Stave Puzzles
Encyclopedia
Stave Puzzles is an American jigsaw puzzle
company located in Norwich, Vermont
. The company was started in 1969 by Steve Richardson
and Dave Tibbetts, the name being a combination of their two first names. They manufacture hand cut jigsaw puzzles made from cherry-backed, 5-layered, 1/4" wood. Stave produces several different puzzles types ranging from traditional puzzles, teaser puzzles which can have many open areas within the puzzles, trick puzzles in which the puzzles can be put together in two or more ways of which only one is correct. They also create three dimensional puzzles, limited edition
puzzles and complete custom puzzles. Each puzzle is provided in a green and blue rectangular box
and does not include a picture of the completed puzzle.
Steve Richardson moved from New Jersey
to Vermont
in 1969 and started a game design business with Dave Tibbetts. In 1974 he was offered $300 to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle. He accepted the job and bought a saw to teach himself how to do so. In the same year Steve and Dave the two formed Stave Puzzles, forming the name from a combination of their first names. In 1976 Richardson bought out Tibbetts's share of the company for $1 and a jigsaw. He built a small shop behind his garage and hired his first employee. In 1983, Stave introduced their first 2-Way Trick Puzzle, called Go Fish. In 1998 Stave was invited to show their puzzles at the White House.
In 1989, Stave Puzzles released an April Fools' Day
joke puzzle called 5 Easy Pieces, which had no solution. The puzzles first thirty buyers were refunded their purchase price. In 1990 Stave Puzzles was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
as having the most expensive jigsaw puzzle. In 1997, Stave introduced the Monkey Fist trick. In 1998, the Crazy Claws were introduced and in 2003 the first 3D Trick Puzzle, "Loop-de-Loop".
Owners of Stave Puzzles include Queen Elizabeth II, Barbara Bush
, Stephen King
, Julie Andrews
, Tom Peters
and Bill Gates
.
Stave Puzzles is the largest hand-cut jigsaw puzzle company in the USA, and perhaps in the world, but faces growing competition from laser-cutting companies like Liberty Puzzles
and Artifact Puzzles that produce similar (but generally judged to be lower-quality) products at roughly 1/10 the cost.
s can be cut into the puzzle.
Stave's Teaser puzzles are designed in such a way as to make assembly of the jigsaw puzzle harder than in a traditional jigsaw creation. Stave commissions original artwork for these puzzles. Illustrators and Stave craftspeople work together on the design to reduce the number of visual cues that would normally make it easy to put together a traditional puzzle.
A typical Teaser design has some areas that are similar to traditional puzzles, making it easier to assemble some of the puzzle. However, in the center of the puzzle, or in other separate areas, holes are left into which many pieces have to fit. These pieces may be silhouettes of shapes that are representative of objects, people, animals, etc. It's not apparent how they fit together in the holes of the puzzle until they are played with and studied.
The difficult rating system for Teasers is measured on a scale of one to four swords, with four swords being the most difficult.
An example of a Stave Trick puzzle is Champ which is made up of 44 blue pieces and fits together 32 different ways, only one of which is correct where the serpent eats its own tail.
The difficulty rating system for Trick puzzles is measured on a scale of one to five lightning bolts, with five being the most difficult.
Teaser and Trick puzzles have been combined together in puzzles such as Palace of Pranks.
There are four main types of limited edition puzzles: Double Deckers, Riddle, Mystery Story, and Trick. Some of the limited edition puzzles are hand painted (as opposed to a print affixed to the wood).
In general the limited editions also include items that fit the theme and help guide you through the puzzle and additional games. For example the Limited Edition Trick Puzzle Time Traveler comes with several hand crafted booklets to link the puzzle to the time-travel theme underlying the puzzle. The theme of the puzzle is major events (cultural, historical, scientific discoveries, etc.) from 1000 CE to 2000 CE. The booklets guide you through untangling a set of chronological mishaps caused by an evildoer.
Double deckers: Double decker puzzles are made up of multiple layers that sit on top of one another. Irregular edges and dropouts highlight the imagery in interesting ways. Some double decker puzzles include very simple tricks—swappable image areas. For example, the Snow White
limited edition allows you to swap the Evil Queen and Snow White in the mirror.
Riddle puzzles: Riddle puzzles are accompanied by a book of riddles, word game
s, and other surprises linked to the puzzle. For example, figural pieces in the puzzle might form a rebus
that must be solved.
Mystery story: Each puzzle is accompanied by a complete mystery novel. However, you do not learn the ending of the mystery until you send in your answer to Stave's "mystery hot line." For example, the limited edition Hexed has artwork by Andrea Farnham and a novel by Susan Stofflet. The puzzle comes in sections enclosed in velvet bags that you do in pieces as you read and solve parts of the mystery.
