[1424]from "JM"--28 January 2005:
I'm pleased to have found your site & hope someone knows the answer to my dilemma. I have a puzzle from the 80's, worked, glued permanently together, signed Rockwell, '28. I have no box, cannot remember the title of the work. Would love to find print of this - have looked at Rockwell Museum site, many others & found no reproduction of this picture.

It shows two older gentlemen sitting across table from one another, both in white dress shirts, one playing the clarinet, the other playing flute.
Tablecloth is pink checked, w/fringe, there's music & a wind up metronome on the table, cuckoo clock on wall, along w/calendar w/map. There is a young woman in right background leaning on a broom, wearing blue & white polka dot dress w/dingy white apron over all, listening to the music. There is an umbrella & pair of slippers on floor in foreground.

Would anyone know the name of this picture? It would help in my search to find a print.

Many thanks!
"JM"
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from Jim McW--29 January 2005:
We believe that this illustration was used in a MILTON BRADLEY TEXTURED PUZZLETM entitled " Love Song ", probably issued in the 1970's or 1980's.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1425]from Don Scott--29 January 2005:
Hi,

Regarding the Talking Jigsaw Puzzles, I made them. They are some of the most beloved jigsaws ever produced and I get a lot of mail about them. They were discontinued by Buffalo Games, but I hope to reintroduce them to the US market very soon. We are currently showing them in the UK through BV Leisure at the London Toy Fair. We have updated two of the older editions and made a new one. They will be produced in a 1000 piece size. For those interested, there were 6 adult editions (Office Building, Hospital, High School, Health Club, Beach, and City Hall) and three junior editions (Haunted House, Toy Store, School). Anyone interested in these or other puzzles made by Don Scott Associates, can email me (dscott@precinct13.com) or head to our home page (www.precinct13.com). We are currently marketing a fair number of puzzles and games and love to hear from fans.

-Don Scott
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from Jim McW--30 January 2005:
Don:
Thanks for taking the time to write and for the kind words of encouragement.
Jim McW
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from Don Scott--20 September 2006:
I have started a Yahoo Group called Talking Jigsaws, which has information regarding the Talking Jigsaw Puzzles that my father and I designed several years ago. The link to the group is:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/talkingjigsaws

...people will be able to trade stories, puzzles, and information on these unique jigsaws.

Thanks.

-Don
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[1426]from Don Scott Sr.--29 January 2005:
I have found your site to be interesting and informative. I would like to thank you for including "The World's Most Difficult Jigsaw Puzzle", Manufactured in the USA by Buffalo Games and in the UK by Paul Lamond Games. It was also produced under license by Hasbro in France, Germany, Benelux, Spain, and briefly in Italy....

Keep up the good work and incidentally I think the number of 10 million jigsaw puzzles per year is sizeably underestimated.

Best regards,

Don Scott Sr.
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from Jim McW--30 January 2005:
Don:
Thanks for taking the time to write and for the kind words of encouragement.
Jim McW
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[1427]from "KN"--31 January 2005:
My Mother had a special puzzle she put together every year and as a child it gave me goose bumps and as an adult, it would mean the world to me to find one, it was very special and has very good memories. It was a picture of Jesus with Servicemen of each branch in clouds. On the ground was a rifle standing up with a helmet on it. This puzzle was water damaged and since both my parents are gone now, I can not find out where it was purchased. If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it so very much.
Thank You,
"KN"
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from Jim McW--1 February 2005:
One of the first questions we received, when we started this site back in 2000, was no. 7, Page One, which we quote here:
"I am looking for a puzzle i did in the late 1950's or early 1960's. It shows 3 or 4 chaplains, in uniforms of the US branches of the service, in the sky in one of the corners, the face of Jesus in the sky in the other corner and a soldier (seen from the back) praying before a small cross. I'm sure it was a Milton-Bradley puzzle. it was 1000 pieces, it was paper, cardboard, not wood, rectangle, vertical and about 18" x 24", a soft painting. I think is was published during the late 50s. Have you seen anything like this? Thank you for helping."
This sounds similar, if a bit different to the puzzle you remember.
We ask again: Does anyone know anything about or remember such a puzzle?
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from Jim McW-- 6 April 2008:
We eventually found a similar puzzle. I don't think it's the same one, but similar...
Unfortunately, it turned out to be missing three pieces, but it is a beautiful puzzle. It is very difficult, because almost every piece has at least one straight edge. We believe it dates from the 1940's-1950's.
, " Onward Christian Soldiers ",
very early MILTON BRADLEY BIG BEN (we suspect late 1940's to early 1950's?)

What we would like to know for sure is, whose are the four images in the clouds? My best guess is that they are:

George Washington
General Pershing [?]
General Patton [? or Marshal? or Eisenhower?]
MacArthur

Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1428]from "BMG"--31 January 2005:
Hi,
Have you ever heard of Jigso Cutout Puzzles by Blue Star Publishing of New York? Any information would be appreciated.
"BMG"
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from Jim McW--1 February 2005:
Anne Williams lists the line and the company in her exhaustive reference, Jigsaw Puzzles: An Illusrated History and Price Guide, but we know nothing about the company or the puzzles they made. Can you tell us anything or provide pictures of a puzzle from that line?
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from "BMG"--1 February 2005:
Hi,
I'm sending a picture of the puzzle box and another to show what the pieces look like. I am doing this for someone else, and she has not put the puzzle together. The box is 5" by 6", says it has over 200 pieces and she counted 221.

