close

The puzzling popularity of puzzles during the pandemic

4 min read
1 / 8

Bracken Burns works on a puzzle.

2 / 8

A 3-D puzzle completed by Burns.

3 / 8

A puzzle completed by Bracken Burns.

4 / 8

A puzzle completed by Bracken Burns.

5 / 8

A puzzle completed by Bracken Burns.

6 / 8

A puzzle completed by Bracken Burns.

7 / 8

A puzzle completed by a reader.

8 / 8

A puzzle completed by a reader.

By Karen Mansfield

Bracken Burns and his wife, Kate, have been piecing together puzzles for decades.

The South Strabane Township couple started building puzzles when they were dating, and years later, it remains a favorite family activity.

“We’ve always been kind of puzzle people. When Kate and I go to Tennessee to visit our son and his family, doing puzzles is a given,” said Burns.

Burns was ahead of the curve.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, everyone seems to be working on jigsaw puzzles – so much so, in fact, that puzzles are having a moment and are hard for puzzlers to get their hands on.

“There are no puzzles to be found,” said Terri Kleinhans of Cecil Township. “My husband, Bob, went into Rite-Aid for something else, and he saw a puzzle, so he picked it up. We swap puzzles with a handful of friends, too.”

Burns and his wife also ran into problems finding puzzles. They ordered a couple on Amazon in March, and when they quickly finished those, the pair attempted to purchase more.

“But it was, whoa, they don’t have any puzzles. Suddenly, getting a puzzle was a major accomplishment. I was getting online a couple of times a day to try,” said Burns.

Since shelter in place orders went into effect in Pennsylvania, the Burnses have completed 13 or 14 1,000-piece puzzles.

Burns prefers to tackle puzzles in sections, working at the dining room table on patterns that catch his eye.

“You’ve got 1,000 pieces sitting there, and the psychedelic blue and black pieces are jumping out at you. There’s maybe 80 of them, and the next thing you know, they’re the accordion up there in the corner,” said Burns.

Pam Jones of Washington has loved building puzzles since she was about 10 years old.

She would do the same puzzles over and over, challenging herself to do them faster each time.

Jones took a break from puzzles after getting married, but about 8 years ago, she got the itch to start doing them again.

She has a card table set up in her living room, where she works on puzzles up to 1,500 pieces.

“Mostly, puzzles relax me, but I love the challenge,” said Jones. “I like doing anything that makes my brain work. If I get frustrated while doing the puzzle, I can just quit and go back to it later.”

Every Christmas, her family usually gives her a challenging puzzle to work on – this year, Jones received four.

The most challenging puzzle she ever tackled was her most recent, a Double Bubble Gum-themed jigsaw puzzle.

Donna Moore Nardine of Peters Township has completed about 12 puzzles while the shelter-in-place orders have been in effect.

Nardine comes by her puzzle habit honestly: Her 93-year-old mother, Jean Moore, has long been a puzzler.

“She has always enjoyed working puzzles, but never as many as now,” said Nardine. “My mom went to the gym every day until it closed. She can’t go to the gym every day and has turned to puzzles and cards.”

Different jigsaws appeal to different people: popular ones include gradient and clear puzzles, New York Times custom front page puzzles, and puzzles featuring animals, landscapes, famous landmarks, classic movies and cartoon characters.

Burns has worked on puzzles featuring pencils, men’s ties, and even a 3-D puzzle of St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, which he had visited.

“It scared the heck out of me. I wasn’t sure I had the skill set to do it,” said Burns. “But it was very rewarding. We were kind of proud of ourselves.”

He confessed there is one puzzle he will not do: the 570-piece puzzle given away by Heinz that includes all red pieces.

“I might be crazy enough to do jigsaw puzzles, but I’m not crazy enough to do them if they’re all red,” he said.

During the pandemic, puzzles have become a welcome distraction and stress relief.

“It’s about enjoyment. You’re doing it for a sense of satisfaction. It’s a fun way to occupy your time,” said Burns, who has had photographs turned into puzzles, including one he snapped of political buttons and a family portrait.

On a recent night, Burns and Kate started a puzzle at midnight, worked on it for an hour or two, then woke up and got back to the puzzle, which they finished that afternoon.

“We kind of forgot to eat or do anything normal,” said Burns. “They can hold your interest.”

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today