Trick: The limited edition trick puzzles are similar in general challenge types to the other trick puzzles sold by Stave. The main difference is greater theming and integration. Taking Time Traveler as an example, the entire puzzle has a theme, and solving the tricks and re-arranging the pieces is linked to a story and learning about history. Other puzzles such as Knight at Stavely Castle include 3D pop-ups such as an entire castle facade that goes together multiple ways and a 3D sword that you need to remove from a stone. These trick puzzles are thus more intense than the generally available trick puzzles because of the themed linking between the puzzle and accompanying materials.
List of Limited Editions and statuses
(Status approximate as of 19 May 2008; list based on Stave Limited Edition advertising mailed in Dec 2007 combined with phone call with Stave to obtain statuses on 19 May 2008)
Jigsaw puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle is a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, interlocking and tessellating pieces.Each piece usually has a small part of a picture on it; when complete, a jigsaw puzzle produces a complete picture...
company located in Norwich, Vermont
Norwich, Vermont
Norwich is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States, located along the Connecticut River opposite Hanover, New Hampshire. The population was 3,544 at the 2000 census....
. The company was started in 1969 by Steve Richardson
Steve Richardson
Steve Richardson is an American puzzle creator and founder of Stave Puzzles.-Early life:Steve Richardson was formerly a student of math and computer science. He lived with his wife in New Jersey until 1969 when they moved to Vermont...
and Dave Tibbetts, the name being a combination of their two first names. They manufacture hand cut jigsaw puzzles made from cherry-backed, 5-layered, 1/4" wood. Stave produces several different puzzles types ranging from traditional puzzles, teaser puzzles which can have many open areas within the puzzles, trick puzzles in which the puzzles can be put together in two or more ways of which only one is correct. They also create three dimensional puzzles, limited edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
puzzles and complete custom puzzles. Each puzzle is provided in a green and blue rectangular box
Cuboid
In geometry, a cuboid is a solid figure bounded by six faces, forming a convex polyhedron. There are two competing definitions of a cuboid in mathematical literature...
and does not include a picture of the completed puzzle.
Company history
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
in 1969 and started a game design business with Dave Tibbetts. In 1974 he was offered $300 to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle. He accepted the job and bought a saw to teach himself how to do so. In the same year Steve and Dave the two formed Stave Puzzles, forming the name from a combination of their first names. In 1976 Richardson bought out Tibbetts's share of the company for $1 and a jigsaw. He built a small shop behind his garage and hired his first employee. In 1983, Stave introduced their first 2-Way Trick Puzzle, called Go Fish. In 1998 Stave was invited to show their puzzles at the White House.
In 1989, Stave Puzzles released an April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
joke puzzle called 5 Easy Pieces, which had no solution. The puzzles first thirty buyers were refunded their purchase price. In 1990 Stave Puzzles was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as having the most expensive jigsaw puzzle. In 1997, Stave introduced the Monkey Fist trick. In 1998, the Crazy Claws were introduced and in 2003 the first 3D Trick Puzzle, "Loop-de-Loop".
Owners of Stave Puzzles include Queen Elizabeth II, Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
, Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, Tom Peters
Tom Peters
Thomas J. "Tom" Peters is an American writer on business management practices, best-known for In Search of Excellence .-Life and career:Peters was born in Baltimore, Maryland...
and Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
.
Stave Puzzles is the largest hand-cut jigsaw puzzle company in the USA, and perhaps in the world, but faces growing competition from laser-cutting companies like Liberty Puzzles
Liberty Puzzles
Liberty Puzzles is a manufacturer of classic style wooden jigsaw puzzles based in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 2005 by Christopher Wirth and his business partner Jeffrey Eldridge, after Wirth’s family inherited several hand-cut wooden puzzles from the 1930s...
and Artifact Puzzles that produce similar (but generally judged to be lower-quality) products at roughly 1/10 the cost.
Traditional puzzles
Stave produces traditional rectangular puzzles that range in size from 5"x 7" (75 pieces) to 25"x20" (1000) pieces. For every hundred pieces, five custom pieces such as dates, names or silhouetteSilhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
s can be cut into the puzzle.
Teaser puzzles
A typical Teaser design has some areas that are similar to traditional puzzles, making it easier to assemble some of the puzzle. However, in the center of the puzzle, or in other separate areas, holes are left into which many pieces have to fit. These pieces may be silhouettes of shapes that are representative of objects, people, animals, etc. It's not apparent how they fit together in the holes of the puzzle until they are played with and studied.
The difficult rating system for Teasers is measured on a scale of one to four swords, with four swords being the most difficult.
