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{{Short description|American jigsaw puzzle company}}

factoids

Stave Puzzles is an American jigsaw puzzle company located in Norwich, Vermont. The company was started in 1974 by Steve Richardson and Dave Tibbetts and was called Stave—a portmanteau of their first names.WEB, 2019-07-29,www.thefader.com/2016/06/09/dr-diabolical-stave-puzzles, Why Some People Pay $8,000 For This Guy’s Puzzles, The Fader, Kamier, Rawiya, 2016-06-09, They manufacture hand cut jigsaw puzzles made from cherry-backed, 5-layered, {{convert|1/4|in|adj=on}} wood. Stave produces several different puzzles types ranging from traditional puzzles, teaser puzzles which can have many open areas within the puzzles, trick puzzles in which the puzzles can be put together in two or more ways of which only one is correct. They also create three-dimensional puzzles, limited edition puzzles, and complete custom puzzles. Each puzzle is provided in a green and blue box and does not include a picture of the completed puzzle. Stave Puzzles is the largest hand-cut jigsaw puzzle company in the United States and competes with laser-cutting companies like Liberty Puzzles and Artifact Puzzles.

Company history

Steve Richardson moved from New Jersey to Vermont in 1969 and started a game design business with Dave Tibbetts.JOURNAL, Sharp, Bill, November 1989, A puzzle maker in Vermont builds customer loyalty., Adweek’s Marketing Week, v30, n47, 26, In 1974, Richardson was offered US$300 to make a wooden jigsaw puzzle.WEB, Pennington, April Y., Steve Richardson - Snapshot - Brief Article, BNET Business Network, September 2002,findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DTI/is_9_30/ai_96737070/pg_1, 2008-04-26, Richardson and Tibbetts founded Stave Puzzles in the same year.BOOK, Acton, Johnny, Tania Adams, Matt Packer, Origin of Everyday Things, Sterling, 2006-11-28, #127,archive.org/details/originofeveryday0000acto/page/, registration, stave puzzles., 978-1-4027-4302-3, In 1976, Richardson bought out Tibbetts’ share of the company for US$1 and a jigsaw.MAGAZINE, Maxwell, Jill Hecht, Main Street: Putting It Together, June 2002, Inc. (magazine), Inc., June 2002,www.inc.com/magazine/20020601/24248.html, 2008-04-26, He built a small shop behind his garage and hired his first employee.In 1983, Stave introduced their first 2-Way Trick Puzzle, called Go Fish.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} In 1989, Stave Puzzles released an April Fools’ Day joke puzzle called 5 Easy Pieces, which had no solution. The puzzle’s first thirty buyers were refunded their purchase price.JOURNAL, 1992-11-14, Piece offering, Economist, 325, 7785, 76, 0013-0613, Owners of Stave Puzzles include Queen Elizabeth II, Barbara Bush, Stephen King, Julie Andrews, Tom Peters, and Bill Gates.BOOK, Williams, Anne D., The Jigsaw Puzzle: Piecing Together a History, Berkley, 2005-11-01, #134, 978-0-425-20182-4, NEWS, Méndez, Teresa, Deep inside the piece process, Christian Science Monitor, 2006-03-17,www.csmonitor.com/2006/0317/p11s02-alar.html, 2008-04-27, In 1990, Stave Puzzles was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most expensive jigsaw puzzle.BOOK, McFarlan, Donald, Norris McWhirter, Guinness Book of World Records 1990, Bantam Books, 1990, #334,books.google.com/books?id=y8Pm70o2tmoC&q=%22stave+puzzles%22, 0-553-28452-5, Stave Puzzles was named by Tom Peters as the 1991 Product of the Year.WEB,www.tompeters.com/col_entries.php?note=005332&year=1991, Most Valuable Players 1991, Peters, Tom, 1991-12-21, 2008-05-06, dead,www.tompeters.com/col_entries.php?note=005332&year=1991," title="web.archive.org/web/20080531011948www.tompeters.com/col_entries.php?note=005332&year=1991,">web.archive.org/web/20080531011948www.tompeters.com/col_entries.php?note=005332&year=1991, 2008-05-31,

