Puzzle Stunts 

These so-called "challenges" don't demonstrate your puzzling skills; they are just stunts using puzzles.

Just like the internet's viral phenomena, the world of jigsaw puzzles has its own set of challenges, often demonstrating the quality and tight fit of a well-made puzzle. While success in these feats isn't a "deal-breaker" for enjoyment, they certainly add a fun, competitive, or simply amusing layer to the hobby.

Commonly Recognized Challenges

These challenges are often seen shared among puzzlers to showcase a puzzle's integrity:

• • Pick Up Challenge: This is the quintessential puzzle test. Can a completed puzzle be lifted off the table and held intact? Variations include the wave/wobble/fan (swaying it back and forth) and the flip (turning it over to reveal the reverse side). This is the most widely known and attempted challenge.

  • Rotate Challenge: A step up from the pick-up, this involves successfully rotating the entire puzzle a full 360 degrees without it falling apart. Caution is advised on subsequent rotations, as the puzzle can begin to curl and lose its cohesion.

  • Puzzle Roll Challenge: For this, the completed puzzle is carefully rolled into a cylinder. A popular variation is the puzzle tunnel, where a photo is taken looking through the rolled-up puzzle, creating a unique visual.

  • Stand Up Challenge: This involves curving the completed puzzle and propping it up on its bottom edge, demonstrating its structural integrity. Bonus points, as you humorously note, for telling jokes to an audience while it stands!

  • Toss Challenge: This is for the truly brave (or foolhardy!).

    • • Frisbee Version: The puzzle is tossed forward like a disc.

      • Vertical/Flip Version: The puzzle is tossed upwards from a flat surface, ideally turning to show both sides.

  • Pizza Toss: As the name suggests, this is the ultimate, and perhaps riskiest, aerial maneuver for your completed puzzle.

Creatively Invented Challenges

Some fantastic and specific challenges that are sure to bring a smile:

• • Hammock Challenge: This unique test involves using the puzzle to create a hammock for "your husband's childhood stuffed bear." If the puzzle remains intact, it's a success. 

  • Blanket Challenge: A follow-up to the Hammock Challenge, here the puzzle is draped over the same stuffed bear like a blanket. The goal is for the puzzle to stay together despite the uneven surface created by the bear's limbs. 

  • Staring Contest: A truly impossible feat! The puzzler attempts a staring contest with the completed puzzle. As you've discovered, puzzles are the undefeated champions, holding an insurmountable winning streak.

Final Thoughts

These challenges, whether widely known or personally invented, add an extra layer of fun and personality to the rewarding experience of completing a jigsaw puzzle.