A puzzle is a riddle that you want to solve as quickly as possible. This is a kind of challenge: will you be able to complete the puzzle? Exciting entertainment requires perseverance and attention. You also need enough space for the finished picture and a lot of free time. Many of us have tried our best to put together puzzles - 500, 1000, 5000 pieces... How many pieces does the world's largest puzzle contain?
"Life: The Great Challenge"
The weighty box, which contains 24 thousand parts, contains the following parameters:
- width – 1.5 meters;
- length – 4 meters.
This giant was produced by the Spanish company Educa. The author of the image was the artist Royce B. McClure, who created more than a hundred images that became puzzles during his life. As he says, the hardest part of creating a puzzle of such impressive size is filling in the gaps. However, there were no special problems with “Life” - the basis of the puzzle was the author’s other works.
The parts are packaged in four bags, each containing 6,000 pieces. Each package contains a separate story; adding all four elements you can get a single whole. Of course, it is easier to assemble the puzzle piece by piece - this can take about 150 hours of continuous assembly. Or you can complicate the task and mix all 24 thousand elements into one big pile. But in this case, the process of assembling such a large puzzle can drag on indefinitely. The puzzle kit includes special glue.
It is worth envying the courage and dedication of a resident of Pretoria, located in South Africa, Josie Williams, who mixed all the parts with an unwavering hand and got to work. Almost three hundred hours passed before the painting was collected.
It must be said that she is not the only one who managed to put the whole picture together. Before her, this feat was accomplished by a family of four. Residents of Sacramento, California, spent a little over a month trying to assemble the epic puzzle. But they put the puzzle together piece by piece - each package separately. The last detail was added to the picture on June 16, 2007.
If you are interested in such a puzzle, but you are not ready to repeat such a unique feat, the Educa company offers you reduced copies of 3000 pieces. In addition, each of the four parts of “Life” can be purchased separately. Impressed? Meanwhile, this is not the biggest puzzle in the world.
The largest puzzle in the world consists of 32,000 pieces. The author of the illustration for the puzzle was Keith Haring, an artist living in America. When you open the box, you will see eight bags, each containing 4,000 pieces. Putting them together, you will find a canvas consisting of more than thirty fragments independent of each other. The difficulty of assembly lies in the fact that the color range of each element is not rich. In total, six colors are used in the painting, not counting black and white. Imagine what would happen if you mixed all 32 thousand similar friends on each other puzzle elements. In fact, to assemble a puzzle, you need to fit together 32 elements, each of which consists of thousands of elements.
In order to put the picture together, a puzzle lover will need a rather large room - the dimensions of the finished work:
- width – 1.92 meters;
- length – 5.44 meters.
The total weight of the box with the puzzle is 17 kilograms.
Favorite hobby
There are quite a lot of people who want to assemble the world's largest puzzle. Five years ago, in the fall, a special event took place in the city of Daimiel, located in Spain. A group of three dozen people began assembling the “Double Retrospective.” It took enthusiasts 82 hours, 30 minutes and 40 seconds to complete the puzzle. Thanks to the online broadcast of the work of these people in real time, anyone could watch from any corner of the planet.
Puzzles come in a variety of sizes, large and small, complex and simple. But the purpose of collecting each is to obtain a unified picture from the individual elements. The classic number of pieces in a small puzzle is 54. What are the largest puzzles?
The record for the number of pieces in a puzzle was set by the German company Ravenburger. On September 1, 2010, the company released a puzzle for free sale in Europe, which consists of exactly 32 thousand and 256 pieces. This truly gigantic puzzle is based on illustrations by New York artist Keita Haring. The cardboard puzzle became the largest in history. Thus, the previous leader (this is the Educa record puzzle “Life - The Great Challenge”, which will consist of 24 thousand elements) did not last on the podium for even five years.
Ambiguous look
The consumer was able to see on the shelves of the Ravenburger giant “Double Retrospect”, and this is the name of the largest puzzle (the name is translated as “An ambiguous look into the past”), already in 2011. Initially, the retail price of the puzzle was about three hundred euros. Now “Double Retrospect” can be found at a more favorable price.
So what is the record holder called “Double Retrospect”? It’s worth starting with the fact that the picture consists of exactly thirty-two fragments that are independent of each other. The chopped elements are placed in eight bags. It turns out that each bag contains a little over four thousand parts. Such sorting, on the one hand, should significantly simplify the process of assembling the puzzle. However, in practice it turns out that not everything is so simple. After all, the color palette of the picture is not so diverse. If we forget about the standard black and white colors, then in the illustration of “An Ambiguous Look into the Past” there are only six colors.