" To Leeward ", JIGSO CUTOUT PUZZLE, by Blue Star Publishing of New York.

the pieces, " To Leeward ", JIGSO CUTOUT PUZZLE, by Blue Star Publishing of New York.
"BMG"
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[1429]from "MP"--31 January 2005:


"Boromir", 100 pieces, MILTON BRADLEYTM
Hi, have you ever seen this puzzle?
Thanks,
"MP"
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from Jim McW--1 February 2005:
No, but we suspect it dates from the late 1970's, about the time the movie, The Lord of the Rings , was released.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1430]from "JN"--6 February 2005:
Hi! Many years ago I purchased a puzzle that was part of a series. It was a hospital picture (cartoon), that didn't match the picture on the box. There were about seven floors to the hospital, each designated to a different illness e.g maternity, broken bones etc etc. There were little clues printed on the pieces to help identify which floor these patients should be on. Other clues that helped to solve the puzzle were that the nurses stations were in the same position on each floor, as was the garbage shutes, and the room numbers were printed on the doors.
I seem to recall that there was a similar puzzle available at the time which depicted a school building, and there may have been a third. I would dearly love to find this puzzle again. Hope you can help.
regards
"JN"
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from "S25"--7 February 2005:
I have a really neat "talking puzzle" which is NOT involving speech, but an entire office complex series of windows and a stairway cutout and all have verbage in them. The only company information on the box is "Don Scott Associates". No year, but we have had it for the past 20 years, but it is relatively new.

The "windows" are made up of 4 pieces each, complete with window sill, curtain or window treatment, some have office names on the windows while others have people looking out or into the windows. There is a window washer in one, a gorrilla eating bananas in another. The way the puzzle goes together is by the fact that you have to make the windows "free-standing", then read the writing (in comic balloon style where someone is speaking or read the window itself), then figure out what story the window belongs on and at which end of the building. My sons and I have the most fun putting this together and can usually do it in a few evenings after supper.

The only way it goes correctly is to prove it by turning it over and reading the back side. There is the word "congratulations" written in a variety of hand writing styles. If they do not match up, the puzzle is wrong.

I have been missing one piece in it since 2002 and am wondering if this company has made any other fun type of "talking puzzles" and if there's anyway to replace it entirely to get the missing piece.
"S25"
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from Jim McW--9 February 2005:
See no. 1425, above.
Also, for the present, you can keep an eye on the secondary market (internet auctions, bazaars, antique shops, garage sales, etc.). We managed to find one in this way, which we sold some time ago. They sound like great fun.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1431]from "RS"--9 February 2005:
As a child, I had two puzzles that I believe were Springbok. After combing internet auctions for two weeks, and looking at Springbok websites, I am starting to doubt myself.

The puzzles that I am remembering were child puzzles... the pieces were larger than the usual Springbok pieces... about 2 inches in length and width. The pieces were cardboard, but thick and strong-interlocking, like the adult Springboks. The finished puzzles, which I believe were square, were 12-15 inches in each dimension.

The ones that I am interested in particular were:

--A predominantly green close-up wooded scene with winged fairy children. I even remember that one girl fairy looked irritated that another girl had the attention of a boy.
--An elevation of a house with the exterior wall removed so that the inside floors and activity in the house could be seen.

Both were illustrated, not photographs. I estimate that the puzzles would be dated around 1970. As mentioned, I have always remembered them as Springboks, but since I cannot find evidence of any such children's series, I am starting to doubt myself. They may have been Hallmark puzzles that were not Springboks.

Is there anyone who can help? Also, will a reply be sent to me directly or do I need to check the website for an answer?

R.S.
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from Jim McW--10 February 2005:
We try to reply to all legitimate inquiries, at least briefly, but the volume makes it impossible to do so quickly or in detail, nor do we guarantee a reply.
We believe that SPRINGBOKTM made many mini-puzzles of 70 and 100 pieces from about 1970 to about 1990. The puzzles you describe sound as though they may have been of these kinds.
Can anyone help with this question?
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1432]from "DK"--10 February 2005:
Hello
I once did a puzzle in the late 80's. I believe it was titled Midnight Fog. It was circular and contained a wooded scene with a lot of purple in it, I believe a fantasy image. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks
"DK"
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[1433]from "KC"--11 February 2005:
Hi,
I bought an old puzzle from Dorset (Hideaway) made in 1966. It seems to have a wax coating. Was the puzzle manufactured this way ? I hope you can tell me.
Thanks,
"KC"
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from Jim McW--15 February 2005:
We are familiar with that silky feeling of the pieces in some puzzles which suggests wax coating. The only discussion of this that I can cite specifically at the moment is in Sterling Mason's TUCO PUZZLES 1932-1957:
"A wax coating was applied to the surface [of] the print to aid in a later step of production...[it] provided lubrication which also aided in the fiber board's release [from the die]...."
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1434]from "KH"--13 February 2005:
I have a Pony Express puzzle No. 1500-F-29, made by E. E. Fairchild Corp. Any idea as to its date.... Thanks.
"KH"
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[1435]from "CW"--14 February 2005:
Hello,
I have a Jigsaw puzzle that appears to be old, the condition is not too good & there are parts missing (12 or so). The interesting part of this puzzle is that it was bought some time ago from The Daimler Co. Ltd.; Coventry. company for 5ī- (that is shillings) and the only text is on a label inside of the box stating " IMPORTANT ".
In order to render this jig-saw Puzzle still more difficult, certain important pieces have been retained by the Daimler Co. You are requested to attempt the solution before writing for the key pieces, and then to fill up the enclosed stamped addressed p.c. and post same.
The key pieces will be forwarded, post free, by return. THE DAIMLER CO. LTD., COVENTRY."

