Disney 100

Brand: Arrow Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size:  69cm x 50cm

Product Code: 19914

In a few days it will be 'Star Wars Day' (aka May the 4th) so I thought I'd put up a puzzle featuring characters from the popular franchise. Although this one also shows characters from Disney and Marvel, I thought it would be relevant to the day. I have done quite a few Star Wars-themed puzzles throughout the years but this was the only photo I had currently that I could use for the upcoming day. 

The quality of this puzzle was quite good and the image was appealing as it represented a mix of characters in celebration of Disney's 100th celebrations. I'm pretty sure I have more Star Wars puzzles in my collection- I just have to get around to finding and doing them! 

Pokemon: Pikachu Silhouette

Brand: Buffalo

Pieces: 500
Size:  54cm x 38cm

Product Code: 3350

When I was in primary school back in the 90s, a little craze called Pokemon arrived in our world. Before you knew it, everyone was playing the Nintendo game and collecting the trading cards and talking about Pikachus and other 'pocket monsters'. 

Fast forward 30 years and we're celebrating the anniversary of that time. During my high school and university days, I dropped Pokemon and focussed on other things but as an adult, I am fully back in the game and have collected many of the cards. I have a full-blown collection, and besides jigsaw puzzles, this is what I spend most of my disposable income on. 

So you can imagine that when I have the chance to mix my two passions, I'll take it. 

I bought this puzzle second-hand but luckily all the pieces were there when I was completing it. It was fun to do, and I enjoyed putting it together- I only wish it had had more pieces!

There are only a few puzzle brands that have a licence to produce Pokemon-themed puzzles, but rest assured, I aim to try and 'catch 'em all' (Yeah, I know that was lame haha)

Until then, I will continue collecting the cards and completing the puzzles. 

Dreamworks Family On Tour

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 1000
Size:  70cm x 50cm

Product Code: 139750

I'm finally starting to approach the end of my cross-stitching stint, which I think I mentioned in my previous posts, so that means there will soon be more, newer puzzle images on the way! In the meantime, here is one that I did a little while ago and that I absolutely loved. 

I've seen most of the films that these characters appear in, so it was a pleasure to do the puzzle and reminisce about where they come from. The quality was exceptional and I was so lucky to be able to find a copy of this puzzle on Facebook Marketplace at the time, because it can be quite difficult to come by.

Hope you have a great weekend and keep on puzzling!  

The Marvellous World Of Disney II

Brand: Educa

Pieces: 1000
Size: 68cm x 48cm

Product Code: 16297

I just realised that I'm not going to be around tomorrow morning and as I usually do my posts then, I won't be able to put anything up! I will be leaving on an early flight to Sydney for the weekend so I'm quickly going to put up a puzzle now to make up for it. A bit out of the ordinary I know, but oh well!

I was hoping I had a pic of a Sydney puzzle complete (as that's the destination) but unfortunately I'm all out of those at the moment. So instead I have put up an Educa Disney image. This puzzle features a lot of characters from across the Disney franchise, and I purchased it from a British website. 

The pieces were a relatively loose fit but the design is busy and fun. 

That's all for this week and hopefully my posting schedule will be all back to normal from next week onwards. 

Disney Colour Palette

Brand: Ravensburger

Pieces: 100XXL
Size: 49cm x 36cm

Product Code: 133321

I was in the mood for some Disney today, so what better puzzle than a bright and colourful one that features a multitude of characters?! 

As you've probably realised, I don't discriminate when it comes to piece counts in jigsaw puzzles- I'm happy to do smaller count or larger count, as long as I like the image. This was one of the smaller count ones that I came across that is likely aimed at young children, but I couldn't resist the design. It's bright, fun, and cute- all winners in my book!

Not only that, but it was super quick to do and had extremely large pieces so it would be perfect for young children just getting into puzzling. 

Do you prefer puzzles that have a smaller amount of pieces or would you rather stick with regular 500/1000 piece count puzzles?

Pokemon: All Time Favourites

Brand: Impact Merch

Pieces: 1000
Size: 50cm x 70cm

Product Code: IMPZ0119

I love Pokemon, and have since it first arrived on the scene back in the 1990s. I grew up with the first generation characters while in Primary School, and, along with my brothers, collected the trading cards. 

While I am not as familiar with the latest generations of Pokemon (unless I've come across them at work), I still have fond memories of watching the television show and knowing the first 100 or so off by heart! 

Now that my daughter is old enough, I am trying to introduce her to Pokemon. She already knows Eevee (sort of forced onto her because her name is Eve so she has all the toys lol), and now she knows Pikachu (and says his name in an extremely cute way). 

