From world champions to enthusiasts, the puzzle world has become the playground for impressive records. Manufacturers, ever more daring, are constantly pushing back the boundaries of the possible to satisfy those who have made it their ultimate challenge. Whether it's giant puzzles, monochrome creations or even innovative transparent designs, get ready to discover some feats. Drum roll: here are the greatest records in the world of puzzles!
From the world's biggest puzzle...
In 2011, a giant 551,232-piece puzzle was assembled by 1,600 students at the University of Economics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It took no less than 17 hours of intense concentration to create a six-petal lotus flower on a surface measuring 14.85 x 23.20 metres. And it's not the world's biggest puzzle in terms of size! The record holder comprises just 13,320 pieces, but spans over 6,122m2 and was completed in Dubai in 2018.
... to mini pocket puzzles
At the other end of the spectrum, nano-puzzles offer a completely different kind of challenge, and are much more practical if you don't have a stadium! These fascinating miniatures are ideal for fans of precision and meticulousness. The smallest are produced by the Selegiochi brand: they comprise 99 pieces which, when assembled, take up less space than a smartphone. Ideal for enthusiasts who want to take their hobby with them wherever they go!
Giant puzzles that challenge us
Looking for a challenge? The French brand Grafika invites you to travel the world of art with Travel around Art and its 54,000 pieces delivered in a real travel suitcase! In 2024, Germany's Hans-Josef Schaadt managed to complete it in just 99 days. But if you'd like to tackle the world's biggest jigsaw puzzle available for purchase, take on artist Eric Dowdle's 60,000-piece What a Wonderful World. Don't worry, it's divided into 60 parts of 1,000 pieces each!
The world's most difficult puzzle
Created in 2007 by British mathematician Christopher Monckton, Eternity II is considered the world's hardest puzzle. A puzzle so complex that a prize of £2 million was up for grabs for whoever could solve it! Its 256 square pieces don't fit together like in a traditional game, but are placed on a grid by matching the edges. The number of possible solutions is estimated at 20,000, but so far, none have been found!
And why not a monochrome?
Monochrome puzzles require patience, patience and... patience! Whether it's White Heaven or Black Hell, they're sure to be a challenge! But still less so than the unusual The Accident , with its 215 elements cut from transparent acrylic, all in different shapes! Think a color gradient would be easier? Then you haven't yet tried Clemens Habicht's1,000 colors, where each piece has its own unique color among 999 others!
The world's most expensive puzzle
The record for the world's most expensive jigsaw puzzle was set in 2005 at an auction benefiting the non-profit Golden Retriever Foundation, for the impressive sum of $27,000. The 467-piece wooden work was handcrafted by American artist Rachel Page Elliott, who has won numerous awards for her skills. The name of the buyer has never been made public...
The assembly speed record
The world champion is 26-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Clemente León, who solved a 500-piece puzzle in just 34 minutes and 25 seconds in the world's biggest competition. That's the equivalent of fitting a piece together every... 4 seconds! As for the speed record for a 1000-piece puzzle, it's held by Briton Sarah Mills, who completed it in 1 hour and 40 minutes at the British Championship 2020. If you're a cephaloclastophile (or just confident!) and you're tempted by the idea of smashing that score, go ahead and assemble London Calling!
👉 Also read: How long does it take to make a puzzle?
At Jour Férié (although impressed by those puzzle world records...), we're more about the pleasure of slowing down and disconnecting, savoring every moment spent assembling our creations. Our collection is designed to invite you to relax, away from the race for performance, and rediscover all the benefits of puzzle play.
Take the time to immerse yourself in our world, in which our biggest puzzles have only 1,000 pieces, but where each one finds its place at your own pace, in simple, authentic pleasure. It's up to you to set your own puzzle record, like the longest moment of uninterrupted calm, for example...
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