Rant Review: Target Ornament and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Mini Jigsaw Puzzles, 50-100 Pieces

This collection of mini holiday puzzles caught my eye during a shopping trip earlier this month, and they were in my basket nearly before I realized it! The trio of ornament puzzles came from Target, and ran $2 each. The quality was about what you'd expect, with very thin glossy pieces. There are a few shapes, and while false fits were possible with virtually every combination of pieces, the designs made it easy to avoid them. There was no puzzle dust.

The Christmas Vacation puzzle was $5, and the quality was a bit better. The thin, glossy pieces have an almost plastic feel, and the unique piece shapes prevented false fits even in the darker areas. As with the Target trio, there was no dust. 

None of these will set the puzzling world on fire from a quality standpoint, but I picked them up as quick, fun little diversions on a rather hectic Xmas eve, and they served that purpose admirably! 

Winter, Badges, and Hot Cocoa, 50 pieces each (Target, artist uncredited)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 100 pieces (Ceaco, Art by Thomas Kinkade Studios)

Rant Review: Victorian London Christmas 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Dominic Davison)

This one doesn't look tough, but its appearance is deceptive. There are a fair few textures mirrored on each side, and many of the pieces are much darker than they appear. It wasn't difficult on the level of one of the sadistic photomosaic puzzles I've tackled in the past, but it was one of those where I had to fight for every inch of space I filled in. I wound up liking the image a bit less as I worked it, as examining each piece up close made it appear that it's partly an assemblage of clip art. Elements such as the dog and lampposts really stand out when viewed in such detail. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it did sour me on the art just a bit. (It's entirely possible that no clip art was used, and this is simply the artist's style, and I will be happy to be corrected on this point if that is the case!) I still liked the overall image enough that I wanted to complete it. While perusing the MGL licensing site, I see that I have another winter-themed puzzle from the same artist. Hopefully I'll enjoy it a bit more! 

The quality is typical Ravensburger, sporting the slightly looser fit that's become standard for them, and plenty of dust. I still find their pieces among the most satisfying to handle and assemble. I rarely use a poster when working a puzzle, but I would have gladly used one with this one, with all the tiny and dark details I had to contend with! It's a shame that Ravensburger doesn't give its customers that option.

Rant Review: Santa Town 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Galison, art by Caroline Bonne Müller)

A sub-$10 purchase from TJ Maxx, this puzzle was another quick and easy one. The sky was the only mildly tricky bit, but even it was not tough; focusing on Santa and his sleigh, followed by the reindeer, left only a few patches of blue to fill in. I recognized the art style, and checking the back of the box confirmed Caroline Bonne Müller as the artist, last seen in the Eeboo Music in Montreal puzzle I did a few weeks ago. 

This puzzle had a fair bit more dust than usual with Galison, and I had quite a few bent and warped pieces. Some just had a bent peg, but there were a handful of pieces that were bent in the middle. I wound up leaving the most badly warped pieces under a heavy book overnight in an attempt to straighten them so that they'd lie flat. This was surprising and disappointing, as I've found Galison one of the more reliable brands up until now. Hopefully the subpar quality of this one was just an odd one-off! Perhaps the quality control simply isn't as stringent for the lower-priced puzzles that ship to stores like TJ Maxx? I have several more, so I reckon we'll see!

Rant Review: Enchanted Christmas 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Demelsa Haughton)

A quick and easy one, this puzzle has appealing art and a great vibe. I love the cozy atmosphere, and it was fun spotting all the little characters and secret doorways. There's enough variety to make it very easy to see where each piece goes. I never time my puzzling, but this was definitely one of my quickest completions! The "toughest" part was the tree, and that was done within minutes. This is my first puzzle featuring Demelsa Haughton's art, though I'd had my eye on it for a while. The 50% off sale Target ran for Black Friday let me get it at a great discount!

Rant Review: Disney 100 Retro Reimagined Santa Mickey 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ceaco Silver Select, artists uncredited)

I don't really give a damn about Disney in general or Mickey Mouse in particular, but I like the vintage art used for this puzzle, and I couldn't pass it up when I saw it on sale for $6. (Amusingly, I came across this Target exclusive puzzle on a steep discount at Walmart.com. It was sold by a third party, of course, but having this arrive in Walmart packaging and seeing "ONLY AT TARGET" emblazoned across the top of the box when I opened it up still elicited a chuckle from me.) I expected this one to be quick and easy. Most of it was. But that middle section, with Mickey dressed as Santa Claus? That took as long as the entire rest of the puzzle. His face was easy, but the sea of indistinguishable red and white that made up the bulk of those pieces was a significant speed bump impeding my progress. I've done crazy-ass photomosaics and such, so this is nowhere near one of the toughest puzzles I've done, but that middle section turned a quick and easy 1,000 piecer into a multiple day project. The first couple of days I worked on it, I tackled it after I was done with work and dealing with assorted other responsibilities, so I simply couldn't muster the patience to get through it. On the third day, I resigned myself to shape sorting the remaining pieces so I could just power through it. My mind simply didn't want to wrap around the way those pieces were going together, for whatever reason. Even looking at the completed puzzle now, I really don't get why that section was so relatively tough. Things just happen that way sometimes, though; were I to do this puzzle at a less hectic time of the year, it likely wouldn't have taken me nearly as long. As things are, it represents a weird anomaly in my regular puzzling.

