They say you never forget your first love, and it’s likely true with puzzle boxes too. I’d argue that with a Mowen’s puzzle box, on the other hand, you might try not to forget, but try as you might, you’ll get lost every time – and probably love every moment all over again.

Lex Luther, Dr. Doom, Magneto, Joker – arch enemies are easy to identify in hero centric fiction, and always seem to be the evil characters. I’m particularly fond of Moriarty, if we’re picking favorites.

According to Wikipedia, Onigiri, which is also known as Omusubi, Nigirimeshi, or simply, rice ball, “is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or cylindrical shapes and often wrapped in nori”

There’s something thrilling about receiving mail. Perhaps the excitement of getting a physical letter from someone wears off as we get older, likely tempered by all the bills and junk mail, but even now in my jaded days it’s still nice when that happens. And if getting a special letter is a nice surprise, well I don’t need to tell you what it’s like to receive an eagerly awaited puzzle box.

In 1894, German-American psychologist Hugo Munsterberg described a peculiar observation, that when blocks of light and dark high contrast are staggered in rows, parallel lines drawn between the rows appear to be crooked.

There was a time, once upon a time in the not too distant past, when becoming a metagrobolotegestolomixologist was merely a speculative thought experiment meant as clever wordplay.

In ancient Greek lore, the Titan Cronus was overthrown by his children, the gods Zeus, Hades and Poseidon, who divided the skies, the seas and the underworld amongst themselves.

In 1905, French author Maurice Leblanc introduced the world to a charismatic aristocrat who often operated as a force for good from the opposite side of the law, a “gentleman thief” if you will, named Arsène Lupin.

It’s time to celebrate bravery, creativity and innovation here at Boxes and Booze – because it’s the Year of the Dragon!

The Hollywood writer’s strike is over! We can now proceed with our regularly scheduled programming and bring you the next episode of idiot Boxes and Boob tubes ….

It’s been really cold here in Houston over the past week or two, and any time the temperature gets below freezing the city goes into crisis mode. We can’t handle the cold!

Call me Ishmael … no, that doesn’t sound right. You can’t start anything good with a line like that. Hmmm … Call me Idan.

It’s time to celebrate another new designer here on the pages of B&B, someone familiar to many by way of his surprisingly complex and mind boggling printed puzzle boxes but being featured here for the first time and at long last.

I’m feeling symbolic and nostalgic all at once to start this new year.

The evolution of Jesse Born’s craft is on full display, and he intentionally took his time with this box in order to showcase his abilities now to produce a high class, elegant and structurally sensational piece of art which also functions as a puzzle.

This holiday episode of Stream of Consciousness is brought to you by our sponsor, Doog Menzies of Doogaloo Games.

Enter a winter wonderland that is just in time for the holidays courtesy of Dee Dixon, master storyteller at DED Wood Crafts, who presents his most whimsical puzzle adventure yet in the form of a magically mysterious wardrobe.

Listen closely, or you may well find your ears roughly severed and mailed to your next of kin, packed in salt in a cardboard box. The game is afoot again in Scotland Yard …

We are celebrating our collective love of the TV with a limited series on the B&B Network. Tune in!

Fans of Brian Young know of his occasional “limited edition” puzzles, which he has released in small numbers since practically the start if his business.

A northwesterly wind is blowing in from the southeast, near Sharpsburg, Georgia, where corporate executive Mat Nedeljko and his wife Sherri run their family business making heirloom quality wood puzzles, mosaics, marquetry and scroll work.

Here at Boxes and Booze, we love books. Someday, when I need to give up drinking entirely (is that possible?), I might change the theme here to Boxes and Books, in fact. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

We are returning to the French Alps to brush up on some basic arithmetic this week, where our host Doug “Doog” Menzies has written a puzzling equation to ponder.

There’s a chill in the air and the dark creeps in a little sooner, a little longer, stretching the shadows and turning all things spooky.

I continue to be impressed and inspired by the big ideas from QuizBrix, and thrilled with their wonderfully fun creations which are made completely out of Lego bricks.

“We come in peace” or “Take me to your leader”? Which side of the alien invasion theory are you on? You’d better decide quickly, because TETRA has arrived and you’ll need a plan!

Incisors, canines, premolars or molars, pick your favorite out of thirty two choices.

Kyle Chester’s original puzzle box from his fledgling company, Perpetually Perplexing Puzzles, the Dual Dial.

“De Vliegende Hollander” is a myth, a legend, a ghost story from the seventeenth century era when the Dutch East India Company controlled commerce on the seven seas.

The story begins in 1975, when the Japanese amusement ride company TOGO released Mogura Taij (Mole Buster), a franticly fun mole smashing game invented by Kazuo Yamada.