An Outline of Jigsaw Puzzles in America*.

• c1760 First documented jigsaw puzzle: John Spillsbury, an English map publisher, glues a map to a board and "dissects" it with a fret saw. Lady Charlotte Finch uses these "dissections" to teach geography to the children of George III.
• c1820 First puzzles exported to the United States.
• c1830 First American Manufacturer: Thomas T. Ash of Philadelphia.
• 1850s McLoughlin Brothers and Milton Bradley start production.
  • About this time, the first cardboard puzzles appear.
• 1860s Use of trains, ships, airships, etc in place of traditional educational subjects.
• 1876 Power Jigsaw introduced to the American public at the U.S. Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia. Over time, the name changes from "dissections" to "jigsaw puzzles"
• c1883 Parker Brothers begin production
• c1898 First documented maker of puzzles for adults: Rev. C.P.B. Jeffreys.
• c1907 Adult puzzle craze begins in Boston, lasts until ~1910. At the peak, Parker Bros. has 300 employees working on puzzle production.
• 1911 Parker Bros. introduces figures into its popular "Pastime" line.
• c1915 Plywood is invented, becomes popular choice for manufacturers. (Veneer wood has been used since the Egyptians were building pyramids, it is not the same as plywood.)
• 1920s Madmar begins production.
• Parker Bros. buys McLoughlin Bros. and then sells it to Milton Bradley.
• 1930s
  • Frank Ware and John Henriques begin "Par Puzzles", a premium line of puzzles sought after by movie stars and heads-of-state.
  • Because of the depression, the Upson Company has excess wallboard and begins production of "TUCO" puzzles.
  • Joseph Strauss begins production.
  • Einson-Freeman Co. starts huge boom with die-cut, interlocking advertising puzzles, many others follow and millions of puzzles are produced. Some popular lines that have many surving examples include:
    • Picture Puzzle Weekly
    • Jig of the Week
    • Jiggers Weekly
    • Every Week Jig
    • Movie Cut-ups
    • Big 10
    • Big Star
    • Perfect Picture Puzzle
    • Jiggety Jig
    • Woozy Jig
    • Buckingham Jig
    Most were available for 15 to 25 cents at newstands; the fad lasts about 10 months.
  • Puzzle boom helps jumpstart economy and end economic depression.
  • Pictures begin to appear on box covers, before this time, using a picture is considered cheating or at the very least, would spoil the challenge and the thrill of discovery. (Still is considered cheating by avid puzzle fans.)
  • I.R.S. attempts to tax jigsaw puzzles as a game. Supreme Court rules that "... a puzzle is something which perplexes or embarasses, ...or problem designed for testing ingenuity" and does not fall into the game category.
• 1950s Parker Bros. discontinues "Pastime" line.
• 1960s A young couple starts "Springbok" and a fresh rise in popularity as they print art masterpieces and even commission original works. One puzzle of Jackson Pollack's "Convergence" is billed as "the world's most difficult." A few years later, Hallmark buys the Springbok line.
• 1970s
  • Linda Hannas writes "The English Jigsaw Puzzle 1760 to 1890", the seminal study of puzzles. See bibliography
  • Par production is reduced to a trickle.
  • Strauss ceases wood puzzle production.
  • Steve and Dave begin Stave's Puzzles and rapidly become the new "Rolls-Royce" of puzzles; premium quality puzzles with their own innovations, trick pieces and original artwork.
• 1980s
  • Madmar ceases production.
  • J.C. Ayer begins work on his process to manufacture wooden puzzles cut by water.
  • The first laser cut puzzles are made in England by Robert Longstaff and some colleagues from Oxford.
• 1990s
  • Anne D. Williams writes "Jigsaw Puzzles: An Illustrated History and Price Guide" (copyright 1990); introduces many to the hobby of collecting jigsaw puzzles. See bibliography
  • Paul Gallant begins Wrebbit; a company that produces three-dimensional foam jigsaw puzzles of famous landmarks. Many companies had previously experimented with forms of 3-D puzzles but Wrebbit's innovative style becomes very successful.
  • Puzzle collecting "goes online"; buying and selling of new and old puzzles on the Internet.
  • American Game Collector's Association (AGCA:founded in 1985 by Bruce Whitehall) becomes Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors (AGPC).
  • Tom Tyler produces "British Jigsaw Puzzles of the 20th Century", a sequel to Linda Hannas's book. See bibliography
  • Chris McCann produces "Master Pieces The Art History Of Jigsaw Puzzles"; a pictorial study of the artists and artwork used by cardboard puzzle manufacturers. See bibliography

* I can't really do this without some mention of the signifcant British contributions. See the History for more details. Joe S.