I have done some research work into finding more info about this what seems to be a puzzle in more ways than one, but have only found out that it must be ca end of 19th century or beginning of the 20th. It is wooden hand cut & not of the usaul shape. There are several pieces with it but I canīt seem to find a place for them.

If it would help I could send a Photo.

yours hopefully
"CW"
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from Jim McW--15 February 2005:
We are not familiar with this type of puzzle, but we would love to post a picture of it.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from Jim McW--15 February 2005:
"CW" sent these pictures in:
" Daimler " Box Box Inside
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1436]from "TV"--16 February 2005:
Hello,

Last year my sister gave me two puzzles she had bought on a small market in Edinburgh. The puzzles are from Falcon and depict Henry VIII and Elisabeth I. I was wondering if Falcon made puzzles from other historic figures aswell, (Mary Stuart, Anne Boleyn,....) and if so, if they are still being made or available somewhere. Thanks!

With kind regards,
"TV"
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[1437]from "CW"--16 February 2005:
RE: WWII Airplane being disassembled in midair by "gremlins"
Hi,
I've developed an obsession trying to identify this puzzle that I used to put together over and over growing up during WWII.
Would anyone have a clue?
Thanks so much,
"CW"
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from Jim McW--17 February 2005:

Your description sounds like:

"Superstitious Al-O-Ysius"
Let us know if that is the one.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from "CW"--17 February 2005:
No, that's not the one but thanks for the effort.
My adrenalin was going after I got your message.

As I remember (60 years ago), it was a prominent single engine fighter plane going downward from right to left. I seem to remember the cockpit pulled back and the pilot trying to bail out. I think the engine may have been smoking and burning. And there were gremlins crawling over the outside of the plane.

Thanks again,
CW
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[1438]from "MM"--21 February 2005:
After searching quite a while I was happy to find your site, please help if you can. I have a interlocking "Jigger Jig" picture puzzle called "Chariot Race" Series C No.2, Copr. 1933 by The Chilcote Co., Cleveland, OH, Division of Durcote. There is a Jiggerty Jig puzzle, but the mfg. is not the same. Any value on this complete puzzle would be appreciated and info on the company, were they more of a local distributor? I just can't find any puzzles under the "Jigger Jig" name. Thank you very much!
"MM"
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from Jim McW--23 February 2005:

The Chilcote Company made quite a few puzzles during the 1930's. Can you provide a picture of the puzzle box?
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from "MM"--23 February 2005:
Dear Jim:

I hope these photos are OK...
chariot race box
, Jigger Jig, unknown title
Could this puzzle be a representation of the Ben Hur Movie?

Thank you for your assistance.

"MM"
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from Jim McW--16 March 2005:
Thanks for the photos. There has been at least two movie versions of "Ben Hur", one in the twenties or thirties and the one with Charlton Heston, in 1959. There may have been an even earlier one during the era of the silent movies. These were all based on a novel written several decades earlier by Lew Wallace, who had been a distinguished general during the American Civil War.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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[1439]from "RCS"--25 February 2005:
Hi Jim, Attached find pictures of a puzzle and the box.
" A Time for Sugaring ", by Jane Wooster Scott, 1996
We are collecting this series and now have more than 5.
It is 16" x 20", 500 cork backed pieces with irregular edges and unique die-cuts, mfgd. 1996. The box is not labeled Silhouette, but the puzzle meets all specs for that series. Probably made after the series ended. Now, if you like, I will send pictures and description of each puzzle as we complete them. I can write description in any order or format you like if you tell me. For me this is a fun project.
"RCS"
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from Jim McW--2 March 2005:

You're doing just fine. We have also placed the illustration on our new Jane Wooster Scott page. This will help a lot of people.
Thanks,
Jim McW
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from Nancy Ballhagen--8 April 2005:
Ceaco has also put out 3 new sets of Jane Wooster Scott puzzles, six 300 piece ones, six 500 or 550 (can't remember) cork silhouette ones and six 1000 piece ones in a tin. Note: we haven't gotten those in yet, should be soon I hope.
There are also 3 more series of Wysocki puzzles coming out in the next 2 months or so. Should have the "O" series shortly, then "P" and "R" (no Q as far as know).
Nancy
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