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?

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. If you look at the puzzle pieces, you can find identical shapes. Can false fits happen with a random cut puzzle? Yes, it can, but not as likely since the shapes are more unique.

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.

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.

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.