This is the first puzzle I've done from the Silver Select series. I noticed no real difference in the quality of the actual pieces, but the packaging is greatly improved over the standard Ceaco/Buffalo puzzles. The sturdy cardboard box with its sliding drawer is a massive improvement over the glued-shut boxes of their standard line, and the resealable bag is a nice inclusion, as well. A poster is also included, and is actually large enough to be of help, should you need it. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another puzzle in this line!

Here Comes Christmas! 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Ingrid Slyder)

This quick and easy 500 piecer was just what I needed after that last one! It also felt appropriate since we had just watched our town's Xmas parade, though it was not quite as grand as the one depicted here! (Ours did feature a whopping FIVE Grinches, though!) The red border made it simple to pick out all edge pieces during sorting, and the art was varied enough that there was very little ambivalence over which area each piece belonged in. The multiple trees, marching band, and crowds presented a mild challenge, but this remained a pleasant evening's puzzling. I had a good many bent tabs, though fortunately, none of them were splitting. This was definitely more lax quality control than I typically see in a Ravensburger puzzle, but none of the bent pieces were so bad as to prevent them fitting together, or mar the look of the completed puzzle. I might be more annoyed about the bent pieces if I hadn't gotten this so cheap. (Thank you Target 50% off sale!) I still have ten more holiday and winter-themed puzzles to go, so on to the next! 

Rant Review: Evening Performance 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Buffalo Games, art by Darrell Bush)

I'm a sucker for snowy scenes, cabins, and aurora, so adding this to my cart during the recent sales was a no-brainer. I decided to tackle it after finishing that Rockefeller Center 1,000 piecer last week, as I often like to do a smaller puzzle as a bit of a palette cleanser between larger ones.  

This took me twice as long to put together. Really. 

Looking at the art, there are obviously some rather dark areas, but nothing that looks particularly problematic. The central area with the cabin, deer, and much of the surrounding snow flew together practically on its own. From there, things got trickier. Still, I've done far more complex puzzles, so nothing to worry about. Just do a bit of simple shape sorting and power through it, right?

This is where I was reminded the hard way that Buffalo is a value brand marketed toward casual shoppers in big box stores. False fits were all too common, and not easy to spot when many of the pieces were a dark smear of some shade of blue. Thus, whenever a piece seemed to fit, I had to second-guess myself, then go through every other piece of the same shape to see if there was one that seemed to fit just a bit more snugly. This was indeed the case with annoying frequency. I finally grabbed my high-powered flashlight and used it as an aid to better see the dark smears of paint on each piece to help me complete the darker areas. From there, the gradient in the sky made it a breeze to assemble, and the puzzle was done at last!

I've done a couple of other puzzles from Buffalo recently, but the art on those made it very easy to avoid false fits. I won't be avoiding Buffalo, as I still find the slightly loose fit and overall level of quality perfectly acceptable for the price point, but this puzzle served as a reminder to be vigilant of the difference between a pretty puzzle and a fun puzzle in the future! A challenging design can be fun, but you have to be able to trust the puzzle itself not to throw in an additional handicap that turns it into tedium.

Rant Review: Rockefeller Center Joy 1,000 Pieces Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Pierpaolo Rivero)

This Rockefeller Center scene is my first Xmas-themed puzzle of the season, following the winter-themed one I did a few days earlier. The jovial mood is captured very well by the artist, and there are nice little scenes playing out all across the ice. I knew that tree was bound to be the toughest part of the entire puzzle, and it damn sure was! A few false fits certainly didn't help matters any. It's a good thing the tree only takes up a relatively small amount of space! After knocking it out, the buildings, which normally might have posed a bit of a challenge, were a joy to put together! 

The quality is more less typical of other recently-produced Ravenburgers I've done, with a slightly loose fit. The actual piece quality is as good as expected, though there seemed to be more dust than usual. Even after two siftings, there was still a noticeable amount remaining. I'm beginning to think Ravensburger has someone at the factory specifically to toss in an extra handful of dust before the box is sealed! The typical lack of poster is normally not an issue for me, as I rarely use them, but one would have been appreciated with this one. Still, I enjoyed putting it together, even as I cursed that tree a couple of times. I have more than a dozen winter and holiday-themed puzzles to do, so on to the next!  

