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)