{{Short description|American jigsaw puzzle manufacturer}} {{Infobox company | name = Liberty Puzzles, LLC | logo = Liberty Puzzles logo.png | type = Private | genre = | foundation = Boulder, Colorado (2005) | founder = Christopher Wirth, Jeffrey Eldridge | location_city = Boulder, Colorado | location_country = | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = | industry = | products = Wooden jigsaw puzzles | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = ~130 (2024) | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = {{URL|www.libertypuzzles.com}} US & Worldwide website | footnotes = | intl = }} '''Liberty Puzzles''' is an American manufacturer of classic style wooden jigsaw puzzles based in Boulder, Colorado.
== History == Liberty Puzzles was founded in 2005 by Christopher Wirth and his business partner Jeffrey Eldridge, after Wirth’s family inherited several hand-cut wooden puzzles from the 1930s.<ref name=":2">{{cite book | last = Cutrofello | first = Tom | title = Pieces of Art: Cutting Edge Jigsaws | publisher = Games Magazine | year = 2010}}</ref> Surprised by the value of hand-cut wooden jigsaw puzzles (which can sell for more than $1,000 each), Wirth decided to start a business using modern cutting technologies, with a goal of producing puzzles in the $100 range.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Howlett |first=Sarah Protzman |date=2014-11-14 |title=A Piece of Boulder |url=https://www.5280.com/a-piece-of-boulder/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=5280 |language=en}}</ref> Wirth is the son of former Colorado senator Tim Wirth.<ref name=":1" />
Liberty Puzzles was the largest or second largest wooden jigsaw puzzle manufacturer in America as of 2011.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} In 2014, the company opened a retail location on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Alicia |date=2014-09-21 |title=Boulder’s Liberty Puzzles piecing together Pearl Street location |url=https://www.dailycamera.com/ci_26567408/boulders-liberty-puzzles-piecing-together-pearl-street-location |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=Boulder Daily Camera |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-01-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111200450/https://www.dailycamera.com/2014/09/21/boulders-liberty-puzzles-piecing-together-pearl-street-location/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Sales show a strongly seasonal pattern, with peak sales occurring at the end of November, during the Black Friday shopping phenomenon.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Kois |first=Dan |date=2023-12-19 |title=The Little Puzzle Company That Could |language=en-US |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/12/liberty-puzzles-wooden-sale-christmas-gift-pandemic.html |access-date=2023-12-25 |issn=1091-2339}}</ref>
Liberty Puzzles experienced a surge in popularity during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Hannon |first=Aedan |date=2021-02-25 |title=Chris Wirth Isn’t Your Average Puzzle Maker |url=https://www.5280.com/chris-wirth-isnt-your-average-puzzle-maker/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |website=5280 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Tulenko |first=John D. |date=2020-06-19 |title=Soaring Sales for $4,500 Puzzles? In a Lockdown, It All Fits |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/nyregion/par-jigsaw-puzzles-lockdown.html |access-date=2022-12-04 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In March 2020, they had a backlog of 10,000 orders<ref name=":3" /> and were forced to institute a waiting list to purchase puzzles of up to 60 days.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> After the COVID-19 lockdowns ended, they expanded their facilities and ramped up production.<ref name=":3" /> Demand softened considerably when pandemic-related restrictions ended, but the Christmas shopping season in 2023 was strong enough that they were once again overwhelmed by orders.<ref name=":3" />
The puzzles are made in Boulder with archival paper and inks adhered to quarter-inch maple plywood cut with computer-controlled laser cutters. As of 2020, the company owned 44 laser cutters, each capable of producing one 500-piece puzzle per hour.<ref name=":0" /> By 2024, the company had nearly 130 employees.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-23 |title=Boulder's Liberty Puzzles has a modern take on classic wooden jigsaw puzzles |url=https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/boulders-liberty-puzzles-has-a-modern-take-on-classic-wooden-jigsaw-puzzles |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH) |language=en}}</ref>
== Designs == The company offers over 650 different puzzle images.<ref name=":0" /> The image selections have an emphasis on fine art, vintage prints and Asian art. The puzzle designs are modeled after the puzzles popular in the early-twentieth century. Liberty's puzzles include a relatively large number of whimsy pieces (pieces shaped recognizably, for example, as storks or swans), reaching over 20% of the pieces in some puzzles.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> Most Liberty Puzzles include the company's signature whimsy piece in the shape of an eagle.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://libertypuzzles.com Liberty Puzzles official website]
Category:Toy companies of the United States Category:Toy companies established in 2005 Category:Manufacturing companies based in Boulder, Colorado Category:Jigsaw puzzle manufacturers Category:American companies established in 2005 Category:2005 establishments in Colorado