Issue of the day: The rebirth of the jigsaw

IN this hi-tech, social mediaobsessed online era, it is perhaps a surprising revelation – the jigsaw market is booming.

Old-fashioned jigsaws? Old-fashioned indeed. The jigsaw is said to date to the 1760s when cartographer and engraver, John Spilsbury – who was the apprentice of the Royal Geographer to King George III – transferred a map of the world on to wood and carved out the countries.

It was a teaching aid?

Initially, yes, and was known as a “dissection”. Spilsbury continued to turn the world, countries and continents into puzzles and the jigsaw took off from there.

It’s a growing market?

The global jigsaw puzzle market is now valued at $678 million and forecast to reach $752.5 million by the end of 2025, according to research report firm, Market Insights, who say the field is expected to grow at a rate of 1.5% between 2019 and 2025.

What’s the appeal?

In this fast-paced digital world it seems there is a pocket of society looking for respite. UK independent puzzle firm, Gibsons – now in its 101st year of business - suggests that people looking for a “digital detox” have found puzzling to be an “excellent way to relieve stress and focus on the present”.

They are useful for dementia patients?

A specific jigsaw line has been released by Gibsons for people living with dementia.

Consultant geriatrician, Professor Zoe Wyrko, who was a member of the expert team on Channel 4’s Old People’s Home for 4-Yearolds and helped with the puzzle’s development, said: “Jigsaws provoke memories in different ways – the sound of pieces rattling in a box, the smell of a newly opened puzzle, and remembering the act of doing jigsaws with friends or family when younger. The pictures can spark conversations, reminding people of topics that may be long forgotten.”

It’s becoming trendy?

There’s a “scene” developing in the United States, which is a major jigsaw puzzle producer. It is estimated that about 29 per cent of puzzles worldwide are made there.

In New York, in the high-society setting of the Soho House members’ club, for example, ‘puzzle nights’ accompanied by cocktails are all the rage.

There’s a world cup?

The World Championship 2020 is celebrated during the last weekend of September at the Millennium Dome in Valladolid in Spain. There are three categories – teams, pairs and individual, with €4000 in prize money up for grabs overall.

But the Official WJPC Trophy recognising the World Champion is given to the winner of the individual test, which involves assembling a jigsaw of 500 pieces in a maximum period of two hours. The top prize is €1000.

Celebrity fans?

The Greatest Showman’s Hugh Jackman has been known to livestream his jigsaw efforts on Instagram, while Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates always takes wooden jigsaws with him on his holidays.

Even DJ Fatboy Slim is a fan, saying they are “good for losing yourself”.