Impossible Puzzles
In 1766, British mapmaker and engraver John Spilsbury pasted a world map onto a wooden background and cut out the shapes of countries with a handsaw. He called his invention “Dissected Maps” and intended them to be used as educational tools for children. That was the closest invention to what we now call jigsaw puzzles.
But, while those puzzles had some drawbacks like no accompanying images on the boxes as a guide, the 20th century passage from wooden to cardboard pieces saw the evolution of difficulty from technical to psychological. Hence the birth of the so-called “impossible puzzles”.
Jackson Pollock’s Convergence is one of his more famous paintings, and Springbok’s use of it in 1964 as the image for a jigsaw puzzle was an overnight sensation. Billed as, “The hardest jigsaw puzzle in the world,” Pollock’s revolutionary style of art recaptured the public’s imagination as hundreds of thousands of this puzzle were purchased across America.
The original puzzle was only 340 pieces, but that wasn’t big enough for Springbok. Re-released in 2003 as part of Springbok’s 40th anniversary, Pollock’s masterpiece was reprinted as a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle.
Pomegranate also produced a Convergence puzzle with white borders.
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It’s called The Lines and is by Bgraamiens Puzzle. There are letters on the backs of pieces to help you figure out what quadrant of the puzzle they go in, so the chances of you doing a lot of it upside-down may be many — as happened with Kallie Plagge, reviews editor at GameSpot.
Bgraamiens Puzzle chose the most complicated part of a fashion work on geometry, by artist Vectorguy, to be a puzzle. Why? They think that jigsaw puzzles should not only talk about patterns and colors: “lines can also be a very special element for puzzles, lines can draw a picture.”
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Instead of a normal square puzzle, Moruska created a circular jigsaw composed by 1000 piece high hardness irregular cardboard. The puzzle pieces come in vivid color, adopt 24 colors printing technology, and will not discolor after long term storage.
The backside of the puzzle has been divided into several areas with letters marked as “A” “B”… When feel confused, you can check the back classification to reduce the difficulty.
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Geode is a jigsaw puzzle inspired by the formation of agates, a colorful banded stone. Each puzzle is unique, emerging from a computer simulation that creates natural variations in the shape, pieces, and image.
Concentric layers of color radiate from the puzzle’s edge filling the surface with a banded pattern reminiscent of agate. Created by Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg, Geode is maybe more astonishing than impossible.
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The creative brand LuxeFinds Designs created a transparent clear acrylic puzzle. Because it’s dual sided, there are many more ways of putting it together, so it’s not as easy as it seems. You can choose the number of pieces, from a minimum size of 3 x 3 — 9 pieces — to a 20 x 25 — 500 pieces.
Biubee also realized a 108 Pcs similar product, with no coherent pattern on the surface and no letter on the back to remind. The dimensions of the completed puzzle are 9.8 inches long and 7.1 inches wide.
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Have you ever flipped out with one of Waldo’s crowded scenes? If not, Aquarius found the perfect way to make it happen through a 3000 pieces puzzle of our man. They say solving puzzle needs wholehearted focus, letting you forget the work stress and other unhappy things. Well, this product will severely test that saying.
Some people have been complaining that the title and Waldo are covering up a great portion of the picture on the box, making the jigsaw even harder to assemble. But maybe that’s what makes it even more of a challenge.
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You see there’s nothing to see! Krypt is the ultimate puzzle challenge for puzzle enthusiasts. No image to puzzle. All pieces come in the same color. The secret is in the pattern of the puzzle cut. 736 pieces — no two are alike.
From 300 piece to the world’s-largest 40,320 piece puzzle — and everything in between — Ravensburger has something for everyone.
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