’s Day gift from my daughter BTW). There is a 5000 piece version of this exact puzzle. Aside from that, the most challenging (near impossible is my guess) is the Color Changing gradient puzzle.There are pure full spectrum gradient puzzles that start bold in the corners and go to near white toward the center. I think that is a better way to begin trying one, if you haven’t already. I have one in my stash which was going to be first, but how could I ignore such a wonderful gift?
My grades for this puzzle: Quality B+, Fun Factor A++
Birds Sinfonia (side 1) / Kimono (side 2) (artist Christian Lacroix), Galison, Ribbon Cut - 2 sided, 250 Larger Pieces, Finished Dimension: 20” Square.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Fairly Easy / Much Easier
This puzzle, compared to other two sided Lacroix puzzles I’ve done from Galison, was a big
disappointment. The box top, as usual, is lovely, with its signature gold ribbon glued across the
center. The full Birds illustration is there, partly hidden by the ribbon, and partly wrapping
around the sides. It is repeated inside and up the sides (minus the striped border) of the box
bottom. As for the Kimono side, it wraps around the box bottom and is folded over into the
inside. There is, however, a large white square on the box bottom that covers the center of the
side two design. In that square is a full illustration of each side. Those are each 1.75” square.
With either a lot of box twisting and turning or a magnifying glass, the full illustration is, um,
available. Clearly a poster should be included. Galison includes one with other Lacroix 2 sided
puzzles.
Quality: More disappointment. Damaged pieces (mostly visible on side 2) - too many to count!
Pealing edges, and splitting corners and tabs, do not enhance the finished product! On the good
side, the box is small and sturdy, inside the pieces were in a sealed bag. The pieces are very thick
and piece fit is pick up, turn it over tight. A variety of traditional shapes are represented. There
was no puzzle dust. Color match pieces to box colors was fine. No pieces were missing. Often,
the 2 sided puzzles are glossy on side one, matte on side two. This one had “Spot UV” gloss and
matte areas on both sides. The designs were so different that sorting was not an issue.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. Full disclosure - I only built side 2. With
only 250 pieces I’m sure I could have done both, but birds and designs like that one are just notmy thing. That said, finding the striped side one edge pieces would be an easy task. I sorted
everything including the edges for side two, more by the designs that went across the puzzle than
by color.
Construction: I built the frame first then filled in across the puzzle starting from the bottom. Yes,
it was a piece of cake. Yes, that is always fun. Because of the poor quality I was happy when it
was done so quickly.
Final thoughts: I’ve done many puzzles from Galison. Some had minor quality issues, nothing
that would keep me from trying more. I won’t recommend this 2 sided one, but there are 33 other
2 sided puzzles (most have 500 pieces) among their sizable and varied selections. I will continue
to recommend this brand.
My grades for Birds Sinfonia / Kimono: Quality B-, Fun Factor A-
Cosmic Rainbow Puzzle Amazon Link, Galison Puzzle, Ribbon Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimension: 20” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
This surreal puzzle was really a joy to put together, with just enough challenge to test one’s
concentration and feel accomplished when it was complete.Quality: Perfect! The sturdy, small, square box has the full illustration covering the top and another full, smaller image on the bottom. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a 7” square poster. Color match pieces to graphics was spot on. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have a matte finish (my favorite). None were damaged in any way, or together uncut. No pieces were missing, but there was an extra one. Piece fit was the best! It was immediately clear that pieces were where they belonged. And, when finished, the puzzle was pick up off the table perfection.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I prefer to go further and sort by object or
area where possible. In this instance I sorted the road, the railing, the bushes, the land mass on
the left, the rocky hill on the right, the water, the land on the horizon, the setting sun, the blue
planet, and each gradient color in the sky. At first sort there were way too many “black” pieces. I
decided to leave them for last. See the * in construction.