Products

Traditional puzzles

Stave produces traditional rectangular puzzles that range in size from {{convert|5|x|7|in|cm|0}} (75 pieces) to {{convert|20|x|25|in|cm|0}} (1000 pieces). For every hundred pieces, five custom pieces (such as dates, names, or silhouettes) can be cut into the puzzle.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Teaser puzzles

Stave’s Teaser puzzles are designed in such a way as to make assembly of the jigsaw puzzle harder than in a traditional jigsaw creation. Stave commissions original artwork for these puzzles. Illustrators and Stave craftspeople work together on the design to reduce the number of visual cues that would normally make it easy to put together a traditional puzzle.weblinkA typical Teaser design has some areas that are similar to traditional puzzles, making it easier to assemble some of the puzzle. However, in the center of the puzzle, or in other separate areas, holes are left into which many pieces have to fit. These pieces may be silhouettes of shapes that are representative of objects, people, animals, etc. It’s not apparent how they fit together in the holes of the puzzle until they are played with and studied. The difficult rating system for Teasers is measured on a scale of one to four swords, with four swords being the most difficult.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}(File:Stave Teaser Puzzle.jpg|alt=Stave Teaser Puzzle, Bubbles, Four Sword difficulty, 120 pieces, Artist: Dee Rogers|thumb|Stave Teaser Puzzle, Bubbles, Four Sword difficulty, 120 pieces, Artist: Dee Rogers )

Trick puzzles

Steve Richardson earned the name Chief Tormentor for inventing the Trick puzzle,NEWS, Stoodley, Sheila Gibson, November 2006, Collectibles: Piece Maker, Robb Report, CurtCo Robb Media, LLC, November 2006,www.robbreport.com/archived-issues/Article.aspx?article=12353, 2008-04-29, An example of a Stave Trick puzzle is Champ, which is made up of 44 blue pieces and fits together 32 different ways, only one of which is correct where the serpent eats its own tail.MAGAZINE, Antrim, Taylor, I Did the Funky Chicken, Forbes, 2005-06-20,www.forbes.com/fyi/2005/0620/092.html, 2008-04-26, The difficulty rating system for Trick puzzles is measured on a scale of one to five lightning bolts, with five being the most difficult.WEB, 2019-07-29,www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2011/05/10/the-worlds-best-jigsaw-puzzles/#1512f14c1ccb, The World’s Best Jigsaw Puzzles, Forbes, Olmstead, Larry, 2011-05-10,

Limited-Edition puzzles

Stave Limited Edition puzzles are produced from custom-commissioned artwork and sold in a limited quantity. A typical limited edition has included only 50 units, although some runs have included as many as 100 units. The four main types of limited edition puzzles include: Double Deckers; Riddle; Mystery Story; and Trick. Some of the limited edition puzzles are hand painted (as opposed to a print affixed to the wood).{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}In general, the limited editions also include items that fit the theme and help guide the player through the puzzle and additional games. For example, the Limited Edition Trick Puzzle Time Traveler comes with several hand crafted booklets to link the puzzle to the time-travel theme underlying the puzzle. The theme of the puzzle is major events (cultural, historical, scientific discoveries, etc.) from 1000 CE to 2000 CE. The booklets guide you through untangling a set of chronological mishaps caused by an evildoer.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}Trick: The limited edition trick puzzles are similar in general challenge types to the other trick puzzles sold by Stave. The main difference is greater theming and integration. Taking Time Traveler as an example, the entire puzzle has a theme, and solving the tricks and re-arranging the pieces is linked to a story and learning about history. Other puzzles such as Knight at Stavely Castle include 3D pop-ups such as an entire castle façade that goes together multiple ways and a 3D sword that you need to remove from a stone. These trick puzzles are thus more intense than the generally available trick puzzles because of the themed linking between the puzzle and accompanying materials. Olivia the octopus has 10,000 possible solutions.WEB, 2019-07-29,www.wired.com/2009/04/pr-stave-puzzles-champ/, Stave Puzzles Champ the Monster, Wired, Mortensen, Jens, 2009-04-09,

