Thursday, August 15, 2013

A Brief History Of The Wooden Puzzle Game

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.

There is something about these objects that cause people to fondly think of their childhood. Everyone probably had those brightly coloured, hand sized blocks of wood when they were a toddler. They were safe for a youngster, they were unlikely to be swallowed and were inexpensive, but children loved them. There are probably toy building blocks still taking up space in cupboards up and down the country.

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.

Many a child will have been packed off to spend time with their Grandparents during the school breaks. The Grandparents try to make the days as fun filled as possible, but with all the good will in the world sooner or later the weather puts paid to the original plans. How do Grandparents overcome this, simply by bringing out the puzzles that your parents used to play with.

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.

Despite there being so many electronic games available to children, there still seems to be a growing market for these traditional items. Times have progressed a long way from when they all used to be hand carved. All of these items have been made from quality materials, and to the highest of specifications.

Many of these games and puzzles are designed to be equally frustrating and entertaining. This is most definitely true when used in reference to the 3D items. They are whole and complete when you get them, so you know that completing it is possible. All starts off well, and then gets more and more baffling. Despite the bafflement there is a real sense of accomplishment when you finally manage to complete everything properly.

Many of these games and puzzles have changed little over time, and some are relative newcomers. Many are still known by their original names. Such as the Towers of Hanoi. One less familiar might be the Soma Cube. It only takes a quick glance when you notice someone attempting one of these, and you are hooked. You want to attempt to solve your very own wooden puzzle game.




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