That's why I have decided to put up this puzzle today- another nostalgia hit! The quality of this puzzle was pretty good and it didn't take long for me to piece together because I recognised many of the features of the characters and was able to put it together quickly. 

I have a few other Pokemon puzzles and I can't wait to get to them!

She Series: Pop Culture Edition

Brand: Lucky Puzzles

Pieces: 1000
Size: 48.9cm x 67.6cm

Product Code: LP-1000-002

I'm really short on time today so this will probably be one of my shortest posts. Today I'm going to be visiting the International Air Show at Avalon, but I couldn't find any puzzles that I have completed of a plane or aircraft (although I know I have at least one in my to-do pile).

So instead, I have put up this puzzle for International Women's Day which is to be held in a couple of days on March 8. The above puzzle was a pleasure to do and features many iconic and influential female characters from pop culture- movies, music and books. I enjoyed doing it, although the irregular shaped pieces made it a little challenging at some times. 

Hopefully I won't be so rushed next weekend and will be able to put up a more detailed post! Have a great weekend!

Lego Minifigure Puzzle

Brand: Chronicle Books

Pieces: 1000
Size: 63.5cm x 50.8cm
Product Code:  -

I am a huge fan of Lego. 

I love the different things that you can make with it and all the detail involved to make realistic creations. My husband also enjoys building with the blocks, and has made a Lamborghini and space station, among other kits. 

We even went to a Brickworld exhibition (pre-covid times) to see all the amazing displays!

That's why, when I saw that you could get puzzles of Lego, I jumped at the chance. 

I did this puzzle ages ago but am only posting it up now. I was collecting the minifigures for a while, and recognise some of these guys from my collection. This puzzle was fun to do, and the quality was alright for a company that usually deals in books rather than puzzles. 

If you know any Lego fans, this would be a great gift for them, besides buying them the actual bricks. There are also a few other Lego puzzles available that feature the coloured bricks (Paint Pot etc), if minifigures aren't their thing.

Pokemon: Character Panels

Brand: Impact Merch

Pieces: 1000

Size: 50cm x 70cm
Product Code:  IMPZ0118

During the week, McDonalds Australia was meant to release a Pokemon-themed Happy Meal. 

One of my brothers, who is a huge fan, enlisted me to go and buy some so that he could try and collect all the trading cards which come with the food. Unfortunately, none of our local stores had them in stock yet so I still haven't been able to get any. This is despite Ebay going crazy with them. I'm guessing a lot of the ones for sale (at ridiculously inflated prices I might add) are being sold by McDonalds employees who managed to get their hands on them early.

Anyway, because I wasn't able to get any, I thought I'd put up a Pokemon puzzle instead. The above puzzle was quite easy to do if you worked in colour blocks but was still moderately challenging. I love the above 'original' characters so it was a pleasure to do this design.

Impact Merch has come through with quite a few cool popculture designs, and I can't wait to see what else is in store!

Stranger Things

Brand: Cardinal

Pieces: 500

Size: 45.72cm x 60.96cm
Product Code: -

Do you have a TV show that you absolutely love and can't miss an episode of? Have you discovered a new show way too late, and have to binge it to catch up? 

I love the Netflix show Stranger Things, but luckily I was pretty on the ball when I first discovered it and didn't have to binge too much to catch up. We were able to watch the whole second and third seasons as they were released and are really anticipating the next one! 

I know it's not a brand spanking new show, but I thought I would put up a picture of a puzzle I found for it. After seeing this puzzle online sooo many times I ended up sourcing it through eBay from America, and spent a ridiculous amount of money on it (mostly shipping costs, but for a 500 piece puzzle!) I just really wanted to do it! 😅😂

Luckily I was able to sell it on afterwards and recoup some of my money back. But I didn't really care, as long as I had the opportunity to do it! I really want to find a jigsaw puzzle of The Boys if such a thing exists because we just finished watching the second season and I love it! Gonna be such a long wait for the next season which is due to be sometime next year. In the meantime, I will do some more puzzles of favourite shows and movies if I happen to find them. It looks like there are a few good ones coming out soon. I have a couple of Mandalorian ones tucked away to be done later...

1990's Film Alphabet

Brand: Buffalo
Pieces: 300
Size: 54cm x 38cm
Product Code:  -

I love nostalgia- in case you haven't noticed. I also love films and quizzes. Even better is when all these things are combined to make the ultimate in puzzles!

When I first saw this puzzle online, I couldn't help but want it- it's such a fantastic design! I was born towards the end of the 80's but I consider myself a 90's child because that's the decade I grew up in. Therefore, I was so excited to try and guess what each of these films were. I'm pretty sure I was able to name all of them quite easily, getting stuck on maybe one or two. Luckily there was a list included to help solve those mysteries!