Custom puzzles

(File:Sample Custom Stave Jigsaw Puzzle.jpg|thumbnail|Sample Custom Puzzle made from a Picture of a Puzzler’s Cat Justin.)Custom puzzles are full custom work designed in conjunction with the crafters at Stave.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Samples of unique features

File:Phony_Corner_Sample.jpg|Phony CornerFile:Whammy_Edge.jpg|Whammy EdgeFile:Enlarged_Silhouette.jpg|Enlarged SilhouetteFile:Interacting_Silhouette.jpg|Interacting SilhouetteFile:Rebus_Puzzle.jpg|RebusList of Limited EditionsSome of the Limited Editions which have been released by Stave include:{| class=“wikitable sortable”! Name! Type! Artists! First Sold! Status!class=“unsortable“|Comments| At the End of His Rope| Mystery| Andrea Farnham (art)Suzanne Stofflet (mystery)| 1996| 50/50| | Cinderella| Double Decker| Jennifer Brown| 1992| 23/50| This puzzle also includes a simple trick.| Densel the Dragon| Trick| Steve Richardson (tricks)Candy Thun (tricks and art)| 1990| 35/35| Dickens of a Christmas| Riddle| Molly Delaney (art)Suzanne Stofflet (riddles)| 1997| 20/50| Dollhouse Village| Handpainted| Jim Schubert (art)| 1979| 100/100| This puzzle is actually composed of five smaller puzzles that are now sold only as a set. There was a period where individual components could be purchased separately.| Hexed| Mystery| Andrea Farnham (art)Suzanne Stofflet (mystery)| 1998| 50/50| HMS Pinafore| Trick| Steve Richardson (tricks and teasers)Suzanne Stofflet (word games)Molly Delany (art)| 2000| 7/50| Knight at Stavely Castle| Trick| Steve Richardson (trick)Candy Thun (art)| 1994| 20/50| Mad Tea Party| Riddle| Jennifer Brown (art)Suzanne Stofflet (riddles)| 1997| 25/50| Midsummer Night’s Dream| Double Decker| Henri Loustau| 1981| 77/100| Nutcracker Suite| Double Decker| Jennifer Brown| 1991| 28/50| Off with Her Head| Riddle| Jennifer Brown (art)? (riddles)| 1998| 20/50| Pentagon| Mystery| Andrea Farnham (art)Suzanne Stofflet (mystery)| 1996| 50/50| Peter Pan & the Irate Pirate| Riddle| Molly Delaney (art)Suzanne Stofflet (riddles)| 1997| 26/50| Pharaoh’s Curse| Trick| Andrea Farnham (art and tricks)| 1993| 50/50| Romeo and Juliet| Double Decker| Jennifer Brown| 1999| 12/50| Snow White| Double Decker| Jennifer Brown| 1993| 19/50| This puzzle also includes a simple trick.| Stavely Manor| Trick| Steve Richardson (trick)Candy Thun (art)| 1993| 34/50| Time Traveler| Trick| Andrea Farnham (art and tricks)| 1999| 50/50| Treasure Island| Trick| Andrea Farnham (art and tricks)| 1991| 50/50| Twain Foolery| Riddle| Molly Delaney (art)Suzanne Stofflet (riddles)| 1999| 16/50| Under the Big Top| Trick| Andrea Farnham (art and tricks)| 1992| 22/50| Wizard of Oz| Riddle| Molly Delaney (art)Suzanne Stofflet (riddles)| 1998| 27/50

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

• Stave Puzzles Official Web Site: www.stave.com