17 kg monster
It’s scary to imagine what will happen if all 32 thousand pieces of similar color and shape are mixed in one heap. But in each fragment of the mosaic there are only three colors. That is, the patient owner of the record-breaking puzzle will have to collect the fragments separately from each other, and then join them together. And here we should not forget that to collect the final “Double Retrospect” image you will need a separate and rather large room. Indeed, as a result of collection, the cardboard canvas will have an impressive size - almost ten and a half square meters. The overall dimensions of the image itself are 5.44 meters by 1.93 meters. That is, before you take on the largest puzzle and begin to defeat your and the surrounding imagination, you need to clear the entire bedroom or living room for fragments. Moreover, the rooms will have to be literally vacated, that is, furniture and carpets will have to be removed, as well as the room will have to be locked with additional locks so that children or animals do not accidentally destroy the creation. By the way, the box itself, together with the puzzle, weighs about seventeen kilograms.
Reviews from puzzle lovers about the mosaic monster “Double Retrospect” are mixed. Undoubtedly, there is considerable interest in puzzles of enormous sizes, since no one has yet been able to offer the buyer such a large canvas. On the other hand, those who like to kill their own free time behind the intellectual assembling of pictures are conservative people who choose illustrations and the size of puzzles taking into account the fact that they will then decorate rooms with them. And the dimensions of “Double Retrospect”, coupled with the avant-garde style of Keith Haring, are most likely not suitable for cozy home, but for an underground passage in a crowded metropolis. Therefore, we have repeatedly received reviews that the puzzle is excellent, not so expensive, but the picture is too original.
One way or another, there are many people who want to put together the biggest puzzle. And here it is especially worth noting the action that took place in the fall of 2010 in spanish city Daimiel. There, a group of enthusiasts set about assembling the “Ambiguous View”. The team consisted of thirteen participants. They managed to assemble the picture in just 82 hours, 30 minutes and 40 seconds. Moreover, people in any corner of the planet could observe the process - the puzzle lovers’ activity was broadcast on the Internet in real time.
The biggest puzzle
Speaking of a giant puzzle, we need to mention the artist Keith Haring, who provided the plot for Double Retrospect. Born in Pennsylvania in 1958, he studied graphic design in Pittsburgh before moving to New York at age 19 and becoming heavily influenced by the street graffiti movement. Keith Haring's first solo exhibition took place in 1982 in New York. Being a gay man who earned his living through creativity, the artist led a rather bohemian lifestyle. Among his friends were famous people, for example, Madonna and Andy Warhol. In 1990, Keith died of AIDS. He was only 31 years old. But he remained a symbol of American visual street culture of the 1980s.
The Great Challenge
But the previous record holder consisted of 24 thousand parts. The box of Life: The Great Challenge puzzles weighed 12 kilograms. When folded, the mosaic was four meters long and one and a half meters wide. The author of the image was the artist Royce B. McClure, who offered more than 100 illustrations for mosaics. According to the artist himself, the most difficult task when creating a plot is to fill the voids on a huge canvas. However, nothing new had to be invented for “Life”. The illustration was made up of different famous works author.
Durer puzzle
In the box, the pieces of a huge puzzle are arranged in bags: six thousand pieces in each of the four bags. Thematically, the mosaic is divided into four parts, which together form a single whole. Avid puzzle lovers estimate that it will take at least 150 hours to complete the former record holder.
According to some reports, the first to assemble the giant puzzle “Life: The Great Challenge” was a family of four from the Californian city of Sacramento. They presented the creation, which took 34 days, on June 16, 2007. They assembled the puzzle without mixing the contents of all the bags. The first record after mixing all 24 thousand parts was set by Josie Williams from the South African city of Pretoria. He assembled "Life" in 295 hours in 2008.
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Assembling puzzles is one of the most harmless and low-budget hobbies. Psychologists say that practicing with mosaics perfectly relaxes, calms, and also trains the hands and mind. Buying a kit for assembly today is not at all difficult; all you have to do is choose the most attractive plot and number of elements. What does the world's largest puzzle look like and how many pieces does it consist of?
At the Waterhole (Ravensburger)
Most mosaic lovers choose to assemble standard sets, consisting of 1000-5000 elements. How about putting together a picture with 18,000 pieces? It was from these many elements that the world’s largest puzzle was assembled, the first to receive this honorary title. The giant game was released by Ravensburger, one of the world's giant mosaic manufacturers. The puzzle is called At the Waterhole. The painting depicts African animals coming to a pond to quench their thirst. These are elephants, giraffes, zebras, rhinoceros and many other animals and birds. When assembled, the mosaic measures 276x192 cm. The image is quite colorful and attractive. What’s especially nice is that today everyone can buy a giant puzzle and try to assemble it. Its average cost is about $266.
