Puzzle Passion Pays Off: Making Puzzle Day a Worldwide Phenomenon
Image courtesy of Jodi Jill.
This blog post is generously provided in kind by Jodi Jill. The Double Down blog is also supported by Nevada Humanities’ donors.
By Jodi Jill
Puzzles? When I think about puzzles it brings absolute joy. Whether sharing the different names of jigsaw puzzle pieces shapes with a classroom or discussing a crossword clue, it’s a passion that brings me happiness. And it all started with a dream of finding puzzle friends.
When I grew up, I didn’t live in a normal place as we lived in a storage unit for 11 years. It was the size of a garage and during this time, there was no school or outside world. We were locked up. While there was much sadness in this situation, I promised myself there had to be something better outside that door.
One thing that truly made my life happy was puzzles. Depending on the type, I could challenge myself without the scrutiny of others and learn at my pace. This idea is the foundation of my puzzle love and my desire to make Puzzle Day everything it has become.
It’s been over 30 years since I started Puzzle Day, but it seems like yesterday. It started with the idea of sharing puzzles with kids and hoping to find individuals who love puzzles as much as I do. With work, passion, and giving away a lot of puzzles it’s become a fun thing the world celebrates today. Fast forward to the upcoming Puzzle Day celebration and, just like last year, millions of people participate on January 29 playing a puzzle their own way.
“One thing that truly made my life happy was puzzles. Depending on the type, I could challenge myself without the scrutiny of others and learn at my pace.”
What is even more amazing is that people kept telling me that one day wasn’t enough, so I created Puzzle Month, too. Spanning all of January, in 2026 there will once again be 31 days of fun and it’s the 20th anniversary. Both opportunities are for everyone. I just pinch myself thinking about all the puzzle fun that’s been had over the years!
Puzzles are more common in our world than you might think. With 1.2 billion dollars of new puzzles being sold every year, people love the challenges of the 900 types of puzzles available. And there are various levels of difficulty so everyone can join the fun. Shockingly, there has been a consumer shift, too. Over half of all new puzzles are sold in Puzzle Month.
Where are the Puzzles?
There are so many puzzles in our lives. The kids are using puzzles to tickle their brains and seniors too. We conquer puzzles on job applications, find them on the back of grocer ads, and even see them on cereal boxes. Plus, we love playing jigsaw puzzles on the dining room table. Yes, puzzles are everywhere.
This Puzzle Day and, if you love puzzles as much as I do, Puzzle Month, I invite you to enjoy your favorite puzzle. Be it an Escape Room (some of the best are in Nevada), a new jigsaw, or a word teaser, take time to bring some puzzling fun to your lives. It’s good for the soul, helps sharpen the brain, and offers some well-deserved fun time!
Happy Puzzle Day!
Jodi Jill is the founder of Puzzle Day and Puzzle Month. Her life's work involves educating people around her joy of puzzles. She happily admits she knows way too many puzzle facts. She also enjoys her adopted fur monster, June Bug and is obsessed with monorails. As a former monorail driver, she loves to ride the Las Vegas monorail every chance she gets.