The one puzzle I’ve never been able to solve

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  • čas přidán 18. 03. 2023
  • To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/KarenPuzzles
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    Today I’m taking on a puzzle that I couldn’t solve in middle school and trying it again as an adult. Can I solve it this time?
    If you want to try it for yourself, it is called Sea to Shining Sea and was released by Bits & Pieces in 2002.
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Komentáře • 826

  • @KarenPuzzles
    @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +75

    To try everything Brilliant has to offer-free-for a full 30 days, visit brilliant.org/KarenPuzzles/. The first 200 of you will get 20% off Brilliant’s annual premium subscription 🎉

    • @Sweetlp03
      @Sweetlp03 Před rokem +2

      Love your videos they’re so calming for my anxiety🥰

    • @louisejohnson6057
      @louisejohnson6057 Před rokem +3

      It's funny what you said about statistics Karen. My late mum was not a big fan of math, and mostly avoided it. However when she was back at the University of Victoria, in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, getting her bachelor's of early childhood education, she was required to take a math course, in this case,statistics. She absolutely loved that class, lol, much to her surprise!

    • @olivierlea3996
      @olivierlea3996 Před rokem +1

      -.- there no point on sponsoring things that will cost money -.- I get almost nothing is free but like how's that benefitting us. imma just stick to my books -.-

    • @louisejohnson6057
      @louisejohnson6057 Před rokem +2

      @@olivierlea3996 , gosh, thanks for letting all of us know how you feel. I know I'm not the only one who was anxiously awaiting your opinion on who Karen gets to sponsor her videos. Now I can finally rest easy.

    • @olivierlea3996
      @olivierlea3996 Před rokem

      @@louisejohnson6057​??? I was just saying that I was excited about the thing she sponsored so I paused the video and went to check it out until I found I had to pay for it. Which sucks. Because it looks like a nice website but sucks that not everyone can have access to it.

  • @gregoryschmidt1233
    @gregoryschmidt1233 Před rokem +2138

    How satisfying this must have been! When my sister and I were little kids, my Grandma had one of those classic "basket full of yarn and kittens" puzzles with an irregular edge. 1000 pieces. Way too difficult for kids our age. We'd start the puzzle on a weekend trip to Grandma's house, but never come close to finishing by the time we had to leave. And of course, then Grandma would pick it all up and put it back in the box when we left. We must have started that puzzle at least a dozen times over the years, and never got close to finishing it. Fast forward 30 years to a family reunion. My sister had somehow found a copy of the exact puzzle and brought it to the reunion. She said, "We are FINISHING this puzzle if we have to stay awake all weekend to do it!" We attacked it like people possessed, and finished it! Finally, after decades, we sat and admired the completed puzzle. My sister framed it and it hangs in her house to this day. Every time I visit her we admire the puzzle and reminisce over all the attempts we made at Grandma's house all those years ago. :)

  • @galliumg8483
    @galliumg8483 Před 4 měsíci +176

    I love how Karen is like “I needed a break from puzzling so I went to the other room and did a puzzle”

  • @maxtruty
    @maxtruty Před rokem +1186

    22:22 karen got 2nd place in a solo national jigsaw puzzle championship, but impressing her 8th grade peers was "the coolest she's ever been in her life" 😂lovely video!

    • @Kath2378
      @Kath2378 Před rokem +29

      @@bebenut123 She clearly meant at all, she even said "it has all been downhill from there"

    • @muskyoxes
      @muskyoxes Před rokem +41

      "I skipped two grades. I only mention it for story continuity."

    • @bobblebardsley
      @bobblebardsley Před rokem +4

      Very nice timestamp 😍

  • @Bumblebeemagnify
    @Bumblebeemagnify Před rokem +734

    It seems like the teacher found the perfect puzzle for the intended purpose, which was to keep students busy while the rest of the class finished tasks. The fact the same puzzle stayed unsolved meant it served its purpose the whole school year!

    • @emmasavage9804
      @emmasavage9804 Před rokem +84

      As a teacher this was my thought. It was intended as an exercise of busyness not completion.

    • @JohnDoe-ti2np
      @JohnDoe-ti2np Před 9 měsíci +11

      @@emmasavage9804 I'm reminded of the Terrible Trivium from "The Phantom Tollbooth." Anybody else read that book?

