A majority of people in the United States enjoy puzzle making. However, the puzzle started outside of the United States. According to Wentworth Wooden Puzzles, the first puzzle, called a dissected map, was created in 1762 by John Spilsbury, a map engraver. The dissected map was an educational tool for children to learn geography. The dissection map was a success and was adopted widely in Britain.
Puzzles became popular with adults in the late 1800s. Printing techniques, the use of plywood, and the invention of the treadle jigsaw, where the current name, jigsaw puzzle, originates from, made the puzzle more accessible. Puzzles at this time were quite tricky. The pieces were cut right in the color lines, did not interlock like current puzzles, and there was no reference picture to work from. Not only was it difficult, but expensive. According to Puzzle Warehouse, one 500-piece puzzle costs five dollars, a tenth of a monthly salary. Puzzles became easier, cheaper and gained its trademark interlocked aspect a little later on.
During the Great Depression, puzzle sales rose significantly, with 10 million weekly sales in 1933. The jigsaw puzzle was an inexpensive entertainment that many families, due to their lack of budget, enjoyed. In the 1930’s, companies made the first boxes with finished pictures on top. Before this time, people considered it cheating to use an image of the finished puzzle.
World War II caused a short supply of plywood, so puzzles officially transitioned to cardboard. With current technology, puzzles can be any shape and design making puzzles a very entertaining hobby that both adults and children can enjoy.
There are many tricks to solving puzzles: starting at the edges, sorting by color and shape, fliping all the puzzles pieces to face up, and working on sections. However, organization and patience is key.
There are many good puzzle companies out there. Ravensburger is great at making tricky jigsaw puzzles and fun designs. Springbok is known for its quality. Clementoni is very eco-conscious about socrcing materials. Heye does outstanding cartoon puzzles. Buffalo Games and Puzzles is known for giving customers replacement for missing puzzles pieces. These are just a few good companies that love to make puzzles for both adults and children. The hours of single minded determination to finish a puzzle is great hobby.