Life (Educa)
The At the Waterhole puzzle record was broken by a puzzle set released by Educa called Life. This mosaic consists of 24,000 elements, and the size of the completed picture is 428x157 cm. The puzzle pattern can be looked at indefinitely. This is the ocean, various animals, yachts with bright sails, Balloons, planets. The painting was painted by artist Royce McClure. The master admits that he simply combined several own paintings to create so large-scale canvas. As soon as the world's largest puzzle received a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records and went on sale, many jigsaw puzzle enthusiasts began their own competitions. The minimum amount of time required to assemble this giant is 150 hours. But since even the most avid puzzle lovers devote an average of 1 to 4 hours daily to their hobby, many of them took weeks or months to complete the Life mosaic. Today anyone can buy this giant puzzle for just $300.
Double Retrospect (Ravensburger)
The Double Retrospect mosaic is not only the world's largest puzzle, but also the most avant-garde. The author of the painting, Keith Haring, said that he was inspired by street graffiti in New York. As a result, it was his work that the Ravensburger company chose for serial production of a new giant puzzle. By correctly connecting 32,000 elements, you can admire 32 avant-garde paintings in separate squares that are in no way connected with each other. It is worth noting that a total of 6 colors are used in the mosaic, and this only complicates the assembly process. Size of the assembled painting: 544x192 cm. Free up an entire room before you start assembling! This game costs only $270.
Wild Life (Educa)
What is the largest puzzle in the world today? All mosaic size records can be safely considered a competition between competing companies Ravensburger and Educa. So far Educa is winning, the latest product from which was the Wild Life puzzle - “ wild nature" The mosaic consists of 33,600 elements. The size of the assembled painting is 570x157 cm. The image is mesmerizing - in the greenery of the jungle we can observe a variety of animals. There are royal lions, majestic elephants, mischievous monkeys, as well as whole flocks of bright tropical birds and butterflies. This is the very case when an assembled puzzle can become a real decoration of any interior. The assembly kit costs just over $300.
Unofficial records in the world of puzzles
Manufacturers of giant jigsaw puzzles claim that puzzle lovers themselves are pushing them to create assembly kits consisting of tens of thousands of pieces. People from different parts globe regularly share their own achievements in assembling giants. The secret is that you can assemble a giant mosaic from several standard ones. The most likely success is if you purchase several puzzles from the same manufacturer of equal size from the same series. Some amateurs prefer to simply mix together several sets of 1000-3000 elements and only after that start assembling individual paintings. Fans of mosaics often glue the results of their mental and manual labor together and hang them on the walls. It is for such people that the largest puzzles in the world were created. How many parts to choose: 18,000 or 33,000 is not so important. As a result, the assembler should have a complete work of art, ideal for decorating his own home.
Is it difficult to assemble record-breaking puzzles?
It makes sense to start getting acquainted with the world's largest puzzles if you confidently assemble sets of 3000-5000 elements. For someone new to the world of mosaics, assembling a piece made up of tens of thousands of pieces can be a daunting task. There are two most common ways to assemble puzzles. In the first case, you should start with the frame, gradually moving towards the center of the picture. The second option is to sort the parts by primary colors and gradually assemble individual fragments of each shade. Be prepared for the most big picture the puzzle will be completed in a few weeks, if not months. It is also important to prepare a suitable surface for assembly. Please note the size finished painting, it is usually indicated on the packaging. To assemble the giant mosaic, you will have to clear out the floor of the room, after which you can begin the puzzle.
When you see a large puzzle, irresistible desire collect it quickly. However, the enormity of this task is not immediately realized. After all, solving it requires not only maximum attention, a lot of free time, but also a very impressive space. Many people have had the opportunity to assemble puzzles of five hundred, thousand, some even five thousand pieces. How many elements are contained in the world's largest puzzles?
"Life: The Great Challenge"
Just imagine: in a box of impressive size there are twenty-four thousand parts that are components the paintings are four meters long and one and a half meters wide. For the implementation of this project called “Life: the great challenge”, with the help of experienced craftsman, who has created more than a hundred puzzles over the course of his work, took on Spanish company Educa. As Royce B. McClure (that's the artist's name) says, the most difficult part of creating a puzzle is filling in the voids. However, “Life” avoided such problems, since the author’s previous works were taken as the basis for the puzzle.
The elements of the painting are packaged in four bags containing six thousand pieces each. Each package contains a story that is integral part a single whole. It will take about one hundred and fifty hours to assemble the puzzle piece by piece. By mixing the elements, thereby significantly complicating the task, you will postpone the moment of complete assembly for an indefinite period. To fix the elements, the puzzle kit contains special glue.
