The new fall 2009 jigsaw puzzles from Gibsons have now been included in our website. Gibsons have been working hard to develop their increasingly popular Christmas puzzle (GIB 2009). Once again Marcelo Corti is the artist and has surpassed himself with an amazing picture that has all the elements we associate with the Christmas holidays. The image is beautifully painted with a pallette of rich colours and heart warming family activities. Hot drinks, sleds and brightly lit toy shops are all there. Giant snowflakes and twinkling golden lights add a fantastic seasonal feel. The church sits atop the hill in the distance to remind us of the reason for all the goodwill.

Gibsons jigsaw puzzles with their uniquely nostalgic feel appeal to a more mature demographic that, although not necessarily experiencing the era, has a memory of reading about the post war period in the newspapers (remember them?) or even at the pictures when the Movietone news segment played before the main feature. Old fashioned tobacco shops have had to adapt to the new realities of a more health conscious public  ( at least a far as tobacco is concerned) by offering a selection of merchandise that fits into the expanded leisure hours their customers have. More established hobbies such as jigsaw puzzles have proven to be a source of income once a absolute staple of the toy store. Tobacco shops and bookstores are two venues that have found a section of jigsaw puzzles to be a welcome addition to their more anticipated selection of merchandise.

Christmas is only the beginning of the puzzle season. This past two months have been very hot for Gibsons Puzzles. Despite slower retail business overall the jigsaw puzzle trade has been going full blast. Perhaps retailers were a bit light on their puzzle ordering before Christmas. Since then we have has mostly complete re-orders of all last fall’s new items. Combine this with a general re-stock and you find a very healthy puzzle trade. We’ve also found that stores that cater to a more mature clientele are enjoying some big increases in puzzle trade. All in all for about $25 a jigsaw puzzle really can’t be beat for hobby value.