Gibsons have just announced their new 2009 range. There are a huge number of new puzzles and it may take a few weeks to see what our customers want. For Gibsons, even with their vast experience, consumers tastes vary and continue to change. The average age of a puzzle enthusiast is now over sixty and is, in fact, approaching seventy years of age. 1000 piece puzzles are still the most popular but larger piece puzzles are also proving more popular. Gibsons have introduced a new line of 250 piece puzzles the piece sizes being 60% larger than a standard puzzle piece size. The pieces are not a large as in the 500 piece extra large range but are somewhere between the two. The price point of the 250 piece puzzles will be the least expensive of the entire Gibsons range. Keep checking in for the actual images which will be posted over the coming weeks.

Gisbons puzzles have been increasing their choice of Christmas puzzles over several years and are up to about a dozen winter scene puzzles that range from a very Christmas feel such as their annual collectible Christmas puzzle to a mildly Christmas feel such as the new Victorian Dolls House puzzle by Gail Pitt. Charles Dickens novel A Christmas Carol with it’s Victorian setting and uplifting message has perhaps had an influence on Gibsons designs. Who can forget Alastair Sim’s portayal of Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic black and white movie?

Most retail customers anticipate their new Christmas puzzles and they are the best selling genre Gibsons carry. There is a downside to such a strictly seasonal appeal and that is when Christmas is over such overtly yuletide puzzles stop selling. Some customers avoid the potential problem by not buying any Christmas puzzles at all. I believe these operators are missing out. Nobody wants to get caught with inventory that does not sell but who can argue with consumer demand that drives puzzle manufacturers to produce an ever increasing range of Christmas puzzles year after year?

christmas puzzle-shopping