Passion for Puzzles in a Pandemic
Last March, 2020, during the stay-at-home order, my husband Don and I put together a puzzle we’d saved for our next beach vacation, since we weren’t sure if we’d be traveling anywhere that summer. After that, we finished another saved puzzle. Then we bought a few we saw in the window at Lytle’s Pharmacy– you could browse the tagged puzzles and games on display, phone in your order, pay with a credit card, and pick it up at their back door.
We discovered our friends down the block were also puzzling, so we started an informal exchange. Soon I started snapping up deals on eBay, hunting down interesting White Mountain or Cobble Hill puzzles. It got so we’d get nervous if we didn’t have a one or two waiting for us to tackle. It was truly puzzle mania at our house.
Puzzle boom
Cobble Hill’s sales of jigsaw puzzles more than doubled in 2020. President David Manga said when the pandemic first hit, he told his employees to stay home, and had expected sales to plummet, like most businesses. “About two weeks later, we noticed that puzzle sales kept going up and up. It caught us by surprise, but sales just boomed,” said Manga. Other puzzle companies have busted balls to keep up.
A quick history
Puzzles, or “dissected maps,” were invented in Georgian-era England, probably by a mapmaker named John Spilsbury in the early 1760s. Early puzzles were exquisite pieces of craftsmanship made from wood, hand-colored, carefully mounted, and expensive. Even the wooden boxes for the pieces were made from mahogany or cedar.
Not surprisingly, the last big spike in jigsaw puzzle sales was during the Great Depression. That’s also when puzzles became more affordable, having gone from wood to cardboard.
Our friends loaned us this beautiful wooden Liberty Puzzle, with delicate, intricate pieces shaped like figures, boats, plants and animals. We found it challenging, and yet satisfying when you dropped a piece into place: Aah!
By the way, Liberty is a small company that’s struggling to keep up with the recent demand for their puzzles. You have to put your name on a waiting list. Most of their puzzles sell for over $100 (over $200 on eBay for some!)
Why are puzzles so appealing in times of great societal upheaval? “It’s something you can control… a challenge over which you can prevail” says Anne Williams, puzzle historian and professor.
It’s no wonder. Puzzling is a perfect pandemic distraction. Absorbing and almost meditative, it gave us something positive to do, and, as a bonus, it kept us away from the news.
Keep on puzzling
I don’t think Don and I will stop puzzling any time soon. We have about 4 puzzles waiting. Working on jigsaws brings us clarity of mind and an ability to focus that I find better than swallowing any so-called brain supplements made from jellyfish (aka Prevagen), witch’s fingernails or crushed newts. lol. Puzzling is good brain work.
Don assembles the border, and we both work on filling in. Sometimes I sort pieces by color or text. When we get near the end, I often sort them by shape. Our one rule: we always complete it together– no fair finishing a puzzle when the other person isn’t around!
My very favorite was this Nancy Drew. In the background of nearly every book cover was a lurking man or ghostly shape. So much fun. It made me want to reread some of the old Nancy Drew books.
Here’s a sampling of some of our favorites. The Star Trek puzzle was surprisingly tricky. The Charles Wysocki painting of the sailboat was enough to drive me batty… I had to walk away. Don was determined, however, and finished it himself.
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Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.
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I started doing jigsaw puzzles a year ago, too! I hadn’t realized what a widespread trend it became.
This was such a good post.
I didn’t really think about it until I tried to purchase a Liberty puzzled. Then I started researching the puzzle trend. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!