Trick puzzles
Steve Richardson earned the name Chief Tormentor for inventing the Trick puzzle, a puzzle genre in which some pieces fit in two or more different places, but only one of the solutions is considered correct. The object of a Trick puzzle is detailed on a small block of wood that accompanies Trick puzzles.An example of a Stave Trick puzzle is Champ which is made up of 44 blue pieces and fits together 32 different ways, only one of which is correct where the serpent eats its own tail.
The difficulty rating system for Trick puzzles is measured on a scale of one to five lightning bolts, with five being the most difficult.
Teaser and Trick puzzles have been combined together in puzzles such as Palace of Pranks.
Limited-Edition puzzles
Stave Limited Edition puzzles are the premier puzzles Stave produces. Each is produced from custom commissioned artwork and sold in a limited quantity. Typically the limited edition is only 50, though some run to 100.There are four main types of limited edition puzzles: Double Deckers, Riddle, Mystery Story, and Trick. Some of the limited edition puzzles are hand painted (as opposed to a print affixed to the wood).
In general the limited editions also include items that fit the theme and help guide you through the puzzle and additional games. For example the Limited Edition Trick Puzzle Time Traveler comes with several hand crafted booklets to link the puzzle to the time-travel theme underlying the puzzle. The theme of the puzzle is major events (cultural, historical, scientific discoveries, etc.) from 1000 CE to 2000 CE. The booklets guide you through untangling a set of chronological mishaps caused by an evildoer.
Double deckers: Double decker puzzles are made up of multiple layers that sit on top of one another. Irregular edges and dropouts highlight the imagery in interesting ways. Some double decker puzzles include very simple tricks—swappable image areas. For example, the Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
limited edition allows you to swap the Evil Queen and Snow White in the mirror.
Riddle puzzles: Riddle puzzles are accompanied by a book of riddles, word game
Word game
Word games and puzzles are spoken or board games often designed to test ability with language or to explore its properties.Word games are generally engaged as a source of entertainment, but have been found to serve an educational purpose as well...
s, and other surprises linked to the puzzle. For example, figural pieces in the puzzle might form a rebus
Rebus
A rebus is an allusional device that uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. It was a favourite form of heraldic expression used in the Middle Ages to denote surnames, for example in its basic form 3 salmon fish to denote the name "Salmon"...
that must be solved.
Mystery story: Each puzzle is accompanied by a complete mystery novel. However, you do not learn the ending of the mystery until you send in your answer to Stave's "mystery hot line." For example, the limited edition Hexed has artwork by Andrea Farnham and a novel by Susan Stofflet. The puzzle comes in sections enclosed in velvet bags that you do in pieces as you read and solve parts of the mystery.
Trick: The limited edition trick puzzles are similar in general challenge types to the other trick puzzles sold by Stave. The main difference is greater theming and integration. Taking Time Traveler as an example, the entire puzzle has a theme, and solving the tricks and re-arranging the pieces is linked to a story and learning about history. Other puzzles such as Knight at Stavely Castle include 3D pop-ups such as an entire castle facade that goes together multiple ways and a 3D sword that you need to remove from a stone. These trick puzzles are thus more intense than the generally available trick puzzles because of the themed linking between the puzzle and accompanying materials.
List of Limited Editions and statuses
(Status approximate as of 19 May 2008; list based on Stave Limited Edition advertising mailed in Dec 2007 combined with phone call with Stave to obtain statuses on 19 May 2008)
| Name | Type | Artists | First Sold | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the End of His Rope | Mystery | Andrea Farnham (art) Suzanne Stofflet (mystery) |
1996 | 39/50 | |
| Cinderella | Double Decker | Jennifer Brown | 1992 | 23/50 | This puzzle also includes a simple trick. |
| Densel the Dragon | Trick | Steve Richardson (tricks) Candy Thun (tricks and art) |
1990 | 25/35 | |
| Dickens of a Christmas | Riddle | Molly Delaney (art) Suzanne Stofflet (riddles) |
1997 | 20/50 | |
| Dollhouse Village | Handpainted | Jim Schubert (art) | 1979 | 98/100 | This puzzle is actually composed of five smaller puzzles that are now sold only as a set. There was a period where individual components could be purchased separately. |
