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A Wooden Puzzle Game Spans The Generations

By Andrea Davidson


Were you to study the history of toys and games throughout the ages, you will find that most of them were created from wood. This held true until just after WWII. Then cheaper raw materials and mass production, meant that wood soon gave way to plastic. Although there are still many people who enjoy trying to tackle a wooden puzzle game.

For most people this seems to take them right back to their childhood. Many a child's first toy has been those hand sized, brightly coloured square blocks made from wood. Relatively inexpensive, and nothing for a youngster to hurt themselves on. Many parents still have these blocks lurking at the back of a toy cupboard.

It is almost a right of passage, children move from building blocks made from wood to jigsaws, also made from wood. Those first jigsaws were often nothing more than coloured shapes that a child had to fit into the correct location on a board. Children progressed to what could be thought of as the more typical jigsaw. They were all helpful in teaching hand and eye coordination, not to mention digital dexterity.

During school vacations many a child has been sent to spend some time with their Grandparents. Typically Grandparents try to make this time as memorable as possible with lots of activities crammed in, yet the weather can soon put paid to carefully laid plans. Now Grandparents are resourceful people and they often overcome the problem of the weather by bringing out your parent's old toys and puzzles.

There is something very comforting about trying to figure out the self same puzzle that your parents fretted over. As it has been made from wood it will have withstood the ravages of time. If there is a piece that is slightly different in colour, that might be a piece that your Grandfather had to make when the original piece was lost.

Many people feel that young people are only interested in computer games these days, yet surprisingly there seems to be quite a healthy market for these more traditional items. Today things have progressed, and thanks largely to modern manufacturing items no longer need to be carved by hand. The materials used are all of the highest quality, but now they are made much faster.

Many will claim that these games and puzzles frustrate and entertain at the same time. When directed at the 3 dimensional items this is most definitely true. When you first received it, it was complete. So you know that it can be done. You begin by thinking what is all of the fuss about, and then the frustration happens. You were doing so well but you still have all of those pieces left over. However when you do finally finish it all, you have a great feeling of accomplishment.

Many of these items have remained unchanged for over a century, some are comparatively new. Some of these puzzles and games are immediately recognisable, possibly everyone has either seen, or tried, the Towers Of Hanoi. Maybe less familiar will be something called the Soma cube. No matter which wood puzzles you notice someone attempting, you soon get the urge to attempt to solve your own wooden puzzle game.




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