Boxes and Booze 8/12/16 Boxes and Booze 8/12/16

Victorian Book

Appearing as though it were plucked from the shelf of an old library hidden away inside the musty mansion of some secret society, the “Victorian Book” puzzle box, by Jesse Born from New York State, exudes an instant air of mystery.

Boxes and Booze 8/6/16 Boxes and Booze 8/6/16

SMS Telephone Box

Brian is at it again with the “SMS Telephone” puzzle. I thought I would feature it this week in honor of that gathering I mentioned. You know, those “interesting, polite pals” of mine. It seems like as good a time as any to mention it, since it’s an “impossible, painful piece”.

Boxes and Booze 7/30/16 Boxes and Booze 7/30/16

Pachinko Box

Like pinball, with many tiny metal balls cascading their way down the playing field, pachinko is part arcade game, part casino game, and wildly popular in Japan.

Boxes and Booze 7/23/16 Boxes and Booze 7/23/16

Dragon Wing

Shiro Tajima, a former member of the Karakuri Creation Group, has created a series of Asian zodiac themed puzzle boxes over the years.

Boxes and Booze 7/16/16 Boxes and Booze 7/16/16

First Box

At last we get to the first. The First Box, by Dutch puzzle designer William Strijbos, that is. Wil’s Streetwise puzzle company produces beautiful anodized aluminum mechanical puzzles. He travels the world looking for design ideas and inspiration.

Boxes and Booze 7/9/16 Boxes and Booze 7/9/16

Clutch Tile (Stickman No 4)

In Oklahoma, a humble wizard works his magic to produce highly acclaimed works of art in the form of complex mechanical wooden puzzle boxes. Most of Robert Yarger’s creations for his “Stickman Puzzlebox Company” are entirely of his own design and creation.

Boxes and Booze 7/2/16 Boxes and Booze 7/2/16

Ouch!

The design and concept of this puzzle, according to Kamei, originates with a common, frustrating occurrence in Japanese homes. Because shoes are not worn inside, it is apparently a shared cultural experience to stub ones little toe on the corners of furniture or low shelving.

Boxes and Booze 6/25/16 Boxes and Booze 6/25/16

Planet with a Ring

It’s time to do a little summer stargazing now. Launching off from last week’s post where we boarded Kasho’s rocket ship and blasted into space with the X-15 “rocktail”, we now find ourselves floating amidst the stars and planets of the cosmos.

Boxes and Booze 6/18/16 Boxes and Booze 6/18/16

Rocket

It’s summertime. The days are getting longer and the nights are full of dreams. There’s something magical about looking up at the stars on a warm evening that stirs the imagination. Let’s take a trip into outer space together.

Boxes and Booze 6/11/16 Boxes and Booze 6/11/16

Three Cornered Deadlock

I like continuing themes, so it’s fitting that this year I have another perfectly balanced, “three-part” puzzle box to pair with the Negroni, and it’s also by Hideaki Kawashima again. Kawashima makes intricately designed puzzles which often have components that interplay with one another, so that one section becomes blocked while the other is opened.

A spirited journey through the world of collectible artisan puzzles