| Hexed | Mystery | Andrea Farnham (art) Suzanne Stofflet (mystery) |
1998 | 23/50 | |
| HMS Pinafore | Trick | Steve Richardson (tricks and teasers) Suzanne Stofflet (word games) Molly Delany (art) |
2000 | 7/50 | |
| Knight at Stavely Castle | Trick | Steve Richardson (trick) Candy Thun (art) |
1994 | 20/50 | |
| Mad Tea Party | Riddle | Jennifer Brown (art) Suzanne Stofflet (riddles) |
1997 | 25/50 | |
| Midsummer Night's Dream | Double Decker | Henri Loustau | 1981 | 77/100 | |
| Nutcracker Suite | Double Decker | Jennifer Brown | 1991 | 28/50 | |
| Off with Her Head | Riddle | Jennifer Brown (art) ? (riddles) |
1998 | 20/50 | |
| Pentagon | Mystery | Andrea Farnham (art) Suzanne Stofflet (mystery) |
1996 | 50/50 | |
| Peter Pan & the Irate Pirate | Riddle | Molly Delaney (art) Suzanne Stofflet (riddles) |
1997 | 26/50 | |
| Pharaoh's Curse | Trick | Andrea Farnham (art and tricks) | 1993 | 50/50 | |
| Romeo and Juliet | Double Decker | Jennifer Brown | 1999 | 12/50 | |
| Snow White | Double Decker | Jennifer Brown | 1993 | 19/50 | This puzzle also includes a simple trick. |
| Stavely Manor | Trick | Steve Richardson (trick) Candy Thun (art) |
1993 | 34/50 | |
| Time Traveler | Trick | Andrea Farnham (art and tricks) | 1999 | 50/50 | |
| Treasure Island | Trick | Andrea Farnham (art and tricks) | 1991 | 47/50 | |
| Twain Foolery | Riddle | Molly Delaney (art) Suzanne Stofflet (riddles) |
1999 | 16/50 | |
| Under the Big Top | Trick | Andrea Farnham (art and tricks) | 1992 | 22/50 | |
| Wizard of Oz | Riddle | Molly Delaney (art) Suzanne Stofflet (riddles) |
1998 | 27/50 |
Custom puzzles
Custom puzzles are just that, full custom work designed in conjunction with the crafters at Stave. The efforts can range from the "simple", such as a wedding picture made into a puzzle, to complex, completely commissioned artwork and carefully designed cutting styles.Unique features
- No picture of the completed puzzle is provided with the puzzle.
- Clown piece: All Stave Puzzles contain a silhouette of the company trademark clown.
- Phony Corner: It looks like a corner piece, but it’s not. Usually crafted into the interior portion of the puzzle.
- Whammy Edge: Adjacent edge pieces that don’t actually interlock with each other (due to, e.g., a wedge-like piece), foiling attempts to assemble the puzzle using the straight edge first.
- Monkey Fist: Contains multiple, identical large open interlocks into which multiple sections of the puzzle, with identical smaller interlocks, will fit. In terms of differentiating a Monkey Fist from Crazy Claws, Monkey Fists have two types of pieces: the repeating open interlock and small fists to go inside the interlock. In contrast, Crazy Claws have repeating loose interlocks that are virtually identical to one another.
- Crazy Claws: Loose interlocks shaped like horseshoes that can connect with each other in two distinct ways and can also connect with several other claws.
- 2-way Tricks: Some pieces fit together in more than one place. Therefore, the puzzle may go together several different ways with only one correct solution.
- Color-line Cutting: Cutting precisely between two different colors so you can not depend on color clues when hunting for the right match.
- Dropout – Empty (or void) space inside a puzzle.
- Enlarged Silhouette – Multiple pieces which form the shape of an object when put together.
- Interacting Silhouette: Two or more silhouettes within a puzzle which relate to each other and touch. example: man and lawn mowerLawn mowerA lawn mower is a machine that uses a revolving blade or blades to cut a lawn at an even length.Lawn mowers employing a blade that rotates about a vertical axis are known as rotary mowers, while those employing a blade assembly that rotates about a horizontal axis are known as cylinder or reel...
- Rebus: A picture riddle within the puzzle comprising silhouette shapes.
- Sculpt: Slivers of wood removed from the puzzle that form an image or accentuate an image in the print.
- Split Corner: Pieces that don’t look like they form a corner until they fit together.
- Tumblers: Multiple puzzling cavities in which to fit your Teaser pieces.
- Modular Puzzles: Each module is a separate trick puzzle and stands alone. However, the Trick center can be rearranged to fit inside other puzzles within its set. For example the Marlin Mischief, Lobster Lubbers, and Whale Watch trick puzzles are a collection of modular puzzles. Each has an outside border that holds its own interior pieces in a single configuration. However, if you take the center pieces from Marlin Mischief, they can be re-arranged to fit inside Lobster Lubbers (or Whale Watch). Thus if you buy 1 puzzle, you get 1 solution, 2 puzzles, 4 solutions, and 3 puzzles, 9 solutions.
External links
- Stave Puzzles Official Web Site: www.stave.com
- Stave Puzzles User Community: stavepuzzlenuts.com