Merry Christmas and Happy Puzzling!

Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for your business in 2011. We hope you get the opportunity to relax with family and friends this festive season. Put a jigsaw out on a table and watch it attract family and visitors alike - need the table? - just pop the loose bits in a meat tray (washed of course!) and spread your table cloth over the jigsaw on the table. Voila! Your table is useable again. Look out for new jigsaws in 2012 as we will be restocking.... Happy Puzzling! Joy and the Team at Pathway Puzzles

Jigsaw Puzzle accessories

If you know someone who enjoys jigsaws, and you are looking for something a bit different for them for Christmas, How about a puzzle roll, or a puzzle store so the jigsaw can be put away without being broken up??

We use a puzzle store all the time for the puzzle we are working on here at Pathway Puzzles, and we use a puzzle roll for that special puzzle that we don't want to glue up, but don't want to break up yet. So, both come highly recommended!

Special jigsaw gifts for Christmas

We have some great bargains in our jigsaw clearance area on our website. if you are looking for some extra gifts, or stocking fillers take a look - you will be surprised at what is there. Save $50 on 18,000 piece jigsaws including this one - Skylines of the World.

New Heye jigsaws available

We have just been unpacking some amazing jigsaws produced by the German jigsaw manufacturer Heye. Take a look at these jigsaws.

Castle of Horror 2000 pieces.

Cow 1000 pieces.

Metamorphose 1000 pieces.

World's biggest jigsaw puzzle collapses

I nearly cried when I read this article! This poor 70 year old chap completed the 32,000 piece jigsaw (the worlds largest) then stood it up against the wall so it could be photographed, and it collapsed!! Most of you will agree, there have been times when the cat has jumped on it, or the kids have played with your jigsaw, and messed up a bit - but to have spent 342 hours putting it together only to have it collapse is devastating. But he was not put off, he simply spent another 50 hours putting it back together again! Read the full story here.

Do leave us a comment if you have a story of when you had a mishap with one of your jigsaws.

What is the world's hardest jigsaw??

This could be debated of course, and I am sure we have all met our match with jigsaws that have stretched our patience, but many experts consider the most difficult to be 1965 Springbok Puzzle

“Convergence,” based on Jackson Pollock’s painting of the same name. I can't say I am in any hurry to try this one! What is the hardest jigsaw you have tried - tell us about the one that has challenged you the most, we'd love to hear from you.

New Masters jigsaws

Just arrived - these great 1000 piece jigsaws by the great Master artists - Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir. Order yours now (www.pathwaypuzzles.co.nz) as they won't last long!

Water lilies. Claude Monet

Bridge at Arles. Vincent van Gogh.

The Boating party. Renoir

Israel leads the world!

With sales of some 1.2 million puzzles annually, Israelis are among the world’s leading jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts Go into any household in Israel and you’ll find the exact same pictures of charming landscapes, Disney characters and famous buildings. Some are up on walls for display but most of these images are in pieces and packed in boxes. “Everyone does puzzles in Israel,” Yossi Bar-on, the country’s unofficial puzzle guru, says. “There are some 200 puzzles per 100 people in Israel. That’s among the highest in the world per capita.” There’s something about taking hundreds of pieces and making them into a whole picture that has won over populations around the globe. In Israel, adults and children alike are captivated by this pastime. Some 1.2 million puzzles are sold in Israel annually. By comparison, in the United States, where the population is 44 times that of Israel’s, some three million puzzles are sold yearly according to the Puzzle History website. In Israel, the peak sales times are just before religious holidays, particularly the autumn high holidays. “Sales of puzzles go up before the holidays because they make good presents,” says Rami Lavi, CEO of Habos Hakatan, an Israeli toy company that produces 250,000 puzzles a year. “Sales also go up in winter when kids play at home more.” In 2010, Puzzleland — the biggest seller of all the top brand names of jigsaw puzzles in Israel — sold 2,200 puzzles a day in the run-up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. (Courtesy of Israeli trade Commission, Australia see here for further)

Our 100th post!!

My, how time flies! This is our 100th post. We have had such fun writing about the Joy's of Jigsaws the time has simply flown. Here is a quote from the forward of the book 'The Jigsaw Puzzle. Piecing together a history" by Anne Williams. "Puzzles aren't a way to kill time, as many think. In my experience, the most avid puzzlers are often people with the least amount of discretionary time." Now there is a statement I really agree with. Thanks for reading our Blog over the last two and a half years and 100 posts. We hope you have found it as interesting and enjoyable as we have to write it.

Japanese themed jigsaws

These Japanese themed jigsaws are beautifully coloured and detailed - an absolute pleasure to do!

Hein 1000 pieces

Yoi 1000 pieces

Japanese Garden 1000 pieces.

A special message from a very special puzzler!