    • @toomanymarys7355
      @toomanymarys7355 Před 7 měsíci +3

      ​@@JohnDoe-ti2npIt was amazing.

  • @ekidd79
    @ekidd79 Před rokem +65

    "It's giving me flashbacks to 20 years ago" ...Me "2003 isn't 20 years....oh"

  • @tml96a
    @tml96a Před rokem +66

    When I was 12 my grandfather was admitted to the hospital for an emergency. I found a large puzzle in its box in the waiting room and I pulled it out and started working on it. All day people would come and go and help with the puzzle and I have this strong memory of that day and how that puzzle helped everyone keep their mind busy and off of worry for their loved ones, even if it was for a few brief moments.

  • @criticallol3039
    @criticallol3039 Před rokem +426

    Her first nemesis defeated her. She trained and honed her craft for years only to return even stronger than her opponent ever thought possible. Finally being defeated. It's nice to see a hero's origin story reach a satisfying conclusion.

  • @mathsalot8099
    @mathsalot8099 Před rokem +27

    Teacher grabs a random, vaguely educational, puzzle as a distractionary tool for when kids finish early to keep them from disrupting the class.
    Kid makes it her life mission to find that exact puzzle and solve it.

  • @jankarel6454
    @jankarel6454 Před rokem +680

    Only a couple of minutes in, I was imagining how amazed your middle school classmates would have been to see you work that puzzle like you did.

    • @Lemonade_2010
      @Lemonade_2010 Před rokem +4

      I think that they would watch her channel if they new about it.😊

    • @deonawallace396
      @deonawallace396 Před rokem +5

      Especially with them being 11 in front of a bunch of 13-14 year olds

  • @grumpypandaxd2321
    @grumpypandaxd2321 Před rokem +245

    When I was in 2nd grade, we had this giant wooden disney puzzle that the entire class would do. Each child would have about 10 pieces each and the goal was to get all your pieces to connect by trading pieces with other kids. It promoted communication, problem solving, teamwork and concentration. Plus the teachers could have an extra break 😆
    Those were my favourite days 😊

    • @SunnyInSecond
      @SunnyInSecond Před rokem +30

      As a first grade teacher, I’m stealing this idea 😂

    • @natyomorifanlol200
      @natyomorifanlol200 Před 7 měsíci +3

      ​@@SunnyInSeconddid ya steal it?

    • @pawpatrolnews
      @pawpatrolnews Před 7 měsíci +11

      She did, and now she's serving a prison sentence for larceny... She'll be able to respond to your comment in 8 years (or 5 years if she has good behavior).

  • @arrcy005
    @arrcy005 Před rokem +424

    I have the same exact puzzle lying on my shelf for 2 years now since I was not able to solve it, glad that I saw you completed it, gave me a motivation to start all over again and conquer it once and for all ❤

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +85

      Wow, what a coincidence! You can do it!

    • @mistymane52
      @mistymane52 Před rokem +27

      Try the river technique! :P let us know if it helps!

    • @bobblebardsley
      @bobblebardsley Před rokem +11

      And maybe remember that the image might be shifted slightly, so the edges might not be exactly as they appear on the box - that feels like it could make a big difference when trying to locate 'real' edge pieces. Good luck!

    • @wyrmhand
      @wyrmhand Před 10 měsíci +7

      How did it go?

    • @tunike91
      @tunike91 Před 4 měsíci +2

      Hello. If you finished it, I would gladly buy it from you. I would love to try it out. 😊

  • @milk4079
    @milk4079 Před rokem +146

    Well your teacher wasn't stupid because if she put a simple puzzle she would have had kids screaming "We finished it" 😂

    • @NoThankUBeQuiet
      @NoThankUBeQuiet Před rokem +30

      And would have had to buy a lot more puzzles. Get one really difficult one and you are SET for the year

    • @junipermeisje6300
      @junipermeisje6300 Před rokem +16

      I also think that getting a puzzle that is not easily divided into pieces can be good for a group for another reason: if you are working on a section and someone else messes with that section while you are away, that might be really annoying, whereas, when there are no sections, especially with a difficult puzzle, any progress someone else makes is appreciated.

    • @KennyTheKiwi
      @KennyTheKiwi Před rokem +9

      He*

    • @TinaSalamander
      @TinaSalamander Před 6 měsíci +5

      And I was thinking he brought it to school because he couldn't do it! lol He was much smarter than that, based on all your wise comments.

