I’ve already touted all the many benefits of doing jigsaw puzzles to anybody who will listen. It can help sharpen your brain, improve your memory, practice mindfulness, and if that’s not enough, working on a puzzle—whether you’re doing it in a group or solo—can be downright fun. As an added bonus, you can also gain some new cultural knowledge. I once learned all about 10 of the most famous paintings in the world by working on a puzzle!
So, it’s not surprising that—with millions of people staying home during the coronavirus pandemic— sales of jigsaw puzzles have skyrocketed. Popular German puzzle-maker Ravensburger noted that sales were up more than 350 percent over the previous year. In March, an Instagram post featuring Ellen DeGeneres hilariously trying to do a 4,000-piece puzzle went viral.
So, if you want to join the jigsaw puzzle craze, and take your puzzle-making to the next level, try one of these creative new games.
Heinz Ketchup 570-Piece All Red Jigsaw Puzzle
Yes, you read that correctly—every single piece of this puzzle is plain red. Hard to do? Well, that’s the whole point, according to Heinz which, for decades, has successfully promoted its iconic ketchup as not only slow to come out of the bottle—but absolutely worth the wait. “Heinz knows that good things take time. And right now we all have a little more time. So we created this. 570 pieces. All Heinz red,” the company said on Twitter. The cost is $24.99 plus shipping; Heinz will donate some of the money to Feeding America.
In April, the famed camera maker released what they are calling the world’s largest jigsaw puzzle; it contains a whopping 51,300 pieces. Featuring 27 Wonders from around the world—think the Taj Mahal and Rome’s Coliseum—it may temporarily quench your wanderlust, but it will set you back at least $409.00 (on Amazon) or more on Kodak’s website. Those living in small apartments should probably skip this one: when completed it stretches 6 feet tall and a massive 28.5 feet wide.
Hammacher Schlemmer’s 500-Piece Illuminated Jigsaw Puzzle
Illuminated with 20 LEDs, the finished puzzle forms the image “Beary Patch Park,” painted by American artist Dennis Lewan, best known for colorful and nostalgic images depicting everyday life in the 18th and 19th centuries. It displays a local festival in a town owned and operated by bears. Requiring three AA batteries, the completed puzzle is 24” x 18”.
