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 Wooden puzzles today are extremely rare and expensive and have been replaced by cardboard puzzles which are cheaper to produce, fit better and can have thousands of pieces to cater to the most avid puzzle hobbyist.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.