  • @shannymacky
    @shannymacky Před rokem +75

    It would be so cool if this same type of puzzle existed for all other countries or subsections of continents (to scale) and Karen completed them all and pieced them together to make a full world map!

  • @naomis2
    @naomis2 Před rokem +178

    I would love to hear that teacher’s reaction to you solving the puzzle as well as your memories. I’m sure if they were that into puzzles, they would be glad to hear one of their students had such vivid memories of something they did for their students.

    • @teijaflink2226
      @teijaflink2226 Před rokem +21

      And probably to happy to hear one of the students have puzzles as a career.

  • @PokhrajRoy.
    @PokhrajRoy. Před rokem +283

    So, finally, we meet the Moriarty of Puzzles to Karen’s Sherlock. The deer stalking cap could come in handy though 😂

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +64

      I literally looked for it for the beginning clip, and I couldn't find it after reorganizing my puzzle studio earlier this year 😭

    • @PJMarsosudiro
      @PJMarsosudiro Před rokem +16

      ​@@KarenPuzzlesanother puzzle! "Where is the hat?!"

  • @maskedsim8664
    @maskedsim8664 Před 2 měsíci +4

    She's so cute talking about the coolest she's ever been in her life. Omg I love her

  • @KarenPuzzles
    @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +291

    I still can't believe I finally found the puzzle! And that even now it was just as difficult as I remembered 😅 Do any of you have a puzzle like this that you want to get back to and try again one day?

    • @ronm3245
      @ronm3245 Před rokem +6

      Falcon 5000 pieces, "Moulin de la Galette" (Renoir). I did the chair and some of the girl's dress. Couldn't even finish the border for all the false fits. I still have it in my closet from decades ago. Apparently it's pretty rare.

    • @misterwebb1472
      @misterwebb1472 Před rokem

      Absolutely

    • @MrFiddler1959
      @MrFiddler1959 Před rokem +5

      Yes!! BetterCo Purple Succulents (aka The Glossy Nemesis) has been saved on a covered puzzle board in my basement for probably more than a year now… I started it once, gave up, started it again. It’s maybe a little more than half way done - which is why I can’t put it back in the box. The thought of starting over from scratch! It’s a difficult image to begin with; the dark color palette and high gloss finish of the pieces are complicating factors. At one point I thought I would need to solve it like a solid color puzzle, but that slowed progress down to a desperate crawl. Fortunately there have been very few false fits so that helps. Of any puzzle I’ve ever done this one has required the heaviest use of the included poster. A good percentage of the pieces in the puzzle are singletons that are in their approximate place on the board.
      At some point, when it is finally completed, I plan to bag it in quadrants. That way the next puzzler (myself or someone else) can decide what level of frustration they want to work through!

    • @deborahwilson336
      @deborahwilson336 Před rokem

      Pomegranate: 1000 pc jigsaw of Norman Rockwell's 'The Connoisseur'. I could never finish it!

    • @crochetingcanuck
      @crochetingcanuck Před rokem +3

      I had a Springbok puzzle from the 80s (that I found at a yard sale in the 90s) called Midnight Snack. It was a tall sandwich on a black background. I could have sworn it was a 1000 piece but I have only seen it around the internet in 500 piece, though it could have seemed bigger because I was just a kid, like 10-ish years old. I only got a bit of the top slice of bread and some of the table cloth done I think, then I gave up and eventually got rid of it in my teens. I kind of want to try it again and have been looking for it for ages at thrift stores with no luck. I have found it on ebay but shipping to Canada is ridiculous and makes it way overpriced. I may splurge eventually.

  • @mccalloliver4034
    @mccalloliver4034 Před rokem +337

    A puzzle is never completed until the puzzler runs their hands over it. Idk why we do it, but we always do and it's basically mandatory in order for it to count as doing the puzzle

    • @XavierMarxTreasureHunts
      @XavierMarxTreasureHunts Před rokem +4

      Yes! lmao

    • @janesmith5967
      @janesmith5967 Před rokem +62

      I completed a puzzle once only to discover it was missing a piece 😭As I was running my hands over the puzzle, I found the missing piece! It was on top of the puzzle and blended in so well I couldn't see it 🤣 So there is a purpose to running our hands over puzzles. 👍

    • @Preciouslynnette
      @Preciouslynnette Před rokem +9

      It’s basically law now. At the very least, superstition. It’s good luck for the next puzzle we do.