Construction: I built the frame first, then built the road, the railing and the bushes. Next I put in
the horizon land, the water, the land mass and the rocky hill. The setting sun and the blue planet
completed the easier parts and then it was time to fill in the sky. *After the brighter orange, gold
and lighter green the concentration level definitely increased. The dark area on the right side took
the most time. Piece shape became essential there, and from the upper left corner to the dark
purple-blue. Any gradation in the darker pieces was quite difficult to distinguish. All the pieces
in this puzzle were the traditional 2 in / 2 out shape which added to the challenge. I sub-sorted
the darker pieces by vertical or horizontal orientation and looked more closely for the color
variations. Sometimes difficult to find, and on occasion on the right side, resorting to just trying
the same piece from place to place. So, maybe harder than the rest of the puzzle, but in total
medium difficulty level is correct.
Final thoughts: Some might think my sorting is overkill. Admittedly, it is not my favorite part.
But it allows for more progress than frustration during the construction and, way more often than
not, saying “that was really fun!” when the last piece goes into place. That was certainly true for
this one. Coupled with the excellent quality, I can definitely recommend it.
My grades for Cosmic Rainbow: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
Delightful Donuts Puzzle Amazon link, Buffalo, Ribbon Cut, 300 Large Pieces, Finished Dimension: 18” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Sweetly EasyI googled and learned a lot about donuts. To sum it all up, traditional donuts with holes are called ring donuts. Those without holes generally have a filling and are called filled donuts. There are many other fried pastries that are called donuts. They all sound delicious!
I have also learned that I don’t need to be challenged to thoroughly enjoy a puzzling experience.
I totally understand the added sense of accomplishment completing a high piece count,
complicated illustration, but sometimes I just want to have some relaxing fun. After all, the
puzzling process is always the same no matter the piece count or difficulty - it clears the mind
and offers calm.
Quality: Excellent! Okay, there is one issue with every Buffalo puzzle. The small, sturdy boxes
are not shrink wrapped, but to protect the loose pieces inside, the sides of the top and bottom are
glued together. Some of the cardboard is damaged separating them. It does not show when the
box is closed. But if a pristine box is important, that is a point against the quality. Everything else
is really top notch. A poster is also included. Color match pieces to graphics is spot on. There
was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces have some gloss.None were damaged or together uncut, and
none were missing. Piece fit was pick up off the table tight.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond that to include
objects where applicable, so I sorted each donut - in this case I suppose that was also sorting by
color :-) . The sorting actually took longer than putting the puzzle together!
Construction: I built the frame first and worked in and around from the edges, finishing each
donut before going on to the next. I’m slow and I don’t watch the clock, but for me this was
completed in record time.
Final thoughts: I just might have to stop at the donut shop tomorrow, but for now this little
puzzle was just what I wanted. It was “delightful” relaxing fun! As for Buffalo, it’s not “fancy”.
It’s a well established brand with tons of puzzle themes and piece counts at reasonable prices,
and consistent quality. I’ve done so many of their puzzles. On the 2 occasions when there was a
missing piece, there was a reasonable replacement policy. I can recommend checking them out.
My grades for Delightful Donuts: Quality A-, Fun Factor A++
Extraordinary Chickens (Amazon Link)(Art by Janet Hill Studio), New York Puzzle Company, Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 24” x 18”.
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Medium
This was the first Janet Hill puzzle I have done. When I started sorting I was
disappointed to see how blurry the piece appeared. On a closer look at the illustration
on the box I decided maybe it was more the painterly aspect of the image. I do respectthe talent, but perhaps I would not choose another Janet Hill work of art to piece
together. Just my personal taste in puzzle design, I prefer a sharper, more graphic
presentation.
Quality: Acceptable. Some of the pieces had bent or splitting corner, some had uncut
hanging pieces of backing. Loose piece fit was an annoyance - this would not pass any
pick up test. Otherwise things were okay. The sturdy box had the full illustration on the
top with minimal signage. Other essential info was around the sides. More about the
artist and the company’s goals toward the environment, their USA production, and their
satisfaction guarantee are on the box bottom. Inside was a sealed bag of of pieces;
there was no additional poster. Color match pieces to illustration was excellent. There
was some puzzle dust. None of the mostly solid, medium sheen pieces were together
uncut and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort by more then
color when possible. For this puzzle that included the dark ground layer and the
chickens, the large red table, the hanging leaves on the left, the shutter on the right, the
lady in the hanging egg chair, the greenery with lemons, the plain greenery, and each of
the five shades of beige background.