Rant Review: Music in Montreal 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Eeboo, art by Caroline Bonne Müller)

Eeboo is new-to-me brand. They've been on my radar for awhile, and seem like a good company I would like to support. I grabbed this on sale a couple of months ago, and decided to use it to commence my winter and holiday-themed puzzles! I quite like the scene depicted here, though I do worry for the trumpet player's lips. Those mouthpieces are awfully cold in this sort of weather! The art style is nice and colorful, and the overall vibe is festive and inviting. The difficulty is about average, perhaps a bit easier. After completing the border-- I think it's worth pointing out that this is only the third time I've pulled every edge piece during my initial sort, which was quite nice-- I started putting the musicians together. This was pretty easy, and once they were done, the rest filled in rather quickly. Based on the art alone, this puzzle was a hit!

Unfortunately, the quality was subpar. Many pieces were damaged, with bent and/or splitting pegs. It's pretty normal to run across a few such pieces, but there were dozens of damaged pieces, and this was a brand new puzzle. I'm also not a fan of the super glossy finish. The back also has a coating to increase sturdiness. I've heard Eeboo's pieces described as having a greasy feel before, which seemed an odd description to me, but I now see what they meant. I don't hold this against Eeboo, however, as what sort of finish you like is purely a matter of preference. The fit was good, with few false fits, and completed sections held together well. There was practically no dust! 

A poster the size of the box is included, and while I rarely use these, it's always a nice inclusion. There is also a QR code for an artist-selected playlist, though I can't personally attest to its quality. (It requires a Spotify account, and I wasn't inclined to sign up just for this.) It's a neat inclusion, nevertheless! I have two more Eeboo puzzles, and I'll be getting to them eventually. I'm hoping that the QC issues I experienced with this one were just a bit of bad luck.

Rant Review: Forsythia 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Bonjour! Buffalo Games, art by Bente Schlick)

I saw this in a Reddit post a couple of weeks ago, and immediately had to have it! As luck would have it, I was able to find and order one on sale for $6 within minutes. (It's still on sale as I type this! Go get it!) The art is beautiful, most definitely frame-worthy! It took significantly longer to assemble than I expected, as all the foliage wound up as little blobs of color on each puzzle piece. I knew going in that the flowers and grasses would be the most difficult part of the puzzle by a wide margin, but it was a good bit harder than I anticipated. This is easily the longest it's ever taken me to put together a 500 piecer, but the end result is well-worth it! I'll be keeping an eye out for other puzzles featuring Schlick's art in the future.

The quality is pretty much as expected from Buffalo, with thin, sturdy pieces that fit together well. I had no trouble with false fits, and there was little dust. The only QC issue I encountered was an assortment of uncut pieces, maybe a dozen or so altogether, that were still hanging together in pairs. Not a big deal, especially for the rock-bottom price. I had no trouble separating the puzzle into sections for easy reassembly later on, whenever I decide to frame & hang it. The puzzle hung together at least as well as a typical Ravensburger, and that's all I ask! A poster is included, and also features a brief bio of the artist. 

Rant Review: Look Out, Little Pigs! 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Ravensburger, art by Dean MacAdam)

This was a pretty simple and straightforward puzzle. The only tricky parts were the apple-laden tree branches and the Big Bad Wolf's engine of destruction, and even those came together quickly once a few key pieces were placed. This is the first of MacAdam's puzzles I've done, though I've had a couple of them for awhile. The art is varied enough that I didn't feel the need to do any real sorting beyond pulling out the edge pieces. From there, it was easy enough to simply pull most of the pieces from any given section-- brick house, tree branches, stick house, etc.-- as I went through my trays that further sorting felt unnecessary. I quite like the art, but should note that the piece with the middle pig's open mouth and his little pointy teeth was oddly creepy. Its rendering is unlike his two brothers, and there's just something unsettling about coming across an extreme closeup of it when shuffling pieces around. I was glad to place it and be done with it! 😂

Rant Review: Ophelia 300 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Buffalo Games, art by Laura El)

 

I don't often do puzzles smaller than 500 pieces, but when I ran across this in Target a couple of weeks ago, I simply couldn't leave it behind! I love the art style and the whole vibe of the piece. At only 300 pieces, and large pieces at that, it was dead easy to complete, but an enjoyable puzzling experience all the same. It served as a perfect buffer between the frenetic Flash puzzle I had just completed and the very busy puzzle I have on deck next. The quality is typical of Buffalo, i.e. not amazing but decent, and perfectly acceptable for a cheap puzzle from a big-box retailer. The large pieces are thin and sturdy, fit together well with no false fits, and there was very little dust. A poster is included. I rarely refer to a poster when doing a puzzle, but it's always nice to have the option! I know Buffalo's glued boxes are divisive, but I just slip my box cutter blade into the seam and run it around the box, and it opens it with no damage. It's not ideal packaging, but I've got no issues with it at this price point. 

On a semi-related note, I noticed after getting this that a puzzle I've had on my wishlist for a while now features art by the same artist. After enjoying this one so much, I may need to go ahead and pull the trigger on that one soon!