Jigsaw Puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles are puzzles where you need to assemble a picture from small pieces. The first jigsaw puzzle was created in 1767 by the engraver and map maker John Spilsbury. It depicted a map of the world. D. Spilsbury attached this map to a wooden board and cut it into separate pieces. This puzzle was used by teachers as an educational tool. Students, trying to assemble its individual details into a whole, studied geography.

Cardboard puzzles appeared much later, only in the 1800s. They replaced wooden puzzles slowly, because manufacturers thought that their quality would be perceived as inferior compared to wooden ones. Mass production of cardboard puzzles began in the 20th century with the appearance of die-cutting machines. Sharp metal dies were developed for the manufacturing process. They functioned as printing stencils and were pressed onto sheets of cardboard to cut the image sheet into individual pieces.

Perhaps the secret of the popularity of jigsaw puzzles lies in the fact that people feel a huge pride when looking at a finished picture of a puzzle assembled with our own hands. Nowadays, there are many types of puzzles: different floral patterns, abstracts, photographs, interesting illustrations, even funny or cartoonish pictures. You can choose such puzzles in HOBBYSHOP stores.