Construction: I built the frame first, then added the shutter. Then I put in the hanging
leaves. I was able to attach a bit of the hanging chair to those leaves and completely fill
in the chair and lady. Those were the easier parts. The ground, chickens and red table
came next. None of that was exactly a walk in the park, but 2 things helped maintain at
least slow progress. The first were my exacting sorts, the second were the random cut
pieces. I seem to have an affinity for recognizing those crazy empty cuts and their
corresponding pieces. If all the pieces had been one traditional shape coupled with the
blurry (er, artsy) depiction, this puzzle would not have been very much fun at all. The
background shades of beige were easy, again because of the random cut pieces,
leaving the top greenery and lemons for the end. I thought that would take the most
time but it really went comfortably along, and the puzzle was complete.
Final thoughts: I have done many puzzles, from 100 to 1500 pieces, from New York
Puzzle Company now. They all seem to have loose piece fit. They vary by puzzle, some
are ribbon cut, some are random cut, some have a variety of traditional shapes, some
have only the 2 in /2 out piece shape. No way to know until the bag of pieces is
opened. The quality is consistent, there has never been a missing piece. I can
wholeheartedly recommend them. Extraordinary Chickens was not my personal
favorite, but when all was said and done, I had fun.
My grades for Extraordinary Chickens: Quality A-, Fun Factor A
World Landmarks, Robert Frederick, Ltd., Ribbon Cut, 100 Larger Pieces, Finished Dimensions: approx. 10.25” X 15”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Beautiful, Easy, Fun
To be clear, Robert Frederick, Ltd. is a distributer. To find this puzzle or some other truly
extraordinary puzzles, a hunt is required! I googled “Robert Frederick, Ltd. puzzles for
sale”, and any number of puzzle brands / retail sellers came up. And, yes, even that
one named like a river.
There is no puzzle title on the box. The one description I found says “A 100 piece
jigsaw featuring world landmarks, including Leaning Tower of Pisa, Big Ben, Sphinx, Taj
Mahal and Statue of Liberty.” Can you name the other 4? (My guess is Buddha, Eiffel
Tower, Pyramids and Parthenon.)
Quality: Excellent! This puzzle comes in a 3.5” attractive and sturdy cube box. Only
portions of the illustration encircled the box top and 3 sides. One side has a small, but
full graphic. Inside is a sealed bag of easy to handle pieces that included a 2” x 2.25”
card of the image (seriously, were they kidding?), but at the bottom there was a folded
6” x 8.25” poster, a much better reference. There was no puzzle dust. The solid pieces are a nice thickness; they do have a glossy finish. None of the pieces were damaged or
together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was pick up off the table tight!
Getting started: find the edge pieces and sort by color. With only 100 pieces, turning
them face up while finding the edges is all that’s needed. I sorted the ocean, the sky,
and most of the landmarks - it’s just what I always do.
Construction: I built the frame first, it offered some very helpful hints. Then I built in and
around from the edges. No, this was in no way a chore to put together. This was just a
really fun little puzzle that looked only a bit harder at first glance.
Final thoughts: I think 100 piece puzzles have a place for almost any puzzler. Why? The
puzzling process never changes, no matter the piece count or challenge. It clears the
mind and provides calm. One hundred pieces offer a quick puzzle break when time is
short. Or a few moments anytime, just to relax. In the case of these attractive little
cubes, they might even make a great gift. So many puzzle companies offer them now,
and with illustrations like this one, they are not just for children. Whatever your pleasure, happy hunting!
My Grades for World Landmarks: Quality A+, Fun Factor A+
Dining Sweethearts by Charles❤ Wysocki, Buffalo Games, Ribbon Cut, 300 Large Pieces, Finished Dimension: 18” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Some tricky parts but mostly easy fun!
