Today is our second post in our Brands Breakdown series (check out the first one here). My hope with this series is that it may help you find the brands that best fit your desired puzzling experience!
One of the things that I love at Completing the Puzzle is discovering the many companies producing premium puzzles. We are always trying new brands to include in our membership, and we specifically seek out small, independent puzzle makers, as well as women and minority owned companies.
Just one of the great things about a Completing the Puzzle membership, and having an endless supply of rentable puzzles, is that it allows you to try new puzzle brands you may be unfamiliar with.
Today I'm discussing one brand that has been with us almost since the beginning- New York Puzzle Company. I'll also highlight a brand that was brought to our attention by a member and has quickly become a favorite, Art & Fable. And lastly, I'll review Eurographics, a well-established puzzle company. Let's get to it!
New York Puzzle Company may seem like they have been around forever because of their high quality and nostalgic imagery, but they were actually founded in 2007 by college friends. Based in - you guessed it - New York City, they are best known for their New Yorker Magazine covers, but have dozens of collections. In addition to the New Yorker Magazine covers, some of the collections we carry are Harry Potter, National Geographic, Sunset Magazine, American Airlines, Penguin Random House, General Motors, and Paul Thurlby.
We LOVE the linen finish of their pieces that helps to reduce the glare, no matter what lighting you are puzzling in! This finish is not only easier on the eyes, it also adds a nice feeling to the pieces.
Although random cut vs ribbon cut is definitely a personal preference, we LOVE the random cut of the New Yorker Puzzle Company pieces. This means that all of the pieces are extremely unique shapes, which can add an extra challenge, but also helps with fit. And speaking of fit, these puzzle pieces fit together great, leading to great "liftability"!
Lastly, we LOVE that New York Puzzle Company is committed to sustainability, just like us! All New York Puzzle Company puzzles are made with 100% recycled chipboard. Not only is this great for the planet, they're 20% thicker than standard made puzzles, leading to a great feel and fit. And New York Puzzle Co. goes even further in their environmental efforts as a member of 1% for the Planet. 1% of all puzzle sales go to non-profits committed to creating a healthy planet!
We just discovered Art & Fable puzzles last year, thanks to a member recommendation! After testing out a few of their puzzles, we fell in love. We quickly expanded the number of them that we carry. If you're not familiar with Art & Fable, they are an independent, women owned and operated puzzle company located just outside of Philadelphia.
One feature that is unique to Art & Fable puzzles and that we LOVE is the velvet touch of the pieces. We have never felt anything quite like it, and it adds a special dimension while puzzling that is not just visual, but very tactile, too!
The pieces are ribbon cut, but the shapes are different enough that if you are like me and like to use the shape and not just the image to determine where a piece goes, you can do it with these. We also love that Art & Fable has recently started carrying 750 piece puzzles! This piece count is a little harder to find, but we find that it can be the perfect challenge when you want a little more puzzle time than a 500 piece, but you don't want to commit all the way to a 1000 piece puzzle.
The imagery on Art & Fable puzzles is incredibly unique and diverse and we LOVE that they are committed to supporting artists by licensing artwork from them for their puzzles.
Lastly, we LOVE that Art & Fable is socially conscious, with a portion of puzzle sales supporting a number of charities around the world. Many of the charities supported are recommended by their artists!
Out of the brands I'm discussing today, Eurographics has been around the longest. Founded in 1987, Eurographics is based in Motreal, Canada.
We LOVE Eurographics variety of images across their vast collection of puzzles. Many of their puzzles have bright, beautiful images, from collages like Peruvian Blankets to fine arts like Harmony. And, their Fine Arts Masterpieces collection allows you to puzzle some of the most iconic artworks in history, such as Girl with the Pearl Earring and Frida Kahlo: Self-Portrait.
Eurographics has changed their puzzle cut, which can be a little frustrating if you only like to do one type of puzzle. They began using random cut, but their newer puzzles are all ribbon cut. Some of the ribbon cut puzzles have variety in the shapes, while the newest ones we have received are all "two in, two out". If you do not like doing these shaped pieces, we would recommend staying away from the newer Eurographics in the wishlist.
Like many of the other puzzle companies we work with, we LOVE that Eurographics is also committed to using sustainable and recyclable materials for their puzzles. They also have implemented energy efficient offices and warehouse, and are a partner of One Tree Planted! One Tree Planted helps the environment by planting trees.
I hope you found our second brand breakdown helpful and that you're looking forward to the next one!
Now we want to hear from you! Did you learn anything new about these brands? Are you adding any of them to your wishlist?