Brand Spotlight: Professor Puzzle
There’s a new puzzle company in the house, the Puzzle Warehouse, and it’s name is Professor Puzzle. What started out as a metal puzzle company sold at neighborhood markets quickly grew into a full fledged puzzle and game business. Professor Puzzle not only makes the Metal Earth products, but they also make wooden puzzles, and board games. I have to admit, I have never heard of this company before. However, I do love to try out new to me puzzle companies, so I was extremely excited to give this company a whirl. Today, I have not one, but two puzzles to talk about!
Around the World in 80 Drinks | Professor Puzzle | 1000
Frankenstein | Professor Puzzle | 252
The first puzzle that I tried out belongs to a series of puzzles that Professor Puzzle puts out. Called the Jigsaw Library, these 252 piece puzzles are mini replicas of your favorite classic novel! This being the start of Spooky Season, I elected to sample the OG horror story, Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley. The Goth Queen published this novel in 1818 when she was just 21 years old and it is considered one of the first early examples of science fiction. Representing women in STEM during the Regency Era!
As expected with a series called The Jigsaw Library, a love of books is front and center. The box resembles a miniature novel and the two halves slide apart instead of lift apart. A collection of these puzzles on a shelf would look super smart….both in looks and pretending to be an avid reader! Har, har, har, dads don’t have the monopoly on dumb jokes, people. The box is sealed with a small plastic sticker and the pieces are in a sealable plastic bag. There is also a small poster included.
The pieces are well constructed and have a glossy finish. However, the real hook here is the other side of the puzzle. Each puzzle in the Jigsaw Library series has an excerpt from that book on the opposite side and it looks like a page from the novel. I thought that was a really neat idea and had a really fun time reading a little snippet of Frankenstein.
The assembly was fairly straightforward. The pieces are a varied ribbon cut, so there was a nice selection of shapes. I sorted my edges and put that together first. I started with the bottom and worked up from there. The pieces felt really nice to handle and snapped in well. There weren't any false fits, which was a huge plus. When puzzles have a backing, they tend to peel and false fits are notorious at causing peeling. I needn’t have worried though, because the pieces are well constructed. After I was done, I was able to flip the puzzle over, read my Frankenstein page and then flip it back. Puzzle fit approved!
There are a large number of puzzles in the series and you’ll be sure to find a favorite novel turned puzzle. Check out Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz!
The second puzzle that I tried from Professor Puzzle was one of their 1000 piece offerings, Around the World in 80 Drinks. Do not worry folks, I am over 21 and I assure you, I did not operate any motor vehicles or heavy machinery during the assembly of this puzzle. You all know that I love a gradient, and while this puzzle isn’t a gradient in the classic sense, it was enough to catch my eye.
This box was a slide out as well and I was pleasantly surprised to find the pieces inside a paper bag! More and more puzzle companies are making it their mission to become my environmentally conscious and Professor Puzzle is no exception. The only plastic contained in this puzzle were the tiny plastic stickers sealing the box. The puzzle came with a Goldilocks poster (not too big and not too small) and 3 rectangular pieces of cardboard that interlock inside the box to form a sorting tray. As I’m not a sorter, I didn’t use it, but I thought it was a very innovative concept on Professor Puzzles part.
Gradients are the only type of puzzle that I regularly sort. I find sorting tedious and downright frustrating. I spend too much time on a single piece, debating which tray to put it in, so as a rule, I just don’t do it. Nevertheless, I will always sort a gradient because it’s easy to tell which color goes to which sorting tray. I sorted the puzzle into 7 trays; one for each color, the edges and the center and got to work. Edges went down first, and then I got started on the blue.
This puzzle was composed of a circular ribbon cut. The pieces were noticeably thicker than the novel puzzle and the finish was definitely less glossy. I absolutely love puzzles like this. The more information and little tidbits to read, the better. There were so many diverse drinks from all over the globe. The only thing missing were a couple of recipes!
I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the offerings from Professor Puzzle. It’s always wonderful when you try a new puzzle company and it turns out to be a good experience. They also have a couple of 500 piece double sided puzzlesas well, if you want to give yourself a challenge.
That’s it for this episode of Jigsaw Junkies! I hope you’re trying lots of new to you puzzle brands and as always, keep on puzzling!
-Gaby
