Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Rant Review: Votes for Women 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (Eeboo, art by Monica Garwood)


I got this on sale last year and saved it to do on International Women's Day, but, in an astonishing plot twist, that was on the 8th, not the 21st. So, here it is in honor of Women's History Month! The pieces have a nice coated feel to them, and are very sturdy. The quality is thankfully much better than the last puzzle I did from this brand. A big fold-out poster is included with bios of each person featured on the puzzle, a very nice bonus! I enjoyed going over this with my little niece, who recognized many people from the set of books about women throughout history that I gave her last year. 

Rant Review: Snake Mountain Family Portrait 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle (PuzzleYou, Art by Esteban Maroto)


I had this puzzle custom-made by PuzzleYou a few months ago after doing a bit of research and seeing a good deal of praise for them. I can say that they've lived up to that, as this puzzle's quality is quite good. The feel of the pieces and overall quality are comparable to Ravensburger, though with a bit less dust, and a slightly tighter fit. Some of my earliest memories involve Masters of the Universe, as regular TMR readers know; I have hazy memories of sitting in the buggy in a store and looking at He-Man in that iconic exploding red rocks packaging, then opening it in the car on the way home and marveling at the Alfredo Alcala art in the included minicomic. I don't remember exactly when I first saw this piece of art by Esteban Maroto, but the image has lived in my mind for decades as one of the most iconic pieces of MOTU art. I wanted to get it as a 1,000 piece puzzle, but the image simply wasn't high-resolution enough for that. It was a fun completion, though some of the background elements were enough of a challenge that I'm now a bit relieved that it's only 500 pieces! I doubt I'll be ordering another custom puzzle anytime soon because it costs a good deal more than I like to spend on a single puzzle, but that aside, I wouldn't hesitate to use PuzzleYou's services again. I'm very satisfied with the experience!