Burr Puzzles likely date back to the ancient China. They are typically formed of notched sticks which interlace to create a three-dimensional symmetric shape, although many forms and variations exist. Some interlocking puzzles are so far removed from a burr that the categorization doesn’t seem to fit, but they are all welcome on this page.
Fans of Tolkien’s (and Jackson’s) Lord of the Rings saga will be well familiar with the many regal palaces encountered within Middle Earth, from the ethereal vistas of the elven kingdoms to the depths of the dwarven mines.
Any witch or wizard worth their wand and in need of transportation, because they are too young to aparate or too old to bother, knows all that is required is to hail the bus.
“I guess we all need to try being optimistic and keep striving to make things better. After all, there is really no other choice. At least that is the way I see things.”
- Stewart Coffin, Reflections, 2022
The Paleolithic era Tuc d'Audoubert cave is located in the south of France. The masterpieces of this cave are two clay bisons, the best preserved examples of clay modellings in the whole of European cave art. They are 15,000 years old, and have become iconic.
Located a few miles northeast of Hollywood and known as the “media capital of the world”, the Los Angeles adjacent city of Burbank, California, is occasionally confused with a puzzle.
When Eric Fuller decided to team up with Frederic Boucher and modify one of his devilishly fun designs, he knew he could create something even more outrageous, complex, challenging, unusual and fun.
An index case, also referred to as “patient zero”, is the first documented patient in a disease epidemic within a population, or the first documented patient included in an epidemiological study.
The vortex theory [of the atom] is only a dream. Itself unproven, it can prove nothing, and any speculations founded upon it are mere dreams about dreams. - Lord Kelvin
What’s heavy and made of brass, has six pieces that fit together, looks the same as four other things and is totally different?
Burr Bot is a hybrid puzzle box and burr puzzle which also incorporates sequential discovery elements. For a non-burr puzzle enthusiast, it’s also an approachable and addictive introduction to the genre that manages to be both seriously challenging and incredibly fun.
Goodbye, Piccadilly, Farewell, Leicester Square! It's a long long way to Tipperary, But my heart's right there. – Jack Judge and Harry Williams, 1912
As if having a unique and beautiful burr set made by Eric Fuller were not enough, the box that contains the set is also rather special.
From the mischievous minds at play in the Two Brass Monkeys workshop in merry old England comes their most raucous achievement yet, a set of twelve hexagonal burrs stick puzzles that are sure to make you blush.
“There is a certain part of all of us that lives outside of time. Perhaps we become aware of our age only at exceptional moments and most of the time we are ageless.” ― Milan Kundera
Bill makes beautiful furniture in the Scandinavian and Shaker influenced style, ascribing to the moto that form follows function. He also likes puzzles, and has a successful puzzle shop called Black Dog Puzzle Works where he offers his hand-made challenges in elegant hardwoods.
Behold the infamous tale of Ned Kelley, the notorious Australian bushranger and outlaw wanted for a series of police murders in the late 1800s. Kelley and his gang’s evasion of police capture for over two years ended in a famous gun battle in which the outlaws wore makeshift iron suits and helmets which have become iconic.
Stephen likes to take complex interlocking polyhedral objects, such as the humble cube, and “turn” them into practically impossible objects by spinning them on his lathe to create spheres, footballs, apples, and in this particular case, bombs.
Fancy going on an African safari, anyone? The allure of the classic game hunt is the stuff of novels by the likes of Isak Dinesen in my book, and the only shooting I’d be interested in is with my camera.
When it comes right down to it, who really cares what the difference is between a crocodile and an alligator. I wouldn’t want to meet either one hiding in the water.
The burr, for the uninitiated, is an ancient mechanical puzzle likely dating back centuries. There is correlation with the classic six piece interlocked burr, a fusion of six sticks with internal notches that fit together in a specific way, and Chinese joinery techniques from the fourth century B.C.E.
Whilemina the Wombat is an adorable marsupial made from rare Queensland Walnut, an indigenous Australian wood which is no longer commercially available. Produced in 2008, the puzzle combines elements of a high-level interlocking burr type puzzle with hidden mechanism sequential discovery tools.