    • @angelmarie7010
      @angelmarie7010 Před rokem +10

      I do the same thing with diamond paintings, you have to touch it all together

    • @rolanchristofferson9363
      @rolanchristofferson9363 Před rokem +3

      Feeling for holes.

  • @PruneauYT
    @PruneauYT Před rokem +72

    Elementary school Karen : I will make it my life mission to finish this puzzle.
    Adult Karen : Sis, I got you.

  • @ovengaya
    @ovengaya Před rokem +19

    It would be really cool for a puzzle company to release shape puzzles like this one of every country with their famous spots. All of them in the same scale so they fit eachother and you could get an absurdly huge puzzle of the world by conecting all of them (without the seas, but still really cool)

  • @codievans27
    @codievans27 Před rokem +102

    I work at a library and we always have a puzzle going for the group to work on in our break room! We solve them pretty fast-I think we have some great puzzlers on staff :)

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +12

      Love that!

    • @jeannietrapnell1000
      @jeannietrapnell1000 Před rokem +5

      I am our church librarian and we have put out a puzzle a couple of times for people to work on. I need to put another one out again soon!

    • @johnbunyan5834
      @johnbunyan5834 Před rokem +1

      St Neots library , in England , always have a jigsaw puzzle, on a table , for borrowers to pop a few pieces in.

    • @annieonpaper
      @annieonpaper Před 8 měsíci

      That might be my dream job lol

  • @inwalters
    @inwalters Před rokem +31

    Imagine how much harder it would have been if they added Alaska and Hawaii to the puzzle of America at scale! If you want to be pedantic (and sometimes I do) you had one solve on this and it took you 20 years, resulting in a TPP (time per piece) of about 7.3 days, so definitely your highest TPP score ever.

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +10

      Lol I don’t think I’ll ever beat that one!

  • @PJMarsosudiro
    @PJMarsosudiro Před rokem +22

    I sure hope you contact that teacher to let him know what he's meant to you, and how his puzzle became a 20-year quest! America needs more people like him. (And like you!)

  • @susanp7386
    @susanp7386 Před rokem +65

    That does look hard for 11-year-olds! The last time I did a puzzle with someone was when I visited a friend and her five-year-old got one out for the two of us to do. My friend was getting lunch ready and I was chatting to her as we did it, but evidently I was slowing things down because a little hand reached out and snagged all the pieces of moo-cow I was collecting, and snapped them into place. I had to pay attention after that. 🙂

  • @KerloTech
    @KerloTech Před rokem +144

    Awesome video! I have a feeling your teacher didn't necessarily want to replace the puzzle each week so a really challenging one that would last the year is a pretty great idea. Not only do the students get a dose of America-na while doing it, but they are constantly mentally stimulated. Was there ever an issue with talking while working on the puzzle when other ppl are still writing their test? Was it a bunch of hand signals when trying to communicate with the other puzzlers?

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +51

      There was only space for two people to work on it at once, and I think I worked on it more than anyone else. I don’t remember talking being an issue!

  • @rgs8970
    @rgs8970 Před rokem +24

    Kudos to your middle school teacher who had students working on a really challenging puzzle as a reward for finishing early! Hours of engagement with just one puzzle of the United States of *America* very impressive!

  • @KathySkelly-wr8rc
    @KathySkelly-wr8rc Před 10 měsíci +5

    When my sons were taking piano lessons, Mrs. T the piano teacher, always had a 1000 piece puzzle available for parents to do. And she also had a 100 or 200 piece puzzle for younger children to do since lessons were half an hour and often both children were taking the lessons you’d be waiting there for an hour, and it was a wonderful way to pass the time and be able to hear your children during their lesson. It was a wonderful way to complete a group puzzle without even knowing the other people who are working on it. Loved it. Thanks, Mrs. T.❤

  • @kenfreeman8888
    @kenfreeman8888 Před 7 měsíci +2

    Taking a break from puzzling to puzzle. I love that.

