How big is the biggest jigsaw puzzle in the world? Is assembling in Guiness World Records? And when exactly this fun game originated? When we started our company we were curious about all of this. The only thing we really knew for sure was that puzzle was fun and kind of addictive, but that was it J Little by little we learnt about the interesting history of puzzle and now we are happy to provide the answers about most interesting puzzle fun facts for you 🙂
- Where did jigsaw puzzle come from?
The origin of jigsaw puzzle is credited to cartographer John Spilsbury from London. First puzzle was made as a geographical tool for education. Pictures of maps were glued to a wooden surface and later cut into small pieces, based on the shapes of the countries. These puzzle maps were then used to educate about geography not only by ordinary students but also by royalty! For a long time puzzle was made only out of wood and cardboard type appeared during 19th century. Wooden puzzles were very expensive to produce so it actually became a luxury treat for a while. At the beginning puzzle didn’t have those nowadays typical interlocking shapes, but they were cut according to the shapes displayed on the picture. Jigsaw puzzle for adults were getting the momentum by the beginning of 20th century – and only then the puzzle fun started for real.
- When puzzle gained popularity?
Jigsaw puzzles became a hit during the Great depression in USA around 1930’s. People couldn‘t afford the kind of fun they were used to, like going to the restaurants and night clubs. Everybody was looking for something affordable, fun and suitable for home. And jigsaw puzzle came to be the answer. Not only they took people’s minds of the societal problems but they also offer that addictive feeling of completion once you successfully add a piece. And everybody could use a little pick-me-up back then because the rate of unemployment was all the way up to 25%. In these times the cardboard production developed, puzzle got famous amongst the adults and the challenging motifs were on the rise. Also around the 1932 puzzle got a new gig in advertising. They were often given as a gift with a particular product that was actually displayed on the puzzle design.
- How puzzle benefits our health?
When we assemble we use both of our brain hemispheres. The left one analyzes the separate pieces, shapes and colors and the right one is intuitively helping us to connect the dots into a full image. This hemisphere collaboration is extremely beneficial. When we connect two pieces the feeling of satisfaction and joy means that the dopamine is being created in our brain – and that is a very good thing.
Dopamine is a neuron transmitter and plays an important role for the functions of human brain. It helps to control our emotional reactions like happiness, stress or anxiety. It’s also important for creating energy for body functioning. It stimulates the heart, controls the informational flow that goes through our brain, controls movement and allows us to experience feelings of joy, passion and excitement. Thanks to puzzle assembling and riddle solving our brain gets the training it needs and the dopamine is naturally created. We are improving our memory, ability to focus and to learn – very important benefits for both kids and adults.
This brain yoga also serves as prevention against Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
- How big is the biggest puzzle?
Students of Economic faculty in Vietnam also got a good brain work out. In 2011 they assembled puzzle with the highest number of pieces in the world. Record-breaking 551 232 pieces in size 15 x 24 metres! These puzzlers got an entry in the Guiness World Records book but it’s considered to be a questionable record. Yes, even in the puzzle world there are controversies! In reality this puzzle was divided into 3132 sections and each had only 176 pieces. These sections were assembled apart and only then put together. And how about the biggest puzzle you could buy? Nowadays you can find puzzle around 51 300 pieces! Assembled they are so big they could barely fit into an average apartment 🙂
- What is our most successful Pucle design?
So how about us? 🙂 Ever since we started in 2017 we produced and assembled thousands of pieces. We are always so happy when you send us a message and we can see how much you enjoy Pucle. And would you like to know which design makes you the happiest? We will happily share this backstage information. The first place is shared between two successful designs. First is by Dominika Žáková Dream map and unfortunately it’s already sold out. Next up is Isola Bella by Daniela Olejníková. This one is so popular that we have reprinted it already for three times 🙂 And you ask us very often whether we will reprint Dream Map as well. And since we really care so much about your happiness, it’s possible that we’ll make it happen! But no spoilers for now, all is in the bright future 😉
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