Gifts for Puzzle Lovers

Puzzle people come in two kinds: jigsaw folks who want a good image, sturdy pieces and space to spread out, and brain-teaser folks who want something that fights back. Both enjoy the quiet focus more than the finished result. Good gear for storing and sorting a jigsaw in progress is often more welcome than another box of pieces.

Under $25 11 ideas

  1. White Mountain Puzzles Candy Wrappers 1000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

    A cheerful collage of retro candy wrappers, a favorite for years. The pieces are thick and fit snugly.

    White Mountain PuzzlesAn experience

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  2. Ravensburger Krypt Silver 654 Piece Puzzle

    A solid-silver puzzle with no image at all, assembled from the outside in. For the puzzler who has run out of challenges.

    RavensburgerWhite elephant

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  3. Ravensburger Sort Your Puzzle

    Stackable trays for sorting edges and colors. Keeps pieces off the floor and away from the cat.

    Ravensburger

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  4. Ravensburger Roll Your Puzzle

    A felt mat that rolls up around a puzzle in progress, so the table can be cleared without breaking it apart.

    Ravensburger

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  5. Ravensburger Puzzle Conserver

    A glue that seals a finished puzzle so it can be framed or hung. Pair it with a frame or a favorite puzzle.

    RavensburgerStocking stufferGets used up

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  6. EXIT: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin

    A one-time escape-room game for one to four players. Brainy and inventive, with a few twists that make people laugh at themselves.

    Thames & KosmosAn experience

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  7. ThinkFun Rush Hour Traffic Jam Logic Game

    Slide cars to free the red one, with forty challenges from easy to fiendish. A classic that suits any age.

    ThinkFunAges 8+Stocking stuffer

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  8. SmartGames IQ Puzzler Pro

    Over a hundred challenges in a compact travel case, including 3D pyramid puzzles. Easy to slip into a bag for trips.

    SmartGamesStocking stuffer

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  9. Kanoodle

    A pocket puzzle of fitting shapes into a grid, with hundreds of challenges. Easy for kids, surprisingly hard on the expert levels.

    Educational InsightsStocking stuffer

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  10. The New York Times Sunday Crossword Omnibus

    Two hundred Sunday-size puzzles from the Times, enough for a year of weekends. For the crossword solver who does them in pen.

    Will ShortzBook

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  11. Pilot FriXion Erasable Gel Pens

    Gel pens that erase cleanly, so crossword solvers can write in ink and still change their minds.

    PilotStocking stuffer

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Under $50 5 ideas

  1. ThinkFun Gravity Maze

    Sixty challenge cards where you build a tower to route a marble to its target. Logic puzzles with a satisfying physical payoff.

    ThinkFunAges 8+An experience

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  2. ThinkFun Laser Maze

    Position mirrors to bounce a real laser beam to its target. The harder cards are a genuine challenge for adults.

    ThinkFunAges 8+An experience

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  3. GAN 356 M Magnetic Speed Cube

    A magnetic 3x3 cube that turns smoothly and does not lock up. For the person whose old Rubik's Cube is stiff and hard to turn.

    GAN

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  4. Unlock! Exotic Adventures

    Three escape-room adventures in a box of cards, with an app for timing and hints. Good for a puzzle night with two to four friends.

    Space CowboysAn experience

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  5. Craig Frames Jigsaw Puzzle Frame for 1000 Pieces

    A frame sized for standard 1000-piece puzzles, for the one they are proudest of. Turns a finished puzzle into wall art.

    Craig FramesFor display

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Under $100 1 idea

  1. Ravensburger GraviTrax Starter Set

    A marble-run system that is really a physics puzzle: design a track and see if it works. Engaging for adults and kids together.

    RavensburgerAges 8+An experience

    See it on Amazon

$100 and up 2 ideas

  1. Brightech LightView Pro LED Magnifying Floor Lamp

    Bright, even light over the puzzle table, plus a magnifier for telling apart near-identical sky pieces. The upgrade most puzzlers never think to buy.

    Brightech

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  2. Lavievert Jigsaw Puzzle Table with Drawers and Cover

    A puzzle table with sorting drawers and a cover. A puzzle can stay out for weeks without taking over the dining room.

    Lavievert

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