Games And Recreation Codexery

Jigsaw puzzle

Tiling puzzle of interlocking pieces forming a picture.

Last updated

Jigsaw puzzles originated in the 18th century when pictures were painted on wood and cut into small pieces.[1] The term "jigsaw" for these puzzles originates from the cutting implements—jigsaws, fretsaws, or scroll saws—that were employed to separate the picture into pieces.[1]

Quick Facts

Credited creator
John Spilsbury
Original material
wood
Modern material
paperboard

Facts from the source article.

Making and release

The name "jigsaw puzzle" dates back to 1906.[2] Jigsaw puzzles first became a craze among adults in the United States from 1907 to 1910.[3] Puzzle historian Anne Williams attributes the 1907-1910 craze to a poor U.S. economy in 1907 and increased participation of women in puzzle making.[4] Following World War II, the market for wooden puzzles declined because higher wages caused their prices to rise.[5]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were ordered to stay at home, there was a significant increase in the demand for jigsaw puzzles.[6] Tower Press had become the largest manufacturer of jigsaw puzzles globally by the start of the 1960s.[7] Magic Puzzle Company puzzles feature a mechanism where the pieces can be rearranged to create a different picture, and additional pieces are provided to fill the newly revealed space.[8]

What the cited sources add

The Guinness World Records account states that the most expensive jigsaw puzzle was hand-crafted by Rachel Page Elliott and consisted of 467 interlocking pieces.[9] The Guinness World Records account notes that the jigsaw puzzle with the most pieces had 551,232 pieces and was assembled by 1,600 students at Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City.[10] The Guinness World Records News account reports that the record-breaking puzzle depicted a lotus flower with six petals representing six areas of knowledge.[11] The Los Angeles Public Library article states that the jigsaw was invented in 1855 and the modern portable jigsaw was introduced in 1947.[12]

The Los Angeles Public Library article notes that during the Great Depression of 1933, manufacturers produced 10 million puzzles a week.[12] According to the Yuu Asaka interview, his creation "Jigsaw Puzzle 29" received a Jury Honorable Mention at the 2018 Nob Yoshigahara Puzzle Design Competition.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McAdam, "History of Jigsaw Puzzles", American Jigsaw Puzzle Society (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McAdam, "History of Jigsaw Puzzles", American Jigsaw Puzzle Society; Lerno, "A Puzzling History of Jigsaw Puzzles", Los Angeles Public Library, December 6, 2021; Lerno, "A Puzzling History of Jigsaw Puzzles", Los Angeles Public Library, December 6, 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Williams, "The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History", Berkley Books, 2004, p. 47-62; Williams, "Jigsaw Puzzles: An Illustrated History and Price Guide", Wallace-Homestead Book Company, 1990, p. 10-13 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Williams, "The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History", Berkley Books, 2004, p. 47-62; McAdam, "History of Jigsaw Puzzles", American Jigsaw Puzzle Society; Williams, "Jigsaw Puzzles – A Brief History", Mgcpuzzles.com; McAdam, "History of Jigsaw Puzzles", American Jigsaw Puzzle Society; McAdam, "History of Jigsaw Puzzles", American Jigsaw Puzzle Society; Williams, "Jigsaw Puzzles – A Brief History", Mgcpuzzles.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Williams, "Jigsaw Puzzles – A Brief History", Mgcpuzzles.com (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Miller, "Demand for jigsaw puzzles is surging as coronavirus keeps millions of Americans indoors", CNBC, April 5, 2020; Doubek, "With People Stuck at Home, Jigsaw Puzzle Sales Soar", NPR, April 13, 2020 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Achievement", World Trade Magazines Ltd., 1962, p. 31; Charlotte Arneson, "The Perfect Jigsaw for Every Type of Puzzler", Slate, April 10, 2020.; Tracee M. Herbaugh, "Snapping Into Place: Jigsaw Puzzles Have Ardent Following" , Associated Press via Minnesota Star-Tribune, Feb. 12, 2020.; Andy Castillo, "Specialty puzzle uses laser-cut techniques to offer one-of-a-kind offerings", Greenfield Recorder, April 6, 2018.; Jennifer A. Kingson, "Eye for Art and Artistry Amid Jigsaw’s Jumble", New York Times, Dec. 7, 2010. (original not read by u en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jigsaw puzzle" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Choot, "REVIEW: The Magic Puzzle Company (Spoiler Alert)", 2021-01-07 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. "Most expensive jigsaw puzzle sold at auction", Guinness World Records. facts only, no text reused. guinnessworldrecords.com
  10. "Largest jigsaw puzzle – most pieces", Guinness World Records. facts only, no text reused. guinnessworldrecords.com
  11. "Vietnam puts together the world's largest jigsaw puzzle", Guinness World Records News. facts only, no text reused. guinnessworldrecords.com
  12. Lerno, "A Puzzling History of Jigsaw Puzzles", Los Angeles Public Library, December 6, 2021. facts only, no text reused. lapl.org
  13. Asaka, "Yuu Asaka interview", Akita University of art, 2019. facts only, no text reused. akibi.ac.jp

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jigsaw puzzle (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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