# Liberty Puzzles > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Liberty_Puzzles > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Liberty_Puzzles.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Puzzles > Source revision: 1301395682 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American jigsaw puzzle manufacturer}} {{Infobox company | name = Liberty Puzzles, LLC | logo = Liberty Puzzles logo.png | type = [Private](/source/Privately_held_company) | genre = | foundation = [Boulder](/source/Boulder%2C_Colorado), [Colorado](/source/Colorado) (2005) | founder = Christopher Wirth, Jeffrey Eldridge | location_city = [Boulder](/source/Boulder%2C_Colorado), [Colorado](/source/Colorado) | location_country = | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = | industry = | products = Wooden [jigsaw puzzle](/source/jigsaw_puzzle)s | 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](/source/jigsaw_puzzles) based in [Boulder, Colorado](/source/Boulder%2C_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.{{cite book | last = Cutrofello | first = Tom | title = Pieces of Art: Cutting Edge Jigsaws | publisher = Games Magazine | year = 2010}} 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.{{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](/source/5280) |language=en}} Wirth is the son of former Colorado senator [Tim Wirth](/source/Tim_Wirth). 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](/source/Pearl_Street_Mall) in Boulder.{{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 }} Sales show a strongly seasonal pattern, with peak sales occurring at the end of November, during the [Black Friday](/source/Black_Friday_(shopping)) shopping phenomenon.{{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}} Liberty Puzzles experienced a surge in popularity during the early days of the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic).{{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](/source/5280) |language=en}}{{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}} In March 2020, they had a backlog of 10,000 orders and were forced to institute a waiting list to purchase puzzles of up to 60 days. After the COVID-19 lockdowns ended, they expanded their facilities and ramped up production. 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. 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. By 2024, the company had nearly 130 employees.{{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}} == Designs == The company offers over 650 different puzzle images. 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. 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 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Liberty Puzzles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Puzzles) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Puzzles?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.