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Why London Continues To Enjoy Picking Up The Pieces-
Added: (Thu Oct 02 2008)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Why London Continues To Enjoy Picking Up The Pieces
Londoners complete more jigsaw puzzles than any other place in the UK, according to the UK’s largest online seller of the game.
The results have been produced for AllJigsawPuzzles.co.uk. The area in second place was Manchester followed by Glasgow. But the lowest completion for jigsaws was Liverpool.
Sales Manager, Alan MacLachlan, says the results have revealed some interesting trends:
“Our results show that towns and cities from all over the country enjoy the traditional game, even despite of TV, computer games and the internet. I think the reason they remain so popular is that they appeal to all ages and backgrounds. But quite why some towns complete jigsaw puzzles and others don’t baffles us. Maybe retired folk have more time to sit down to do them, although they are souring in popularity among 20-30 year olds.”
The internet seller has seen sales grow rapidly over its five years of trading online. It now operates from a large warehouse near Redhill Aerodrome.
According to the company, the traditional puzzles are still popular but personalised jigsaws have also taken off in popularity in recent years thanks to cheaper technology.
“We’re finding that people love creating jigsaws from their own photos but also some of the classic paintings from artists like Thomas Kinkade sell well but I think people still like the colourful images with lots of detail”
Animals
The most popular type are animals followed by Wasgijs – Never heard of them? They are a great concept whereby the image on the box is just a clue to what is inside. You need to pretend you are in the actual jigsaw and imagine what you would see if you were looking out!
It is generally agreed that the first jigsaw puzzle was produced around 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London engraver and mapmaker. Spilsbury mounted one of his maps on a sheet of hardwood and cut around the borders of the countries. The end product was an educational pastime which was designed as an aid in teaching British children their geography. The idea caught on and until about 1820, jigsaw puzzles remained primarily educational tools.
“There certainly doesn’t seem to be any trend for puzzles decreasing in popularity. In fact we think that even during the credit crunch the puzzles will continue to be played especially because of their low cost. There are a number of up and coming areas, such Brighton, Eastbourne, Leeds and York that could well take the top spot next year, we will just have to wait and see, ” says Alan MacLachlan of www.AllJigsawPuzzles.co.uk
ENDS