Josie Williams a resident of South African Pretoria surprised with her determination. She mixed all the elements and enthusiastically took on the work, which required three hundred hours to reach the final point. Not only she managed to accomplish such, without exaggeration, a feat that previously took place in Sacramento (California). Family from four people it took little more than a month to see the whole picture. In this case, assembly was carried out in parts. The last element took its place on June sixteenth, 2007.
For people who want to put together all the pieces of a giant puzzle, but are not yet quite confident in their abilities, the Educa company offers smaller copies, the number of parts in which is three thousand pieces. Not last place Manufacturers care about their customers. They are given the opportunity to purchase “Life” in parts.
"Double Retrospective"
Meanwhile, “Life” is not the biggest puzzle. The championship in the number of elements (32,000) is retained by the illustration “Double Retrospective” created by American artist Keith Haring. To assemble it, eight sets of parts of four thousand pieces each are offered. The folded canvas consists of thirty-two independent fragments.
What is the difficulty? Everything is ingenious and simple: the color scheme (except for black and white) includes only six. Therefore, the mixed thirty-two thousand elements are very similar to each other, which significantly increases the likelihood of making an error when joining them. Those who intend to assemble a “Double Retrospective” should think about the room in which this grandiose plan will be implemented, since a platform measuring 5.44 by 1.92 meters is needed. It wouldn’t hurt to think about the additional free space where parts with a total weight of seventeen kilograms will be located.
There are quite a lot of people who are interested in solving all kinds of puzzles. And being the first to assemble the world’s largest puzzle is considered an honor. Five years ago in Spanish town of Daimiel a remarkable event occurred: a group of thirty enthusiasts assembled a “Double Retrospective” in 82 hours 30 minutes and 40 seconds, which led to indescribable delight directly present at this action and watching its broadcast in real time.
Puzzle is a very useful, exciting, interesting and exciting activity for people of different ages, ranging from children to the elderly. It can be a necessary gift that will allow you to spend your free time in a fun and interesting way. It is especially necessary for children who have nowhere to direct their energy. This is a great way to try to assemble a picture yourself, while training your memory, attention and intelligence. So what puzzle in the world is on this moment?
In addition, the puzzle can provide a pleasant pastime for both children and adults. You can add zest to the game by establishing a rule such as completing a puzzle against time. This will allow children to have even more fun in their free time.
Currently available different kinds puzzles: horizontal and vertical, with large and small fragments, and they also differ in area. The theme for it can be anything, from landscapes and paintings famous artists and ending with scenes from films or cartoons. Today, the largest puzzle is a picture, consisting of 74 thousand fragments. In order to assemble such a masterpiece, you will have to spend a lot of personal time.
1. Disney themed puzzle - 74,000 pieces.
2. Puzzle on the theme of Albrecht Durer’s painting “Self-Portrait in a Fur Coat” measuring 20 × 15 m.
3. Painting "Life" with 24 thousand elements.
In 2016, a young student from Denmark, who is a big fan of solving puzzles, set a record for completing the largest puzzle in the whole world. She collected more than 74,000 small elements, which together formed two very impressive paintings.
But the largest puzzle collected by this girl has approximately 40,320 fragments and has the following dimensions: length 6.8 meters and 1.92 meters wide. It has ten different plots, each of which depicts different Disney cartoon characters. Here you can see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, Mickey Mouse, Mowgli, Beauty and the Beast, Dumbo the Elephant and others fairy tale characters, so adored by small children.
It took the young girl more than 470 hours to complete this stunning and amazing puzzle. In order to make the task at least a little easier for herself, she divided each of the sectors into parts, so as not to later get confused in assembling the puzzle. After work began, it was completed within two months.
In addition to the puzzle, which was dedicated to the favorite cartoons of our childhood, the girl began assembling another panoramic picture, which depicted all kinds of wild animals. As the girl admitted, if you compare previous work, which combines several Disney cartoons with last job, then it was the latter that was much heavier. And all because in the last picture the presence of all kinds of the smallest details and bright colors.
Thanks to perseverance and work, the girl put together a record puzzle, which consists of ten classic scenes from your favorite Disney cartoons. All of them are separated from each other by fancy asterisks. Now this wonderful puzzle with scenes from her favorite cartoons decorates her living room.
In 2012, the largest puzzle in the world at that time was assembled, which measured 20 × 15 m. Its creation was timed to coincide with the celebration of the Year of Germany in Russia. It was a reproduction of the world-famous German painter Albrecht Durer's "Self-Portrait in a Fur Coat." This complex composition was alternately put together in Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg and other cities. The average speed of collecting this picture was exactly three hours. This puzzle consisted of 1,023 elements, the weight of each of which was about 800 g, and their size was 70 × 70 cm. This amazing activity resulted in a stunning picture that united many people to create it.