I chose this puzzle because, unlike most Wysocki illustrations, this was an indoor
scene. Plus, along with wearing large bibs to protect their fancy dress, they are wearing
smiles and the blush of love. It is oh so charming. Of course the blush could just be
what’s in their tankards, but I’m a romantic at heart. :-)
Quality: Excellent! There is one issue that doesn’t bother me, but might if one must have a pristine storage box. Buffalo does not use shrink wrap. In lieu of that they glue the sides of the small, sturdy box together to protect the loose pieces packed inside.
When splitting the sides apart some of the cardboard gets ripped. It does not show
when the box is closed. Along with those environmentally conscious decisions, this
puzzle was perfect. The full illustration is on the box top. Inside the box there is also a
nicely sized poster of the image. Color match pieces to graphics is on point. There was
no puzzle dust. None of the solid, easy to handle, low sheen pieces were damaged or
together uncut, and none were missing. Piece fit was pick up off the table tight. Truly a
joy to puzzle.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color
when applicable. In this case I sorted the wood slats, the words and their background
design, the duplicated “Yum” drawings, the sleeping kitty, the lady’s hands, hair, head
and clothes, the gentleman’s hands, hair, head and clothes, the table drawer front and
legs, the table top items, the open window, the plain polka dot background pieces, the
sconces, and the duplicate chair parts. With only 300 pieces, that dedicated sorting
didn’t take too long, and it was worth it!
Construction: I built the frame first and built up from the bottom including the kitten.
That was the easier part. Next I moved to the top and put in the open window and
table top items. A lot of the dotted background came together building the other parts.
The last, and trickiest thing, was piecing together the chairs - it was near impossible to
sort each chair separately. And yes, some of the table legs were in the chair parts tray.
Final thoughts: I really don’t ever watch the clock. Maybe these 300 pieces took a bit
longer and required more concentration than others, but it really was tons of fun to put
it together. I highly recommend it!
My grades for Dining Sweethearts: Quality A+, Fun Factor A++
BEYOND Puzzles Genuine Fred Puzzles, Ribbon Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 22.5” x 16.5”
My confident puzzler difficulty Rating: Medium to Hard
This is the first puzzle I have done from this brand, which supports independent artist.
Other than long lists of accolades and clients, this is what I learned about the prolific
illustrator featured here: He refers to himself as Dion MBD, because Dionisius Mehaga
Bangun Djayasaputra is way too long to remember. He is an Indonesian illustrator/designer who lives and works between Brooklyn and Bandung. Dion received his
Illustration BFA from Ringling College of Art Design in Florida where he grew his
fascinations with clouds. In his down time, Dion is either cooking, listening to John
Mayer, or cloud watching.
His fascination is well represented, and time consuming, in this puzzle! If time is an indication of difficulty, the hard rating is warranted!
Quality: A bit disappointing because several tabs were bent. Also, I I did have 2
instances of false fits requiring some rearranging. Otherwise, no other complaints. The
attractive, sturdy box has the full illustration covering the entire box top. The only
signage is around the sides. The box bottom repeats the illustration and offers a picture
and brief bio about the artist, and the usual essential info. Inside was a resealable bag
of the low sheen pieces and a large poster. Color match pieces to graphics was on
point. There was no puzzle dust. Even though some pieces did not lie flat, most were
solid and piece fit was pick up off the table tight. No pieces were together uncut and
none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I always sort beyond color to
include objects and specific areas when possible. This time that included the painting
canvas including the girl’s dress, arms and hair, the artist’s bag, the easel, the painter
including his pants, shirt, legs, arms and head, the grasses, the sand, the dark blue
water, the water’s waves and sand edge, the gray horizon edge, the grayish clouds, the
pinkish clouds, the dark, medium and light blue clouds, and the whitish clouds.
Construction: I built the frame first and started filling in the areas from the bottom.
Everything took some time, but there was always a sense of good progress because of
my dedicated sorts. Almost half the puzzle was sky. I lined up my sorts by hue and
shape. With some trial and error, it all came together pretty comfortably. Mostly, I had a
lot of fun completing it.
Final thoughts: I looked at this puzzle a few times before I decided to own it. It’s rare
for me to create a story around a puzzle illustration. After all, most are self explanatory
from the picture and the title. But this one, to me, was sad and haunting at the same
time. I knew I wanted to put the picture back together. In my story the painter had lost
the girl, she is beyond reach, but how or why would remain a mystery. I think I will
wonder a bit longer before I take it apart.
