RSS 2.0 - Blog FeedYesterday I found my friends playing puzzles.
The picture was huge, with enormous small details, and I suddenly thought it would take them at least a year to make up the final picture. That was also when I suddenly realized that I did not know anything about this game.
I know puzzles are extremely popular among girls, and many women spend hours creating remarkable pieces with their help. However, we don’t even know when puzzles first appeared and how they developed. Let’s talk about it now.Many women have turned puzzles into their favorite pastime, not only because they are interesting but also because they motivate creativity and thinking. However, few of us know that the first puzzle was produced somewhere around 1760 by a London mapmaker John Spilsbury. What he did was cutting one of his maps around the borders of the countries, turning a usual map into an interesting instrument of education and entertainment for children. He believed that his invention would make it easier for British children to study geography. This is probably why all puzzles produced between 1760 and 1820 were primarily educational.
The first entertainment jigsaw puzzles were created and produced in 1880. Of course, they were not cut by a jigsaw, but the name became extremely popular among users. That was the beginning of the real revolution in the game and entertainment industry. Many women liked the way jigsaw puzzles taught them to be more creative and inventive.
However, at that time, jigsaw puzzles were produced mainly for children, and adults could not imagine they would ever use them for entertainment. It was not until the 20th century that, first, jigsaw puzzles were cut with the help of thin strips of metal twisted into sophisticated patterns and, second, puzzles slowly became a popular way of entertainment among adults. That was the golden age of puzzles, between the 1920s and 1930s, when both men and women enjoyed wooden and cardboard puzzles with sentimental scenes. In the age of industrial development, producing puzzles was even easier and cheaper, and new marketing technologies turned them into one of the most popular game products.
The most complicated puzzles became the more appealing they were for adults. Even during the Great Depression, puzzles did not lose their popularity. People gathered once a week to enjoy their time over puzzles. Then they could break the picture and pass it to another group, relatives, or friends. Puzzles became recyclable, and their popularity further increased.
Today, it is not uncommon for women to enjoy jigsaw puzzles. Puzzles are becoming more complex, with a greater number of smaller details. They take days and even years to create a picture, but they bring so much joy to women that they will hardly ever lose their popularity. Their price is quite reasonable, and they are still available in both cardboard and wood. Definitely, it is much better than watching stupid TV shows or shopping without any clear need. I know dozens of women who have become puzzle-addicted, and this is one of the greatest addictions I have ever known in life!
Tags: puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, games