"Thank you for my puzzle. I'm very good at doing puzzles and it's soooo exciting especially when we do it together as a family. We lost the last piece and I was really disappointed. We looked all night for it and then another day I found it in my Barbie box. I was so excited and dashed and put it in! My puzzle looks awesome, she is so pretty. I liked glueing the jewels on at the end." Love Abby, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Age 6 years.

Coffee table, inspired by jigsaw puzzles

Now here is a use for those puzzles with missing pieces - United Kingdom designer, Rupert McKelvie has produced a coffee table inspired by jigsaw puzzles. The coffee table is known as Missing Pieces Coffee Table.

Within this design, Rupert McKelvie used several jigsaw puzzle sets with missing pieces. Individual missing pieces makes a puzzle incomplete or functionless. However, in other hands, individual missing pieces produce a complete and functional stylish coffee table. Read more about it here

Timelapse video

Wouldn't we all like to do a jigsaw at this speed...
No, no fun at all!!

Puzzle Pyramids

Here is a whole new concept in jigsaws - A unique 3D puzzle in the shape of a perfect pyramid.
Piece the 240 high quality plastic pieces together to form a fantastic 3D puzzle. The puzzlepyramid® is created with a mixture of flat and hinged pieces, all of which are numbered on the reverse (just in case you decide to piece the puzzle together using the numbers rather than the picture). The completed pyramid is a unique decorative object with five sides of imagery.
I am working on one at the moment, and I am really delighted with the result.

Worlds largest puzzle completed!

A couple who are recently married, are the first in the UK to complete putting together the 32,000 pieces which make up the Ravensburger jigsaw Double Retrospect. They spent just under 12 weeks putting together the jigsaw which has a finished size of 544 x 172 cms. Read more about them here

New jigsaws

Stocks are limited on these beautiful jigsaws, so don't miss out.


Splash! Shaped. 1000 pieces.

Sunset in the Maldives. 1000 pieces.

Hein. 1000 pieces.

Jigsaw Puzzle Solving Style Reveals Your Personality

Jigsaw style - are you hoarder, border obsessive or opportunist?
Have you ever experienced 'jigsaw rage?' Researchers at the University of Bath studied this issue and discovered that people have different approaches to puzzling and that, when there are two different approaches, there can be trouble.

What sort of trouble you say? Well how about when your brother hides the last piece in order to be the winner? How about when your spouse does not allow you to touch 'her' part of the puzzle. How about when you withhold the extra pieces and refuse to allow your partner to touch them?

University of Bath researchers used jigsaw puzzlers to study how people collaborate. They had individuals work on a 120-piece jigsaw puzzle, either alone or in a group.

They discovered categories of puzzlers including hoarders, border obsessives and opportunists.

Hoarders will shield parts of the finished puzzles or hide the picture on the lid from others.

Border obsessives must complete the border before they move on to the rest of the puzzle. They often dominate groups -- controlling decisions and behaviors.

Opportunists sort piles by criteria. They use different ways to solve the puzzle - from the top to the bottom, from a major part of the picture, etc. Opportunists did better when completing a puzzle alone.

Puzzlers altered their approach when they were asked to work in a group, especially if the person they worked with was of a different personality style.

The strategy you use to solve your puzzle likely is indicative of your personality and level of skill although in a lesser way than the extremes shown during puzzle solving.

What do you call the shapes of jigsaw pieces??

As I’ve handles puzzle pieces over the years, I've often wondered what to call the shapes. Sometimes I've needed to describe a puzzle piece to a puzzle helper, and a suitable term just doesn't seem to exist. Anne Williams discusses this very subject in her book, The Jigsaw Puzzle. She mentions the “running man” shape and the “turtle” shape. She states although there are several terms used there is no one list of terms agreed upon by everyone.
What do you call the various jigsaw piece shapes? - leave me a comment. Or come back later if you think of one.

More new jigsaws

Fabulous new jigsaws just arrived.

Postcard from Paris. 1000 pieces.





Sunset in the Maldives 1000 pieces
Check out the website under Newly Received for more great jigsaws.

Give a jigsaw as a gift - with a difference!

We all enjoy giving a jigsaw as a gift, but here is an idea for a jigsaw gift that is a bit different - do the puzzle yourself, and send chunks of completed puzzle to the birthday person over a number of days - makes for an air of mystery! Click here to read about it.

New EDUCA puzzles

Educa is a great jigsaw puzzle manufacturer with a strong and popular range. According to their website they value creativity, safety, variety and quality.

Educa have the record for the smallest 1000 piece puzzle (46 by 30cm).

Educa in 2007 brought out what was then, the largest jigsaw puzzle at 24,000 pieces. This puzzle, called Life, The Greatest Puzzle, features the work of New Zealand artist Royce B McClure, well known for his 3d effects jigsaw puzzles.

Fabulous 4D jigsaws

Experience and rebuild the past, present and future in these amazing 4D jigsaws. Build from the ground up with jigsaw pieces, models and time poster.
These are available on our website now, but won't last long.