  • @PlaceholderAlex
    @PlaceholderAlex Před rokem +13

    My college had a puzzle out in an academic building for people to work on between classes (especially if you had a break between two classes in that building). I can remember so many days that I said "I will work on [assignment] in my break," but I'd sit down to puzzle for a few minutes and suddenly I'd be almost late to class.

  • @Auora
    @Auora Před rokem +15

    When I was in middle school in America, my teacher left out a puzzle in the classroom and I did end up solving it (most of the others weren't interested), but it was "Lost In A Jigsaw", which not only is a literal maze to assemble, but all the center pieces are the exact same interchangeable shape... and the edge pieces also all interchange with each other! There was a black and white cheat sheet, which was used heavily; but it was such a great puzzle that when I found it years later in high school I bought it! :)

    • @teijaflink2226
      @teijaflink2226 Před rokem +5

      That sounds like a cool puzzle for Karen to find and try.

    • @julieserres9713
      @julieserres9713 Před rokem

      @@teijaflink2226 wow, I just looked up that Lost in a Jigsaw puzzle... there's no way I could do it... but Karen can... she can do ANY puzzle!

  • @fugithegreat
    @fugithegreat Před rokem +2

    That was a great idea of your teacher's to let the kids who finish their work put together a puzzle! Definitely going to keep this idea in my teacher toolbox.

  • @ohlawdhecomin305
    @ohlawdhecomin305 Před rokem +61

    As someone who is not from America, I love to see teachers who make it nicer for children to learn :D

    • @artsytype
      @artsytype Před rokem

      Do they do that in your country?

  • @JSanime
    @JSanime Před rokem +8

    Someone actually brought a puzzle up to work recently and put it in the break room for people to work on. It was a 1000 piece Hallmark puzzle so the quality wasn't great... There was several issues of false fits but the picture was nice. It was a watercolor of different plants in pots with an Emerson quote written across the middle. But it was a fun way to spend your breaks. It took a few weeks to solve because we could only work on it for a short time each day. America

  • @traci4187
    @traci4187 Před rokem +9

    When my parents were alive, and my entire family would gather for Christmas, there would always be a puzzle out to do (along with cards - we were all euchre fanatics). So there would regularly be 1 to 4 people gathered around a puzzle at once working on things. These memories remind me a lot of the multi-person puzzle competitions that you've featured.

    • @tmtb80
      @tmtb80 Před 4 měsíci

      Hmmm....indiana/ohio?

  • @cindyphuong1547
    @cindyphuong1547 Před rokem +17

    Would love to see a series where you do puzzles that have defeated your subscribers. Mine was Ravensburger Field of Gold. I worked on my friends puzzle one whole afternoon and barely made a dent.

  • @karindwarswaard
    @karindwarswaard Před rokem +59

    Finished the first 3000 piece puzzle i have ever done, this morning. Started beginning of the year. It is the zodiac puzzle from ravensburger.

    • @justthatgamergirl1
      @justthatgamergirl1 Před rokem +3

      Congrats!

    • @ashleyjohnson9651
      @ashleyjohnson9651 Před rokem +2

      nice job!! the highest count ive ever done was 2000 pieces. one with Pokemon and one that was a garden shopfront with lots of floral elements
      most of the puzzles i do are floral ones or vintage seed catalogues because i like to hang them in my room when im done like posters, and i just adore flowers of all kinds, real or just pictures! (i love bugs just as much which is good because flowers and bugs go hand in hand 😂)

  • @carolineturlington2335
    @carolineturlington2335 Před rokem +12

    I love your story about finding the piece that everyone had been looking for first time. There’s nothing more satisfying. This exact thing happened last week, but it was my 8 year old that walked in and found the annoying piece I’d been looking for to no avail. It was a lot of green foliage and I was on the verge of giving up until he came and helped! 🎉❤

    • @btter710
      @btter710 Před 7 měsíci

      Sometimes that's all it takes is someone looking at it with fresh eyes to see what your eyes are missing.

  • @kkuudandere
    @kkuudandere Před rokem +5

    Your teacher's word puzzle also reminded me of a (much simpler) word game I played with my students! One person writes a word, the next person needs to write a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word, and it continues in a chain. I was teaching outside of America, so it was a casual way for them to just think of as many words in English as they could. Once I played with a particularly advanced student and we managed to fill up a whole chalkboard from top to bottom, it was very cool.

