Special Sub-Topic: Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw Click Here To Play: Puzzling Pieces - The History of the Jigsaw

The origin of jigsaw puzzles can be traced back to the 1760s. Which profession was responsible for providing the inspiration for what has become a very popular pastime?

Mapmakers. European mapmakers created a "dissected map" by pasting maps onto wood and then cutting the assembly into small pieces. The one man generally attributed with making the very first such map was John Spilsbury. The jigsaw map is used even today as an educational tool. Children still learn geography by completing map jigsaw puzzles.

The name "jigsaw" has been applied to the puzzle as a tribute to the way the pieces were cut. All the original puzzles were made of wood and were cut with a saw - but not a jig saw. What type of saw was actually used?

A fret saw. The treadle saw which was introduced in 1880 made puzzle production easier. A fret saw was actually used in the cutting of the puzzle pieces - the set up itself was called a saw jig. Plywood was used towards the end of the 19th century and pictures were either glued or painted on the front of the wood. The maker would then trace in pencil on the back to indicate where the saw cuts should be made. Very old wooden puzzles can still show remnants of pencil markings.

Puzzles for adult use began to gain in popularity in the early 1900s. The USA had fully embraced the craze by 1908. These early puzzles were very challenging. What was the main reason for this?

All of these (The pieces did not interlock and were easily disturbed., There was often no picture on the box to guide the user., There were no transition pieces to offer assembly clues.). Most puzzle pieces were cut exactly along colour lines. Few had transition pieces which might give the user a clue as to where the pieces could fit. Blue sky and green tree colours were not included on the same piece for example. Because puzzle pieces did not interlock, hours of work could be easily lost with a sharp movement or even a cough. While childrens' puzzles had the final picture on the lid of the box, often adult puzzles did not. Sometimes the picture was not properly revealed until the last piece was placed into the puzzle.

Cardboard jigsaw puzzles were introduced in the late 19th century for childrens' puzzles only. There was very little movement towards producing adult jigsaw puzzles in any material but wood. While there were several reasons, the makers resisted the move. What was their main reason for doing so?

There was greater profit in wooden puzzles.. While manufacturers did have concerns that adults would not buy a cheap cardboard puzzle, the overriding motivation was indeed profit. In the early years of the 20th century, a wooden puzzle would retail from $1.00 to $5.00. A cardboard puzzle sold for 25c. At this time wooden puzzles were still a pastime of the wealthy.

Making jigsaw puzzles with interlocking pieces was the next move for manufacturers. Several large companies were supplying products and one major player produced its "Pastime" series. The "Pastime" puzzles were so successful that in 1909 the company devoted its entire production schedule to producing the wooden puzzles. Which company was this?

Parker Brothers. Jigsaws with interlocking pieces meant that it was more difficult to bump a puzzle and lose pieces. The strong popularity of the puzzle would continue for the next two decades.

As the method of die cutting was perfected in the early decades of the 20th Century, cardboard puzzles were able to be produced very cheaply. New promotional techniques were needed if this style of jigsaw was to seriously compete with the established wooden puzzles. What did puzzle producers do to encourage the public to try the less stylish cardboard product?

All of these (The puzzles were made more difficult to appeal to adults., Retailers gave away free puzzles with products such as toothbrushes., A weekly puzzle was introduced and sold on news stands.). When only children's puzzles were produced with the new die cut method, adults associated the cardboard variety with puzzles that were not challenging. Puzzles were made harder and given away with common household purchases to convince people otherwise. In 1932 "Jig of the Week" became available on news stands for around 25c. This novel idea was a huge success and many weekly series were produced.

It was during the years of the Depression that the jigsaw was most popular. The puzzle was cheap recyclable entertainment and became widely available. What public institutions joined the craze by making the puzzles available to even more people?

Public libraries. Public libraries joined the jigsaw craze by offering puzzles for rental at 3c to 5c a day - depending on size. Drugstores also had similar deals and so puzzles became accessible to almost everyone.

The 1933 film "Me and My Pal" featured a jigsaw as one of the major cast members. A man preparing for his wedding is visited by his best man - bearing the gift of a puzzle. The hapless groom is already late but trouble rapidly escalates when the gift is opened and the two men begin to assemble the pieces. The movie revolves around the finishing of the puzzle and all the efforts made to get the tardy husband-to-be to the church for the ceremony. "Just one more piece." Who were the two lead stars in the movie?

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. The fact that a jigsaw puzzle could feature so prominently and so successfully in a movie is a testament to its enormous popularity at the time the film was made.

After World War 2 the popularity of the wooden jigsaw waned. They were expensive and time consuming to make. Improvements in the production of quality cardboard jigsaws meant that they soon became the preferred style of puzzle. One company extended the concept of a quality cardboard product by introducing a fine art series. Which American artist's work was featured on the puzzle billed as "the world’s most difficult jigsaw puzzle"?

Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock’s "Convergence" was released by Springbok in 1965. It was indeed an extremely difficult puzzle and thousands of puzzle devotees struggled to assemble it.

Inevitably, wooden puzzle devotees missed the comforting feel of a wooden puzzle piece and the satisfaction of assembling a solid well cut jigsaw. One company recognised this gap in the market and filled it. What did they do to create a unique market niche?

All of these (Original artwork was commissioned., Three dimensional puzzles were introduced., The company personally remembered each regular customer's birthday.). Stave Puzzles was formed by Steve Richardson and Dave Tibbetts in 1974. They combined "Steve" and "Dave" to create the company name. Their puzzles have been remarkably successful - reaching puzzle devotees as diverse as Julie Andrews, Queen Elizabeth II and Bill Gates. "Jigsaws Puzzles - A Brief History" by Anne D. Williams and "History of Jigsaw Puzzles" by D. J. McAdam provided much of the valuable information on the evolution of the jigsaw. Information on the film "Me and My Pal" was found in the article "Collecting Jigsaw Puzzles" by David Christenson.