A new wave of ingenious puzzle box designers are exploring the genre bending possibilities available with computer modeled, 3D printed and laser cut acrylic plastic, and the results are simply fantastic.
I recently received a mysterious package. The return label identified the sender as “The Source”. I suspect it may have come from the CIA, as the address listed Arlington, Virginia. It was also not addressed to me, but rather one “WSW” ...
In March of 1882, construction began on what would become the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família.
They say you never forget your first love, and it’s likely true with puzzle boxes too. I’d argue that with a Mowen’s puzzle box, on the other hand, you might try not to forget, but try as you might, you’ll get lost every time – and probably love every moment all over again.
There’s something thrilling about receiving mail. Perhaps the excitement of getting a physical letter from someone wears off as we get older, likely tempered by all the bills and junk mail, but even now in my jaded days it’s still nice when that happens. And if getting a special letter is a nice surprise, well I don’t need to tell you what it’s like to receive an eagerly awaited puzzle box.
There was a time, once upon a time in the not too distant past, when becoming a metagrobolotegestolomixologist was merely a speculative thought experiment meant as clever wordplay.
If mechanical puzzles came with a soundtrack, this one would elicit fine chords of acoustic guitar to placate you every time you picked it up, soothing your frustration in failing to solve its secrets. And if you found yourself with a selection of well made, compact, clever, multistep, elegant and entertaining sequential discovery puzzles to choose from this year, you would surely heed the call of this one, to Pick Me.
A little over three years ago now, Alan Lunsford began introducing the world to these marvelously compact little puzzle cubes that pack a punch.
It’s time to celebrate bravery, creativity and innovation here at Boxes and Booze – because it’s the Year of the Dragon!
It’s time to celebrate another new designer here on the pages of B&B, someone familiar to many by way of his surprisingly complex and mind boggling printed puzzle boxes but being featured here for the first time and at long last.
I continue to be impressed and inspired by the big ideas from QuizBrix, and thrilled with their wonderfully fun creations which are made completely out of Lego bricks.
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.
“We are hoping to spread the word that we make the best LEGO PB out there and try to create more great puzzles in the future.”
Sometimes, you just want a soda. Sure, you know it’s bad for you, basically sugar-water and chemicals, and that you really shouldn’t indulge. But life is too short for the ascetic life, right?
With Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos hot on his tail, little ol’ Leisure Luke B. from Minnesota has beaten them to it and gone off to the moon on his own.
The Golem is a pervasive mythical guardian which appears time and again in various fantasy lore, originating with Jewish myth and mysticism.
Season’s Greetings everyone! I have something special in store for the holidays, so be on the hunt. Keep your eyes peeled, your wits unscrambled, and you hunches hard boiled. Eggsceptional offerings are to be eggspected this time of year so let’s get cracking.
One of the most notorious criminals in US history, known for his bold and audacious acts of robbery and brutality, gained his fame the old fashioned way, through self-promotion.
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.
Pair O’ Dice is much more than meets the eye, packed with surprises, clever mechanisms, and plenty of steps needed to find the treasures hidden inside.
It’s getting hot here in Houston Texas, so let’s crank the AC and head to the local ice house for a few cold drinks.
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.
How do you fit all the “Gauls, Celtiberians, Gallaecians, Galatians, Britons, Gaels and their offshoots” (Wikipedia) into a little box? That stunt would take some gall, I imagine.
This story arguably starts back in 1892, in a German satire magazine called Fliegende Blätter (flying leaves / loose sheets), where the first published illustration of these ambiguous animals appeared with the caption “Rabbit and Duck”. Was it a rabbit, or a duck?
Sometimes you get invited to the party, but you just can’t find your pants. So begins the premise for one of the most surprising (and good) puzzles of what has been one of the most surprising (and bad) years in recent memory. This puzzle is so good it will make you forget about 2020, for a little while. It’s a trip worth taking.