  • @lanawolf5681
    @lanawolf5681 Před rokem +5

    It is so heartwarming to hear of teachers who enjoy what they do and pass on that passion to others. I think it would be great if you found that teacher and gifted him with a prized puzzle.

  • @_nem
    @_nem Před 2 hodinami

    My residential orchestra course had a puzzle outside of the main rehearsal room so people could spend the breaks solving it together. It was a puzzle of the orchestra the previous year so it was also fun to spot people. With about 125 teenagers to young adults it took about 5 days to solve. (Of course not everyone was interested in the puzzle but a small group was very invested in it)

  • @EmsIsFab
    @EmsIsFab Před rokem +17

    Imagine this puzzle at a speed puzzling competition

    • @gabor.nadudvari
      @gabor.nadudvari Před 3 měsíci

      only one round, the quickest wins, with no drink, food or sleep at the table, you must go away from the table for recreation for at least 5 mins every hour of your chosen time

  • @fineweaver
    @fineweaver Před rokem +3

    I love that satisfying click of a puzzle piece being put in place. 😊

  • @JoeSmith-xh9ph
    @JoeSmith-xh9ph Před rokem +8

    I wonder if they have a version of this for Canada's map. That would be challenging with all the little islands up north. Enjoyed this puzzle of America and your middle school stories!

  • @waterlemon3885
    @waterlemon3885 Před 9 měsíci +2

    The reasoning you had for doing this puzzle is why i watch your videos. Never loose your passion. It's amazing to see. Thank you for recording it for us.

  • @zacgallenlover911
    @zacgallenlover911 Před rokem +8

    Your story about the teacher saying you couldn’t start with you reminds me of in Parks in Rec when the man at the hardware store asks Ron if he needs help and he says “I know more than you” 😂❤

  • @ThomasSimkins
    @ThomasSimkins Před rokem +6

    Oh, its a ‘Bits and Pieces’ puzzle!
    I own quite a few puzzles by that company (probably because I live in the same section of America as their US HQ) and while the weird piece cuts always seem to throw me off, I do enjoy the rather unique shapes more than the standard puzzle ones. I just find it more satisfying? Idk how to explain it… XD

  • @martihurford
    @martihurford Před rokem +5

    My sister and I received from our grandparents the 1965 Rand McNally United States of AMERICA Map puzzle for Christmas 1965. It was fun doing it together.

  • @ChronicReader
    @ChronicReader Před měsícem

    When my mom was battling cancer back in 2010, the cancer centers waiting room always had puzzles out for people to work on. The lab was in the same waiting room, so I spent a lot of time in that room for my own needs later on. I always sat and worked on the puzzles in there, so much fun! I wish I had a place to work on large puzzles, but there isn’t anywhere in my apartment I can feasibly block my cat from going.

  • @HanaTheRussell
    @HanaTheRussell Před rokem +11

    Damn Karen you're the best. I love at the end the suggestions you gave for good puzzles to leave out for groups. You're really trying to leave this world better than how you found it. I'm a teacher and MOST of us (side eyeing a couple narc teachers I've worked with but MOST MOST MOST are good/well-intentioned) are really just trying to do our best and we are aware we aren't perfect, so when there is good constructive feedback, we (or at least I) am happy learn and make adjustments to my teaching style or materials. There is a lot of teacher bashing on CZcams, which, I understand. Children now have a platform to air out their frustrations, and I get that there are some bad teachers out there, or that some people just don't mesh. But I love that you're actually giving answers. Not just like "ugh why tf did he pick THIS puzzle" (which you did say) but helpfully added "Hey teachers, here's some puzzles that would be easier, here is what makes them easier, here is what to look for in a good group puzzle." So thank you so much for teaching us and showing the solution to the problem.

  • @adriannedent9399
    @adriannedent9399 Před rokem

    My local library always has a puzzle out for anyone to just walk by and put pieces in. I love it. They also have puzzles you can check out.

  • @tamiridgway4725
    @tamiridgway4725 Před rokem +23

    Most difficult puzzle that our group tried to do was a herd of zebras puzzle. It stumped all of our group and we definitely have puzzle lovers in our group.

  • @MarkWiseTechno
    @MarkWiseTechno Před rokem +2

    Sophomore year of college this guy Evan bought a very large puzzle (5000 pieces maybe?) with a map of the world. It was kept on a piece of poster board in his suite, and anyone who ever hung out there worked on it at various points. Maybe 20 ppl total contributed, and it was completed over of a number of weeks.

