PAR + StumpCraft: When Old & New Collaborate
Posted by Jasen Robillard on
2020 marked a significant renewed interest in jigsaw puzzles. As we searched for healthy distractions and pleasant pastimes within the safe confines of our homes, many of us looked back fondly at our childhood memories of solving puzzles with our families. Others unlocked a new passion for visual, analog problem solving. And through these rekindled or newly discovered passions, many of you have ventured into the wonderful world of wooden jigsaws! Welcome!
Wooden jigsaw puzzles have a long history that has very recently been exposed to new innovations in design and manufacturing. PAR Puzzles was founded in 1932 during the depths of the Great Depression when forced leisure time created an intensified demand for jigsaw puzzles. Like many others at the time, the founders, John Henriques and Frank Ware, were mostly interested in puzzling to occupy their time. However, they were aware of the heightened demand for high-quality puzzles and decided to try their hand at making puzzles for a living. For months, they experimented with various tools and materials until eventually, they established strict specifications for their craft and began creating jigsaw puzzles that set a new standard.
PAR's history echoes the current era of jigsaw puzzle experimentation and innovation, which StumpCraft has been part of these last few years. When PAR decided to broaden its audience by offering laser-cut puzzles, PAR reached out to a number of peers in the industry for a collaborative partner: StumpCraft answered the call.
Wooden jigsaw puzzles have a long history that has very recently been exposed to new innovations in design and manufacturing. PAR Puzzles was founded in 1932 during the depths of the Great Depression when forced leisure time created an intensified demand for jigsaw puzzles. Like many others at the time, the founders, John Henriques and Frank Ware, were mostly interested in puzzling to occupy their time. However, they were aware of the heightened demand for high-quality puzzles and decided to try their hand at making puzzles for a living. For months, they experimented with various tools and materials until eventually, they established strict specifications for their craft and began creating jigsaw puzzles that set a new standard.
PAR's history echoes the current era of jigsaw puzzle experimentation and innovation, which StumpCraft has been part of these last few years. When PAR decided to broaden its audience by offering laser-cut puzzles, PAR reached out to a number of peers in the industry for a collaborative partner: StumpCraft answered the call.
Our PAR + StumpCraft teams are excited by the opportunity to offer new puzzles to our respective fans. We hope you will enjoy these new puzzles that combine the vintage PAR cutline style and imagery, along with the precision and print quality that StumpCraft fans have come to expect. Our plan over the final months of 2021 is to offer three limited-release PAR + StumpCraft puzzles featuring beautiful Saturday Evening Post covers from the 1940s and 50s.
Our first release is Card Sharks by Alex Ross.
Our second is Buzzer Beaten by Norman Rockwell.
Our third is Decisions, Decisions by Stevan Dohanos.
More details and full whimsy list (aka silhouette pieces for our PAR fans) can be found at our dedicated PAR + StumpCraft Deep Dive Blog.
