So Long, Summer
Hello out there, Puzzle World. I am writing this on a Sunday and I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. My family decided to go fishing and I decided to not go with them. Let me tell you, these days that I get to myself are delightful. I like to pad around the house in jammies, drink coffee, do puzzles and watch my stories. One of the few shows that I will rewatch ad nauseam is Bob's Burgers. I'll watch that show all day. I love the irreverent side characters, the puns in the opening credits, and the amazing songs during the closing credits. So, you can imagine my joy when I saw that USAopoly (also known as The OP Games) makes the glorious Bob's Burgers 1000 piece puzzle, Greetings from Wonder Wharf.
USAopoly is a company based in Southern California and their products are made in the US. What is really awesome about them is that they not only make puzzles, they produce board games too! If you love pop culture, this should definitely be a company that you check out. They have puzzles from Animal Crossing to The Golden Girls!
The box is fairly compact at 10" x 8" x 2". A cropped puzzle image covers the entire front, but there is a smaller full image on the back. The puzzle comes in a non resealable bag and a small image is included. I'm not going to lie, the poster was baseball card sized. I actually shook the box to see if anything else fell out, but it was real. Your best bet is to go with the image on the back of the box. The pieces are an irregular cut and have a beautiful, matte linen finish. They are very well made and I had zero construction issues. They run about 1.8mm, which is the average puzzle piece thickness. There was more than your average amount of dust, but that was easily remedied with a colander. I totally stole this idea from Diane and snapped you guys a gorgeous close up of one of the pieces. USAopoly pieces remind me a lot of Cobble Hill pieces, now that I really think about it.
Like always, I started with the edges. I don't know why I do that. I did a puzzle a couple of weeks ago that had the same green edge all the way around! Did I start with the middle? No. I plowed ahead and stubbornly did the edge first. It was the worst. At any rate, after the edge, I started with each character. I approached this as if I were doing a collage puzzle. It was fun seeing all the characters enjoying themselves on the wharf. My favorite panel absolutely has to be Bob and Jimmy Pesto arguing while Mr. Fischoeder (as usual) is in his own world. The bright colors make for easy sorting and assembly. This was definitely one of the quicker puzzles that I put together. I was really impressed with USAopoly. This puzzle was a lot of fun to put together and I was very impressed with the quality! This company has a ton of puzzles that cater to a bunch of fandoms.
This puzzle was a little bittersweet for me. August is winding down and although I’m excited for school to start back up, I’m going to miss summer fun. We camped a lot these past two months and it’s been so amazing seeing how much the kids love camping. In fact, we managed to sneak in one more trip this month! I love how there are puzzles for literally everything. There are so many fun puzzles featuring camping imagery.
Check out this detailed one from New York Puzzle Company,
Camping Equipment Collection | New York Puzzle Company | 500 pieces
I ADORE puzzles like this. My nerdy brain totally delights in looking at all the details and then making a list to make sure I have all these supplies! On second thought, maybe I shouldn’t do these types of puzzles. I need that money for puzzles, not camping equipment!
This beautiful Dowdle camping image is a must have for any camping lover!
Camping Adventure | Dowdle | 1000 pieces
This image depicts pretty much everything that is fun about camping. Campfires, sing alongs, hiking and playing all day in a river or lake. Dowdle puzzles are always fun because there is just so much to see in each image!
I would be remiss if I didn’t add a puzzle from one of the puzzle image queens, Aimee Stewart.
The Family Campsite | Buffalo Games | 1000 pieces
This image is fantastic because it accurately shows what my family’s campsite inevitably turns into! No matter how hard we try, our campsite always ends up looking like a demilitarized zone. I think it might have something to do with having two small goblins running about the site. They recently started sleeping in their own tent and the inside literally becomes a portal into some other dimension.
I hope everyone enjoyed summer! As much as I enjoy the long sunny days, I must admit that I am a spooky girl at heart. I’m excited for Halloween and I’ve already been pulling out my spooky puzzles. Have a wonderful day and keep on puzzling!
Gaby @puzzlepastime