  • @mr_marigold
    @mr_marigold Před rokem +4

    you had to do a whole investigation just to find the puzzle- The dedication this woman has is amazing!

  • @justinc6263
    @justinc6263 Před rokem +1

    Love the story behind this puzzle! Never give up! Beautiful job!

  • @bluejaymaniac
    @bluejaymaniac Před rokem +8

    Wow, Karen does a puzzle I've actually done before! I believe I finished this one when I was a high schooler, and it was absolutely a challenge. I remember being annoyed by the piece shapes and weird edge pieces, but I think I solved it in a fairly similar order to how you did it here, dividing things up into lots of small sections starting with warmer colors, following the rivers, going in a somewhat west to east direction. I can't remember how long it took me to beat it, but I'm guessing it took me several weeks to over a month to complete. Congrats on finally solving this puzzle!

  • @rickvaiBBB
    @rickvaiBBB Před rokem +2

    There is something so genuine about you and the way you talked at the end about what a wonderful teacher you had after your little quip earlier in the video, that I at least thought was at best whimsical and in no way condescending.
    As for the puzzle itself. I would have gave up an hour into it but you nailed it.

  • @vatsalamolly
    @vatsalamolly Před rokem +3

    I found this to be one of the most exciting puzzle designs you've covered on your channel. I wish there was a similar puzzle based on my country instead of America, with that much design and texture. It's so beautiful and so challenging!

  • @rachelheslop6668
    @rachelheslop6668 Před rokem +6

    I meet my husband when we both started working at an Irish restaurant, waiting tables. There was a 1000 piece puzzle that was out on one of the small tables by the front door that customers and staff alike would work on one summer. It was of Europe, in a very similar style to this one! He put in the last piece but admitted to me when we started dating that puzzles stress him out! 😂

  • @cypriennezed5640
    @cypriennezed5640 Před rokem +3

    I have been looking for group puzzles for my family reunion coming up this summer -- THANK YOU and congratulations on conquering this puzzle! 🎉

  • @angelnegra
    @angelnegra Před rokem +4

    I'm glad you were able to find this puzzle, it looks like a lot of fun. :) I also wanted to recommend a puzzle type for you, it's not a hard one, but they make for cute, relaxing puzzles. They're called Wasgij by Jumao. What's neat about them is that the picture on the front of the box isn't the picture of the puzzle, but of what the puzzle is facing. I think you'd have a lot of fun with these, especially with how colourful they are.

  • @KimSimful
    @KimSimful Před rokem +3

    We keep a (usually 1000 piece) puzzle going at my aunt’s house. My 3 aunts and my cousin and I work it every Thursday with a lunch and anytime we stop by. Normally we like thrift store puzzles, I keep an eye out for old Springbok and Ravensburger. I just finished one that we gave up on as a group. It was from Hoyle and was called Imp-Possible. Only 500 or so pieces but the majority of the picture wasn’t on the box! All little outlined devils on a red background.

  • @eileen8303
    @eileen8303 Před rokem

    Love the stories along with your process on this puzzle. You persisted!!

  • @jeannietrapnell1000
    @jeannietrapnell1000 Před rokem +1

    So enjoyed this video! Loved hearing about your experience trying to solve it in middle school. My earliest clear memory of solving puzzles was when I was in 6th grade and asked for and got a 1000 pieces puzzle which I solved in a few days. It was not nearly as difficult as this one, but it felt so good to solve it on my own! Yes I agree that the teacher seemed to be talking down to y'all, but the other example you gave at the end warmed my heart! He truly looked puzzles, loved using all kinds of methods to encourage learning, and must have loved teaching middle school children! And how cool that the other kids thought you were cool to find that piece. It's so nice when others recognize your talent that never seems to get recognized. I can totally relate! As always, I love all your comments, strategy tips and the attention to detail you give to your videos! Thank you so much!

  • @Vennuusss
    @Vennuusss Před 8 měsíci +1

    funny thing is, in my school right now my class has to solve all the puzzles to make sure they have all the peices, this is really good help and advice! people. say im fast at puzzles but im not that fast, it just depends on the puzzle im working on!

