Jigsaw puzzles are apparently one of those products that, although, not unintentional, were never deliberately created for the hobby marketplace they now serve. John Spilsbury was a London mapmaker from the middle of the eighteenth century who had the idea that painting a world map onto a piece of flat wood and then cutting it into various countries and continents would prove a  useful teaching aid for children. By using a jigsaw which would allow for an intricate cut Spilsbury was able to saw out one-off and not particularly well fitting jigsaw puzzles.nThe puzzle would then provide a tool for small motor skills as well as a geographic reaching device. Wooden puzzles today are extremely rare and expensive and have been replaced by cardboard puzzles which are cheaper to produce, fit better and can have thousands of pieces to cater to the most avid puzzle hobbyist. Puzzle pieces tend to now have a familiar range of shapes with knobs and holes that fit into one another smoothly so long as the correct pieces are put together.

These tightly fitting pieces are referred to as fully interlocking which means that once correctly assembled the puzzle section is a tight and snug (and unique) fit.  Puzzles are still considered teaching aids and are made for children usually with large pieces for easy identification. Extra large jigsaw puzzles pieces are also now widely produced for older puzzlers whose hand and eyes are not as sure as they once were but still enjoy a good jigsaw puzzle challenge.

The Gibsons jigsaw puzzle from the UK is immediately identifiable for not being based on the ubiquitous use of scenery photgraphs. All Gibsons jigsaw puzzles are based on paintings by distinguished artists whose work is also well known in other media such as posters, tin boxes and original artworks. The most popular puzzle size is the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle which allows the puzzle hobbyist to satisfy his hobby desire with a puzzle that is not too large for the kitchen table. They are usually 27 inches wide by 19 inches high and can be assembled through several winter nights. Gibsons also have a range of 500 piece jigsaw puzzles, 636 piece jigsaw puzzles and 500 extra large jigsaw piece puzzles in their catalog. Gibsons have specialised in creating a range of jigsaw puzzles showing different activities in England over the past 100 years or so. From Victorian skaters and Victorian Christmas scenes to post World War II British automobiles and caravan holidaymakers as well as a complete range of seaside harbors dotted around the British Isles, Gibsons have created a truly unique historical perspective of everyday British scenes.