A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles
Pairing craft cocktails with crafty puzzles
Lost City
German Jesuit Renaissance scholar and polymath Athanasius Kircher was a prolific academic thought leader of his era, like Leonardo DaVinci. He was known as the “Master of a Hundred Arts”, and his personal wunderkammer (cabinet of curiosities) became what is thought to be the first museum in history.
The Royal Game
Marc Duran, a French business consultant and IT specialist with an interest in “history, architecture, cryptology, brain teasers and puzzles”, decided to embark on a new passion project a few years ago: creating his own perfect puzzle boxes that embody all of his interest.
A Tribute to Gary Foshee
In the spirit of transparency, this offering is really just an excuse to tell a few stories about one of the original members of the mechanical puzzle community, a mentor and friend to so many.
Back in Black
Book themed puzzle boxes are always intriguing to me. I suppose they embody the ultimate symbolism of how a good puzzle box tells a story, of adventure, secrets and reward. It’s a pleasure to get lost in a good book, and a book puzzle box offers that sentiment as a tangible experience.
Hunger Games
Seafaring puzzle adventurers who were equally thrilled, befuddled and impressed by a tiny metal puzzle box that made its way across the world a few years ago have been patiently waiting for their next great “white whale” to surface.
It’s Slow Time!
Tortoise is another beautifully crafted and charming production from Juno, the master of pleasing SD puzzles in wood.
Making Cents
Popular in the late nineteenth century, the “high wheel” bicycle is now better known as the Penny Farthing, a colloquial name derived from its one large and one small wheel, like the large British penny and small farthing coins of the time.
Season’s Greetings
I’m not sure what the Peugot brothers would think about the “Pepper Mill” from Mark van Elteren, an invention of an entirely different sort.
Don’t Stop Me Now
Greatest hits albums are like a mark of true success for a band, having produced enough chart toppers to justify such a compilation in the first place, then taking a victory lap by rereleasing those same songs on one amazing album.
The Well Tempered Clavier
Johanne Sebastian Bach was one of the most prolific composers of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, during a period of musical evolution known as the Baroque.
Taking Flight
Mercury was the messenger between the gods and humans, the cleverest of them all, who ruled over commerce, wealth, fertility, good fortune and trickery. What excellent inspiration for a grand and puzzling adventure!
Is there a Doctor in the House
I don’t know why it has taken so long for someone in the Karakuri Creation Group to make a robot, because it seems like a fantastic idea for a puzzle box simply waiting to happen.
Keys to the Castle
Benno Baatsen, who began designing puzzle boxes when he was around ten years old, has kept his dreams, and his limitless ideas, alive.
(Twenty) Third Times a Charm
Dee Dixon continues to challenge us with novel ideas in his puzzle boxes and adventures.
Dead Ringer
Doog Menzies is at it again. Or it may be more appropriate in this case to say he is at it again again. Like the best puzzle designers, his mind sees things the rest of us may not.
Dragon Slayer
Luke Waier, a mechanical engineer from Houston, Texas, is the master storyteller behind the sensational new creation Fafnir’s Fortress.
Fly Me to the Moon
Austrian puzzle maker Stephan Baumegger is having a blast. His complex interlocking puzzle designs are celebrated by enthusiasts the world over.
Chestnuts Roasting
The story unfolds by a cozy fireplace and hearth, complete with a little chimney. The fireplace is empty, as is the mantle. Some preparations are clearly in order to set the scene properly and welcome the Christmas Spirit!
Snake Charmer
According to legend, a vast treasure in gold lies waiting to be discovered, hidden somewhere in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona.