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United States Official Cobble Hill Website
USA Cobble Hill Official

Cobble Hill Thrill

thrill

n. a sudden feeling of excitement or pleasure

We know puzzlers seek zen when they're assembling their puzzle. But when you pick out a Cobble Hill puzzle at the store, order one online, or receive one as a gift - we hope from the moment you open our box - you feel that sense of excitement - the "Cobble Hill thrill". We feel like our quirky pieces and random cut puzzles represent us humans from all walks of life. And we're thankful to have you join our journey.

Welcome to the adventurous world of random cut puzzles! Our thick blue board pieces with quirky shapes add a lot of character to the standard jigsaw puzzle. The funny shapes are a break-away from the predictable patterns of a ribbon cut puzzle. What's the difference? A ribbon cut puzzle has pieces all of similar square shapes that line up in neat columns and rows creating a grid. You'll see a pattern of the same number of "innies" and "outies". A random cut puzzle has unique pieces without rhyme or reason to the innies and outies. The pieces can be long, short, large, thin, or curvy and when the puzzle is complete, it usually has an abstract pattern. You may even find yourself mesmerized by the peculiar shapes. Look at all those wacky pieces, aren't they fun?

Which one of these examples is the ribbon cut between A, B, C, and D?

A.

B.

C.

D.

If you guessed D as the ribbon cut puzzle, you're correct! There's nothing wrong with a ribbon cut. The advantage of a ribbon cut is that it allows one to sort pieces by shape a lot easier than a random cut. However, it has been said that there can be more "false fits", which means you think the piece belongs in that spot, but it does not. Can this happen with a random cut puzzle? Yes, it can, but not as likely since the shapes are more unique.

Linen Paper, A Subtle Luxury

Linen Paper, A Subtle Luxury

Not only do we use quality thick blue board, but we dress our puzzle board in textured linen paper. This tactile paper with fine and evenly spaced lines gives the puzzle a more luxurious feel. When your puzzle is completed and you run your hand across the surface (and you know you do), you'll feel a sense of richness from the subtle texture.

You'll also benefit from clarity and longevity. The embossed surface offers superior ink holdout, which means less absorption by the paper for a crisper finished look, and less glare. Papers containing linen fibres can last for hundreds of years. And even if you only puzzle an image once, you can be confident that you're passing it on to endure a lifetime of puzzling for others to enjoy.

Family Pieces 350

Family Pieces 350

We also offer specialty puzzles like our Easy Handling 275 and our Family Pieces 350. The Family Pieces puzzles are designed with small, medium, and large pieces that cascade in one direction horizontally or vertically. The idea of having the various piece sizes grouped together is to allow puzzlers of different skill levels to collaborate. See the Barnyard Babies image, large pieces on the left, medium in the middle, and small on the right.

Imagine having a younger child who wants to puzzle with a more experienced person. They can get frustrated with the small size pieces, but with a Family Pieces puzzle, they can work on the large pieces at the opposite end, while you enjoy the smaller details.

Perfect for family night, play dates, school activities or maybe a grandparent who wants to have time with a wee one.

What are Easy Handling 275 Piece Puzzles?

Easy Handling puzzles feature 275 large size pieces that allow one to see more details per piece. They were designed for puzzlers who are visually impaired, but they are loved by puzzlers of all skill levels. Large size pieces make it easier to pick up a piece for anyone challenged by pincer motor skills. Our seniors love doing these puzzles because they provide hours of entertainment, but are less challenging to complete relative to a 1000 piece puzzle. The Easy Handling 275 piece gives one a strong sense of accomplishment.

It's also great for skilled puzzlers who are on the go, but want to devour something simple (they call these types of puzzles "snacks"). But don't be fooled into thinking these are "easy" puzzles. Even our experienced puzzlers can find these puzzles challenging. Enjoy an Easy Handling puzzle alone or on a date night!

You can see some examples of the large quirky piece shapes in these Easy Handling 275 puzzles below.

Truly Original Puzzles

When you see "Cobble Hill Creations" listed as the artist on our puzzles, then that means our in-house design team created the image. In the past, we would call our unique images "TOP" for "Truly Original Photo" puzzles because they were photographed by a professional. We would curate all the objects used for the puzzle, the backgrounds, and organize the photoshoot with our local photographer, Works Photography. We have put a lot of love and labour into creating a TOP puzzle, so we're pleased that many of them are some of our puzzlers favourites, like Doughnuts, Teacups, and Plenty of Yarn.

In 2020, we started to do more in-house digital production of our images since gathering together for photoshoots wasn't a possibility. So, we changed "TOP" from Truly Original Photo puzzles to Truly Original Puzzles to encompass all the in-house digital designs our team was creating. Now, anything that is from Cobble Hill Creations could be either a photographed puzzle or a digital creation.

Why are our TOP puzzles important? They're important because the majority of images that puzzle companies offer have been licensed from an artist or licensor, including our puzzles. We're very fortunate to have worked with notable artists like The Oatmeal, Juan Ortiz (Star Trek), Rosiland Solomon, Greg Giordano, Tom Newsom, Shelley Davies, Diane Dempsey and many others. However, it can be quite competitive winning the contract to use an artist's image and the license isn't always exclusive. A puzzle company can market an artist or their image heavily, only for them to later walk away and license the same image to another puzzle company. This is why you'll see the same image in several different brands - it's been licensed many times to different companies.

But since the TOP line is created in-house, these are designs strictly made for Cobble Hill that allow us to offer you something unique.

Jeremy working on Wine Alphabet

Jeremy working on Wine Alphabet

"Wine Alphabet" is a 1000 piece puzzle that is a great example of the evolution of a TOP because it is both a digital and photographed creation. The bottle labels were created digitally by our in-house team, then carefully placed on 26 different wine bottles.

When the wine bottles were ready, our team took them to be professionally photographed for the final image. In the image, you can see the V for "Vermouth" label is being placed on the wine bottle.

All the "Wine Alphabet" labels were created by Cobble Hill Creations with both original and commercial free licensed graphic art. The final creation and photo composition are all original to Cobble Hill. Pairs well with any beverage of choice!

Buy Wine Alphabet

Behind the Scenes of a TOP

In Summary...

We hope you discover what our fans already know. From the quality thick blue board to the finely dressed linen paper and our signature quirky shapes - Cobble Hill puzzles have personality. It's a comforting experience that will have you craving more adventures with our puzzles. And when you're ready to dive in, we'll be here for you whether you want a 2000 piece puzzle or an Easy Handling 275. Enjoy the journey!

Experience the thrill of a Cobble Hill. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

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