The quality was quite good, and I've already mentioned my appreciation for the graphics in the design. They're just enough to identify the films without being too obvious. 

How many films in this puzzle can you name?

Pokemon Bubble

Brand: Buffalo
Pieces: 500
Size: 54cm x 38cm
Product Code:  -

I went with a nostalgic puzzle last week by putting up one that I had owned since childhood. Well, I thought I'd continue in that vein with today's puzzle- although this is a different kind of nostalgia. This puzzle is relatively new- I bought it last year- but the content is the part that instils the nostalgia. 

I think I mentioned towards the beginning of this blog (quite a few years ago now) that I was a huge fan of the first Pokemon series. Well when I saw this puzzle, I knew I had to get it because although there are some of the newer characters in it, the majority featured are from the first series (and therefore recognisable to me!)

I love the colours and the vibrancy of the design- it really stands out and I thoroughly enjoyed doing it. I'm hoping that as Pokemon continues to grow, a wider variety of designs (in a higher piece count) will be released for puzzling fans. In the meantime, I'm happy to settle for cute ones like this :)  

Tokyo Disney Resort 35 Happiest Celebration

Brand: Tenyo
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 73.5cm
Product Code:  18022

Today I want to share with you the most amazing puzzle and one that I will always keep :)

Two years ago, around this time, my husband and I were on a holiday in Japan (our second time in the country) and, since we hadn't visited Disneyland the previous time, decided to go there to see what it was like. It just so happened to be their 35th birthday celebrations that year (and at the same time, I was turning 31).

While looking around one of their numerous gift shops I discovered this awesome holographic jigsaw puzzle, exclusive to the Disneyland Resort, that celebrated their birthday and which I just HAD TO HAVE!
Needless to say, it became my birthday present, and one that I will never sell. Despite already owning hundreds of puzzles, my hubby gave in and bought me this one. (No doubt cos he knew I'd buy it for myself if he didn't- the fact that he bought it for me made it more special)

So I ended up getting this beautiful puzzle :)

Tenyo is such a high quality brand and they always have amazing designs so I was already onto a winner, plus, like I said, it's holographic so it has a metallic multi-coloured sheen to make it even more different. This is one I doubt I'll ever find anywhere else so I'm so glad I found it while I was there and was able to bring back such good memories with it.

Artistic Mickey

Brand: Ravensburger
Pieces: 5000
Size: 153cm x 101cm
Product Code:  174324

Although I have no real reason for this, I feel like it's about time I put up the biggest ever puzzle I have completed (to date). 

I felt such an achievement after completing this puzzle for the Global Jigsaw Jubilee earlier this year.

With 5000 pieces, it was the biggest one I had ever completed, and although there were a few space issues (this puzzle's dimensions were BIG), there weren't too many other problems. I think I was able to work it better because the subject (Disney characters) was familiar to me and it kept my interest. 

I absolutely adored this puzzle- it was bright, interesting and had many points of interest. The most challenging part for me was probably the dalmatians at the bottom, but I got there in the end. I was also so happy not to have lost any pieces while doing the puzzle- how disappointing would that have been!

I'd like do another larger count puzzle at some stage (maybe even bigger!?), but first I need to find a design I like (some of the wildlife ones are pretty cool), some time and a bigger working space!

Pokemon Pokedex: Pocket Monsters No. 001- No. 151

Brand: Ensky
Pieces: 1000
Size: 51cm x 73.5cm
Product Code:  1000T-31

I've always been a fan of the original (first series) of Pokemon. 
I, along with my brothers, collected the trading cards when we were in Primary School, and we had some of the games on the original Game Boy! How's that for a blast from the past?! 

Of course, as time went on, Pokemon became less popular- until Pokemon Go was released in 2016, that is! Suddenly it was back, and although I didn't jump onto the bandwagon, I still remembered my love for the little Japanese characters. 

When I saw this puzzle of the first series (the ones I knew by heart) I knew I had to get it for nostalgia sake. It was amazing how much I remembered about each Pokemon (including name, look, type, evolution, etc)!

This puzzle is from Japanese brand Ensky and the quality was perfect. I really enjoyed putting this one together and although the character's names were written in Japanese, I didn't mind in the slightest. 
After all, it's a Japanese puzzle, the character's are Japanese and why shouldn't they be represented in that way?! 

This is a great puzzle for fans, and I'm pretty sure that if you're interested, there's a puzzle that has the next 150 characters or so. I won't be getting it though, despite the fine quality- this was the one for me, I don't recognise many more of the characters!