Shmuzzles - the puzzles

Though I've written with significant glee about various joys of Shmuzzling, it wasn't until we had an actual Shmuzzles Puzzle to play with that we were able to sense the full scope of this remarkable contribution to the quality of life of all those who jigsaw.

The puzzle comes fully assembled. This is a good thing - especially for those who, sometime after the disassembly, might be tempted to question the puzzle's inherent solvability. When disassembled, the remaining frame provides just enough guidance to get you started, and give you a cherished, but temporary sense of premature glibness.

Rocky, sacred wife of 39 years, is the puzzletrope in the family. She is also an artist (viz. her online art gallery. She was especially struck by how subtle the puzzle can get - especially as you get closer to the solution. With fewer pieces, and nothing but color to guide you (all the pieces being the same shape), you need a keen sense of texture, hues and shades, and/or very good lighting. She also liked how well-made the pieces were - so well-made that you can hear an audible "click" when they snap into place. A click, she claims, that gets louder when the placement is correct.

According to Shmuzzlemaster Sam Savage "the hardest core puzzlers can put an easier Shmuzzle Puzzles together in just a couple of hours, so I usually like to stress the uniqueness more than the raw difficulty."

Shmuzzles offer a fine balance between the challenging and impossible. There are only so many ways two shmuzzles can fit together. And the subject matter of all the puzzles is complex enough to provide a plethora of significantly subtle clues. And then, for further shmuzzle thrills, you can turn the pieces over and try some of the puzzles included on the instruction sheet.