My grades for BEYOND: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
The Jetsons Puzzle, MasterPieces (Amazon Store), Random Cut, 500 Pieces, Finished Dimension: 15” Square
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
The Jetsons is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC, then later aired in reruns via syndication, with new episodes produced from 1985 to 1987.George, Jane, Judy, Elroy, Astro the dog, and Rosie the Robot were living 1000 years in the future, 2062. Many of the innovations that were part of their world exist in ours today. Robotic helpers, drones, 3-D printed food, smart watches, self driving cars - how often do we say ” like the Jetsons”?
Quality: Acceptable. The pieces are not the thickest but none were damaged or missing. The box
is a 4” cube with the full, but small (3.5” square), illustration on the top and 3 sides. There is no
poster. Color match to the pieces was lacking, the printed pieces were lighter than the illustration.
Piece fit seemed loose, but it actually passed the pick up test when complete.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted the big characters, the flying car
and smaller group under the bubble top, the large tower, the signage, the blue and the yellow
background.
Construction: I built the frame first then started filling in from the bottom up. It was all pretty
easy and just a lot of fun.
Final thoughts; there are 3 puzzles in this series, the other two are The Flintstones and Scooby-
Doo. For the sake of nostalgia, I will recommend this puzzle. I assume the others are of equal
quality.
My grades for The Jetsons: Quality B, Fun Factor A+
Los Angeles Puzzle
New York Puzzle Company, Ribbon Cut, 100 Pieces, Finished Dimensions: 9” x 7”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
It’s flu season. This thought might come to mind: “A puzzle would be nice if I could drag myself
out of bed.” Solution - grab a small board and do a 100 piece puzzle in bed, sitting up. Relax and
let the puzzle process happen. It will calm the mind if not the cough.
Quality: Almost perfect. This is another from Ne York Puzzle Company’s “Mini” Collection. I’ve
done many of these now, they all had loose piece fit. With so few pieces it’s not really an issue.
Otherwise they get high marks. The tiny, sturdy boxes have the full image on top. Inside is a
sealed bag of the pieces. Color match to the graphic is excellent. There is no puzzle dust. The
sturdy pieces have low sheen. None have been damaged or together uncut, none have been
missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. All that need be done is turn all the pieces
face up, pull out the edge pieces and just get started. I usually try to sort. For this one I sorted the
palm fronds and trunks and the striped half circle, but not much else.
Construction: I built the frame first - a lot of that happened while I was sorting - and then I built
in from the edges. It all came together quite quickly - relaxing and fun.
Final thoughts: So many brands have 100 piece puzzles now - there has to be something to it!
Surely they are a quick puzzle fix when time is limited. I know that completing challenging, high
piece count puzzles are a big part of the accomplished satisfaction of puzzling, and saying “that
was fun” feels particularly exhilarating, but enjoying the simple little pleasure of taking a brief
puzzle break can feel good too. Please try a 100 piece puzzle at least once! Any puzzling is a
good thing!!!
My Grades for LosAngeles: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Avant Garde Arcs
Sooness
Ribbon Cut
1000 pieces
Finished Dimensions: 49 cm X 68 cm (19.29” X 26.77”)
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Challenging
Well, this was actually fun, but very time consuming and tougher than I imagined when I first saw it.
Quality: Mostly okay, but there were some splitting tabs. The sturdy, attractive, square box had an enlarged section of the design covering the entire top and sides. There was no signage. A large, full graphic was on the box bottom. Inside was a paper bag of the pieces, a postcard with the graphic, a very large poster, and a spare paper bag for storing the pieces. I don’t intend to do this puzzle a second time, but breaking it up after all the time invested was difficult! It sat on my table for quite a while. Color match pieces to illustrations was on point.There were no false fits, and it was immediately clear that a piece put in place was correct. All the traditional shapes were represented. Piece fit did not seem loose, but it would have failed a pick up test. There were no missing pieces.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I love full spectrum gradients — I soon discovered this was nothing like that! I am blessed with excellent color recognition, so the sorting by color was an easy task.
