page_title: Jigsaw puzzle
section_title: Variations
hierarchical_section_title: Jigsaw puzzle / Variations
caption_attribution_description: English: Puzzle Krypt
context_page_description: A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of often oddly shaped interlocking and mosaiced pieces. Typically, each individual piece has a portion of a picture; when assembled, the jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture.
  Jigsaw puzzles were originally created by painting a picture on a flat, rectangular piece of wood, and then cutting that picture into small pieces. Despite it being called a jigsaw, a jigsaw was never actually used to cut it. John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver, is credited with commercializing jigsaw puzzles around 1760. Jigsaw puzzles have since come to be made primarily of cardboard.
  Typical images found on jigsaw puzzles include scenes from nature, buildings, and repetitive designs – castles and mountains are common, traditional subjects. However, any kind of picture can be used to make a jigsaw puzzle; artisanal puzzle-makers and companies using technologies to allow one-off or small print run puzzles allow a wide range of subject matter, from optical illusions, unusual art, or personal photographs.
context_section_description: Jigsaw puzzles come in a variety of sizes. Among those targeted to adults, 300, 500, and 750 piece puzzles are considered "smaller". More sophisticated, but still common, jigsaw puzzles come in sizes of 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 3,000, 4,000, 5,000, 6,000, 7,500, 8,000, 9,000, 13,200, 18,000, 24,000, 32,000 and 40,000 pieces.
  Jigsaw puzzles that are geared towards children may have many fewer pieces, typically much larger. For very young children, a puzzle with as few as 4 to 9 "large"-size pieces (so not a choking hazard) are common. These are usually made of wood or plastic, to maintain durability, and are able to be cleaned without being damaged.
  The most common layout for a thousand-piece puzzle is 38 pieces by 27 pieces, for a total count of 1,026 pieces. The majority of 500-piece puzzles are 27 pieces by 19 pieces.  A few puzzles are made double-sided, so that they can be solved from either side. This adds a level of complexity, because it cannot be certain that the correct side of the piece is being viewed and assembled with the other pieces.
  "Family puzzles" come in 100–550 pieces with three different-sized pieces from large to small. The pieces are placed from large to small, going in one direction or towards the middle of the puzzle.  This allows a family of puzzlers of different skill levels and different-sized hands to work on the puzzle at the same time. Companies like Springbok, Cobble Hill, Ravensburger, and Suns Out make this type of specialty puzzle.
  There are also three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles. Many of these are made of wood or styrofoam and require the puzzle to be solved in a certain order; some pieces will not fit in if others are already in place.
  Also common are puzzle boxes: simple three-dimensional jigsaw puzzles with a small drawer or box in the center for storage.
  Another type of jigsaw puzzle, which is considered a 3-D puzzle, is a puzzle globe.  Like a 2-D puzzle, a globe puzzle is often made of plastic and the assembled pieces form a single layer. But the final form is a three-dimensional shape. Most globe puzzles have designs representing spherical shapes such as the Earth, the Moon, and historical globes of the Earth.
  There are also computer versions of jigsaw puzzles, which have the advantages of requiring zero cleanup and no risk of losing any pieces. Many computer-based jigsaw puzzles do not allow pieces to be rotated, so all pieces are displayed in their correct orientation. These puzzles are thus considerably easier than a physical jigsaw puzzle with the same number of pieces. A computer puzzle website can allow users to choose their own puzzle size, cut design, and image, or upload their own images to use as puzzles. An online jigsaw version of Trolleholm Castle in Sweden may be worked and timed for speed of finishing. The New Yorker Magazine subscription website preserves images of the magazine's cover illustrations as jigsaw puzzles, which are timed and offer several levels of difficulty.
  In 2016 was introduced a computer version of puzzle globe, the immersive panorama jigsaw, which is based on the use of equirectangular images taken by 360-degree camera. Despite the physical spherical jigsaw, the player, who resides in the perfect center of the globe, assembles triangular-shaped interlocking pieces around him. When complete, this puzzle produces a full-degree panorama all around the player. An example of immersive jigsaw is Sitespot, which also enriches the gaming experience with the scene soundscape and allows pieces to be displayed rotated.
  Jigsaw puzzles can vary greatly in price depending on the complexity, number of pieces, and brand. Children's puzzles can be as cheap as around $5.00, while larger puzzles can be closer to $50.00. The most expensive puzzle to date was sold for $27,000 in 2005 at a charitable auction for The Golden Retriever Foundation.
  Several word puzzle games use pieces similar to those used in jigsaw puzzles. Examples include Alfa-Lek, Jigsaw Words, Nab-It!, Puzzlage, Typ-Dom, Word Jigsaw, and Yottsugo.
caption: A puzzle without a picture
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