Round Puzzles

It was a round puzzle that started it all! My grandma kept a very special round puzzle at her house so that we could work on it together when I came to visit. I loved that puzzle because it was round, it had Winnie the Pooh, and it meant that my grandma wanted to spend time with *just me*. I still have the puzzle!

It’s easy to see why I have a soft spot in my heart for round puzzles. I mean, who could resist this rainbow soda pop?

Carbonated Colors | Springbok | 500 pieces

Or this gorgeous work by First Nations artist Dawn Oman?

Aurora Family  |  Indigenous Collection  |  500 pieces

Now, just because a puzzle is round, doesn’t mean that it's easy. Check out this example of an alluring but mind-boggling challenge!

Bubble Trouble  |  SunsOut  |  1000 pieces

One of the best things about a round puzzle is that it is easy to work on with other people. Many round puzzles are “omnidirectional”. By this I mean that there is no official top or bottom to the puzzle. This means that people can sit on any side of the puzzle and not have to work ‘upside down’.

Inspirational Women | Ridley’s Games | 1000 pieces

Rainbow Heroes  |  Gibsons  |  500 pieces

The puzzle in this photo is from one of Ravensburger’s new product lines, Circle of Color.

Fruits and Vegetables  |  Ravensburger  | 500 pieces

Pomegranate also has some circular puzzles in their new line.

Macrocosm  |  Pomegranate  |  500 pieces 

Hawk Mountain  |  Pomegranate  |  500 pieces

But if I had to guess, I'd say that eeBoo has the most extensive line of round puzzles of any puzzle company.

Mushrooms and Butterflies  |  eeBoo  |  500 pieces

Another fun fact about round puzzles is that the puzzle shapes have a built in “cheat code”. There is usually a very unique shaped piece that goes in the center of the puzzle.

And because it’s a round puzzle, most pieces are wider at the top and more narrow at the bottom. The narrow side always points toward the center.

If you are feeling like a whippersnapper, you can have extra fun with round puzzles by trying to put them together from the center outward, because most circular puzzles are cut in a spiral or in circular rings.

There Is No Planet B  |  Gibsons  |  500 pieces

I have to include the Krypt puzzles in this post as an honorary round puzzle, because Krypt puzzles have a circular puzzle inside a rectangle. AND the pieces start in the center and spiral out like a yellow brick road. Fortunately, the Krypt puzzles come with a puzzle map so you can see what pieces go where. Although these puzzles look slightly diabolical, I had a lot more fun than I expected when I completed the pink Krypt during Niecie’s Kryptathon Puzzle Along in 2021 (IG @niecie_pieces).

Krypt Silver  |  Ravenburger  |  654 pieces

The Krypts have a secret trick too! Some of them have the same piece cut, so you can combine the puzzles and then take cool photos like Erik did on his Instagram page   @PuckingFuzzles.

So there you have it! A virtual roundup of circular puzzles confirming that round puzzles are a great way to step outside the box or knock the corners off a busy day. Until the next go around, you can find me on IG @16feet.

-Tracy