Dog themed puzzles week: This week we're featuring puzzles that include man's best friend! We reviewed Falcon's "Puppies and Kittens" by Steve Read (review here) and "Dogs on a Bench" by Interlitho Licensing (review here). Now it's time for our top picks of the dog puzzles available at Puzzle Warehouse. See all dog themed puzzles at Puzzle... Continue Reading →
"Cat's Life" is terrific fun and a perfect example of the awesomeness of cartoon puzzles from Heye. It's a fairly easy puzzle to assemble. Despite the large body of the cat and the green background, there are unique little characters (fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes, among others) that inhabit every inch of the brilliant composition by cartoonist Marino Degano. Each little critter has a unique outfit, expression, or action, and you can match your pieces against the large poster that comes in the box. There are many joke and puns and pure silliness to discover as you assemble this puzzle.
White Mountain's "Tapestry Cat" is a fun and challenging puzzle with moderate difficulty. The image by artist Lewis T. Johnson has bright colors and a lovely hand-drawn art style. Big bold elements--such as the large border, the Morris-esque wallpaper background, the cat, and the floral bouquet inside the cat--make separate distinctive areas to assemble. Repeating elements within the border (like the blue diamonds) and within the floral bouquet (for example, white daisies) make the puzzle more challenging but never frustrating. The White Mountain quality is good with larger pieces and a random cut. The final puzzle has a flat, smooth finish that allows you to see the art rather than the jigsaw cut. The finish is glossy, so there is some glare under bright lights. Highly recommended!
Publisher: Otter House (UK), 2016 Title: “Classic Companions” byPolly Pickering, 1000 pieces Review by Jane OUR RATING: 9/10 Box Quality: (9/10) The box is shown above and below. Otter House has "space saving" boxes, which are smaller in size, sturdy, and nicely designed. I like the smaller sized box, especially since it comes with a poster inside so you don't... Continue Reading →
Otter House is a UK company that makes animal-themed gifts such as cards and puzzles. They have smaller 'space saving' boxes that are quite nice (they each come with a poster for help when working the puzzle). The puzzle quality is good. You can see our review of an Otter House puzzle here. I've received their... Continue Reading →
Publisher: BuffaloGanes (US), published 2015 Title: “Grandpa's Potting Shed” by Steve Read Buffalo Games, 2000 pieces OUR RATING: 9.5/10 I just completed this 2000 piece puzzle a few days ago, and I loved it! Box Quality: (9/10) The Buffalo Games box is a smaller square shape, which saves room on the shelf. The front is shown above. The... Continue Reading →
I'm thrilled to have Geoff Tristram on Jigsaw Junkie today! Geoff is an artist and cartoonist who does a few of my favorite puzzle series. He's the artist behind Ravensburger's "Best of British" series, their "What If?" series, and "Cat-ology", published by Masterpieces. I'll be sharing images of his work throughout this interview. JJ: Please... Continue Reading →
Publisher: Cobble Hill (Canada), no date on box Title: “Boucat” by artist Braldt Bralds, 1000 pieces OUR RATING: 9/10 This is a gorgeous puzzle with a wonderful image by Braldt Bralds. Box Quality: The Cobble Hill box is very nice. It's rectangular in shape and similar in size to Ravensburger puzzle boxes. It's very sturdy and has... Continue Reading →
Publisher: Masterpieces (US), Released 2014 Title: “Cat-Ology: Hemingway” by artist Geoffrey Tristram, 1000 pieces OUR RATING: 7/10 This is a bit of a departure from the puzzles I normally do, but I wanted to do another MasterPieces puzzle for my brand comparison--and I love Geoffrey Tristram. He is better known for his cartoony images. He does images... Continue Reading →
I've been trying out some new brands of puzzles I've never done before for my Brand Comparison Review. Of the Buffalo Games offerings, I was drawn to this Charles Wysocki image. Wysocki normally does Americana landscapes, but I liked he fact that this was a much closer, more intimate view. I also was attracted to... Continue Reading →