Construction: I built the frame first and filled in the upper left section. I lined up each sort by hue and shape.The puzzle soon became a piece by piece exercise requiring a lot of concentration and patience. I was okay with that. I like to build and connect in from the frame rather than build sections that have to wait for where they will go. To repeat, this was fun! I most assuredly got lost in the process. I certainly felt accomplished when it was complete.
Final thoughts: I rated this challenging using time, concentration and patience as the measure. When I think about it, it seems logical. I’ve done a lot of puzzles now and have a picture of each one. I show them to friends who ask. Their question for ones that look complicated or even difficult because they have a central figure and lots of background, is always “how long did that take?”
My grades for Avant Garde Arcs: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Sushi Jigsaw Puzzle (Amazon Link)
Ravensburger Puzzles
Ribbon Cut
300 Pieces
Finished Dimensions: 10.63” x 15.35” (27 cm x 39 cm)
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy
This is another in Ravensburger’s Puzzle Moment Series. There are many of them now, in a variety of designs, and any one is either 200 or 300 pieces. Box signage encourages the user to “relax”, “enjoy”, and take some “me time”.
Quality: Loose piece fit is a minus. Otherwise the quality is acceptable. The sturdy, small, square box has an enlarged portion of the illustration covering the top. A full, but small (4.5” x 3.5”), graphic is on the box bottom. Inside is a sealed bag of pieces. There was a lot of puzzle dust. There is no poster. Color match pieces to images is on point. The solid pieces are almost matte. None were damaged or together uncut, and none were missing.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I like to sort by object when possible, so along with light beige and dark beige, I sorted the flags, the sea waves and foam, the table of sushi, the 3 fish, the octopus, the purple kimono, the geisha’s hair, face, and hand holding the sushi.
Construction: I built the frame first and filled the puzzle in from the top down. When all is said and done, it is a rather cool and curious illustration. My me time was relaxing and enjoyable. In total, there were many moments of satisfying fun.
Final thoughts: I don’t know why Ravensburger didn’t call the collection Puzzle Moments. The dictionary definition of a moment equates it to an instant in time - it takes longer than that to cut open the bag of pieces! Oh well - the point of these low piece count puzzles is they won’t take too long to complete while experiencing the benefits of the puzzling process. That is always the same - it clears the mind and offers calm. I have done several and can recommend checking out the series. Not all are that easy.
My grades for Sushi: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
Thank You Puzzle Heye Jigsaw Puzzle Ribbon Cut, 500 pieces
Finished Dimensions: 14” x 20”
My Confident Puzzler Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium
The Medium rating really refers only to the confetti and background. The appreciative clown was delightfully easy to piece together. When I saw this illustration, I just couldn’t resist owning it! The puzzle is from Heye’s Cartoon Classics collection. The artist is renowned cartoonist, Guillermo Mordillo. Try to find Mordillo’s 1000 piece Photo from the series — so fun to look at but it will definitely be more challenging!
Quality: Other than loose piece fit (nothing new for Heye), it was fine. The relatively small, sturdy box has the illustration on the top. Inside was a sealed bag of pieces and a promotional booklet. There was no poster. There was some puzzle dust. Color match pieces to illustration was on point. There were no false fits. None of the sturdy pieces were damaged, and none were missing. Most traditional piece shapes were represented, but the majority were the 2 in / 2 out variety.
Getting started: Find the edge pieces and sort by color. I sorted the individual parts of the clown - the shoes and socks, the pants the vest the coat the bow tie, the collar, the hands and facial features, the nose, the hat, background with confetti, and the plain green pieces.
Construction: I pieced together the bottom edge of the frame, left the rest for later, and built the clown up from the bottom. I did then build the rest of the frame and, using the illustration, pieced in the confetti. Time and concentration were required, but it was never frustrating. Most of the plain green pieces were filled in last. In total, the was just so much fun.
Final thoughts: Sometimes a relaxing, easy puzzle, is just what I want. As it happened I had to work more than anticipated to complete this one, but I really did enjoy it.
My Grades for Thank You!: Quality A-, Fun Factor A+
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