Mike Nettmann and his puzzle pieces exhibition

Mike Nettmann, a South African born artist, who has lived in New Zealand for 30 years, has also used jigsaw puzzle pieces as the basis for his artwork. His exhibition of paintings shows jigsaw puzzle pieces representing gratitude, humility, loyalty, faith, obedience, love, tolerance and respect - all of which he has put into a basket of lost values. Read about the exhibition here.
Click here for a glimpse of the exhibition.
The exhibition is on at Kaan Zamaan, Kerikeri Rd, Kerikeri, New Zealand until May 11.

Mosaics from jigsaw pieces

If you have ever wondered what to do with those jigsaw puzzles that have bits missing, perhaps you could donate them to Nürnberg-based artist Gerhard Mayer who re-purposes thousands of pieces from jigsaw puzzles to create enormous, abstract collages that fill entire gallery walls. He uses a delicate process of layering sections of puzzles that have already been pieced together to create new images and textures. See more of his work here.

I finished the Wills and Kate jigsaw

I have just finished the 250 piece Wills and Kate engagement jigsaaw. it was fun to do - certainly not difficult, and the whimsie pieces made it extra fun. These are little theme cut pieces - such as their initials, a heart, rings, wine glasses etc. They really add to the beauty of the puzzle. it is very good quality too. I'd definitely recommend it for something a bit special.

Royal wedding jigsaw now on sale

For £30, people can buy a 250-piece jigsaw to commemorate next month's big day.

The internet store for Highgrove, the heir to the throne's Gloucestershire home, is advertising the puzzle, entitled Catherine & William Engagement Jigsaw, for £29.95.

It is being advertised as "a finely cut wooden jigsaw featuring unique Wentworth 'whimsy' pieces showing the engagement photograph of HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton".

The puzzle depicts Catherine Middleton in her blue Issa dress and wearing Princess Diana's sapphire ring, while Prince William smiles proudly alongside her on the 14in by 10in puzzle.

Ravensburger's 32,000 piece jigsaw!

Ravensburger Australia are about to release the worlds largest jigsaw 32,000 pieces -called Double Retrospect artwork by Kieth Haring. Educa held the record for the largest commercially available jigsaw puzzle with Life 24000 pieces. But now Ravensburger strikes back! I don't think the image of 32 blocks of symbols has quite the same apppeal to me as the Royce McClure artwork in 'Life', but then if you are a puzzler, and you're up for the challenge... The finished size is 544 x 172 cms! Watch this utube video of its production - fascinating! Or click here to see another video of it.
Leave a comment to tell us what you think of the new puzzle.

Hold a puzzle party!

Bring your jigsaw loving friends together for an evening of fun and laughter.A little careful planning and everyone will have such a great night they will be asking you when is the next one! Everyone will just love doing the puzzle, chatting and catching up, and of course your hospitality.

•Firstly choose your puzzle. This may be one that suits the theme of your party, or may suit the time of the year - Spring, Christmas, Easter. Check out our website for ideas.

•Set aside a large table with excellent lighting

•Prepare non greasy snacks, and drinks

•Have background music to match your theme

•Send invitations in plenty of time

•Sit back and enjoy yourself

•The finished puzzle could be donated to a local charity, or raffled

New Shaped puzzles!

We have a new shipment of beautiful shaped jigsaws from Sunsout. Visit our website to see the full range.

Tutankhamen jigsaw

We don't have the smallest jigsaw, but we certainly do have a standard 1000 piece jigsaw of Tutankhamen. Its a delight to do, with lots of images around the outside to add interest. See the detailshere

How small is the smallest jigsaw puzzle?

Along the same theme, how small is the smallest jigsaw?
Small can mean many things, but one candidate is “King Tut,” a wooden puzzle, approximately 6.55cm x 5.5cm, made by KARNAN, in Sweden that has about 90 pieces.

How old is the oldest jigsaw puzzle?

This is a question I was asked recently, which set me to doing some research...
The Oldest Jigsaws, or dissected puzzles as they were then called, were the dissected maps made by John Spilsbury, map maker and owner of a print shop in Russell Court, London. He was born in Worcester in 1739 and Linda Hannas' book ' The English Jigsaw Puzzle 1760-1890' gives a detailed account of his life.

In 1785 John Wallis published the first really light hearted puzzle 'John Gilpin ' an illustration of William Cowpers ballad.

In 1787 William Darton was the first to dissect a chronological table of English Sovereigns with the grand title 'Engravings for Teaching the Elements of English History and Chronology after the manner of Dissected Maps for Teaching Geography.' The puzzle was as boring as the title, and the next year his rival and neighbor, John Wallis produced a lighter version that went on selling for the next ten years.

I'd love to hear from you if you can add any further thought to this discussion.