Hi Puzzlers! For 22 of our Ecru puzzles, we first sold them as mystery puzzles, where we didn't even show you the picture and there was no picture on the box, but we did give a couple adjectives and piece count.
For example, our newest one is Mystery Puzzle #17 (they don't come out quite in order) that we tell you is a charming ode to fairytales, and we've revealed this example piece:
About 4 months ago, we also changed our wood box puzzles (roughly those with more than 250 pieces), to not have the image on-the-box, and instead we are hiding the box-sticker inside the box.
So now we are wondering, does that satisfy people who liked the Mystery Puzzles? Should we keep making the Mystery Puzzles?
We'd love your feedback on this topic in general - you can post your comments below (they go to a human moderator, but should show up here in a day or so).
I have not bought a mystery puzzle, and I think you should continue making them. It is such a cool idea. I would love to do one myself, but for financial reasons I would not be willing to justify it. For now, I will just have to live vicariously through those that can.
I would greatly love the option of giving a mystery puzzle. The receiver would get the joys of doing a mystery puzzle and I would know it is something they may like. Just like the wooden boxes, except for the smaller boxes. Instead of leaving the label off, maybe you could put a 4″×6″ removable label on top of the box label. I suppose you could sell your mystery puzzles like this. Then switching from mystery to non-mystery would only be a website update.
I like the mystery puzzles – I would never have even considered not looking at the photographic image innumerable times while putting it together, but actually Knowing it’s a ‘mystery’ puzzle, it’s become a game I’m playing, and I stick to the rules. They’re fun to do, even if sometimes I don’t particularly like the artwork, the challenge of the game becomes its own reward. I do, however, want to see a good-sized image of the puzzle on the lid of the box of regular puzzles.
I like the mystery puzzles. I put together puzzles I might not otherwise and if I see the image and buy it, I know what it is, so there is that. Please keep the mystery puzzles.
I would rather know what the picture is when I buy the puzzle. The puzzles are pricey, so after putting it together the first time as a mystery I want a puzzle that I know I like enough to put together again and again.
It’s fine that you’re not putting image labels on the tops of the wooden boxes. BUT… that’s not really a mystery puzzle, since we have seen the image here at the website before we ordered the puzzle.
A true mystery puzzle is one where you’ve never seen the image at all. I like that, and I think you should keep making them!