  • @hollyfirefly1
    @hollyfirefly1 Před rokem +2

    Wondering if you’ve ever tried the micro puzzles? I recently did a 1000 piece puzzle that fit in a cookie sheet. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed putting it together

  • @DeerheartStudioArts
    @DeerheartStudioArts Před 4 měsíci

    I love the closeups of fitting in pieces! So satisfying!🦌💌❤️🧩

  • @miacrowell1472
    @miacrowell1472 Před rokem

    Super fun to watch and you let us feel good for you and about your teacher. Great job

  • @Bmj568
    @Bmj568 Před rokem

    Always such a joy to watch this channel, thank you!

  • @smarterthanawaffle
    @smarterthanawaffle Před rokem

    Great advice on group puzzling and what puzzles fit best for that. Thank you

  • @migirlfriday
    @migirlfriday Před 4 měsíci

    Thank you for the info on what puzzles are good for different people to work on. I have a puzzle table in the waiting area where I work and now I know what type of puzzles to pick up.

  • @DanikaLeighEllis
    @DanikaLeighEllis Před rokem +2

    We had some puzzle controversy at the bookstore I worked at. A puzzle was left in the staff room that was slooowly worked on for weeks. There were factions of puzzlers and non-puzzlers. But then it was finally solved, put away... and someone put out TWO PUZZLES in progress on the table. This was our only table to eat at in the staff room, and the non-puzzlers were furious, because now there was nowhere to eat, puzzles were getting mixed up and were never getting completed, and puzzlers were all up in non-puzzlers space looking for pieces. It was anarchy. Eventually, an anonymous someone (a non-puzzler, I'm sure) quietly packed up both puzzles, and they never reappeared.

  • @redstar1976
    @redstar1976 Před rokem +1

    A few years ago someone bought me a 4D Game of Thrones map puzzle, which was in three layers - a flat base layer showing the basic map, then a thicker raised layer on top of that for the areas of land, and then little models of the key buildings. The base layer alone was 1,000 pieces, and was all basically black, dark grey, white or beige, apart from some faint blue lines showing rivers. It took me FOREVER to complete and when you said 'Why does this country have so many mountains and trees?' I very much felt your pain!

  • @RAZ3275
    @RAZ3275 Před rokem +7

    I remember my 4th grade teacher would have a puzzle in the classroom for us to work on. It was one of those old milton bradly puzzles from the 70s or 80s with a picture of a house or a mountain or trees or something on it. I remember thinking it was a 10,000 piece puzzle, but I realize that it was just a standard 1,000 piece puzzle. It seemed so big at the time since we only had 100 piece puzzles at home.

  • @starei
    @starei Před rokem +1

    “thats the coolest I’ve ever been, its been downhill from there” why do i somewhat relate to this 😭🤣🤣

  • @SK8R43
    @SK8R43 Před rokem +1

    this is pretty cool! I remember in one of my middle school years the homeroom teacher would have a puzzle out for us to do. The only people allowed to do it were the homeroom students, but we were usually able to do it for 15-20 minutes each day. Thats what got me so into puzzles!!

  • @harveydangerfield
    @harveydangerfield Před rokem +1

    I was randomly recommended this channel despite having never watched a single puzzle content video before, and to the algorithm's credit, this has been shockingly entertaining. Your energy is extremely wholesome and infectious. I'm probably going to get recommended a lot more puzzle videos now that I've watched this one in it's entirety and I'm not mad about it.

  • @bobair2
    @bobair2 Před rokem +2

    Way to go! It is nice to finish what you start even if it take 20 years. I enjoyed this video,thanks.

  • @tactical1981
    @tactical1981 Před 5 měsíci

    Cool puzzle. Amazing you managed to find it. And such funny little anecdotes!

  • @katieglabe919
    @katieglabe919 Před rokem +1

    My local library growing up would have a jigsaw puzzle out to work on. I loved going there and spending time on the puzzle. And I remember how exciting it was to come back and see more progress made after not going there to work on it for a day or two.

  • @girlfromgermany
    @girlfromgermany Před rokem +1

    I'm so happy for you that you found this puzzle again and could solve it! And thank you for sharing your memories with us 😊 *America*

  • @knittingnana2939
    @knittingnana2939 Před rokem +4

    The puzzle piece story reminded me of being in high school and taking dictaphone class. That was a class where you listened to a letter being dictated on a recording device (dictaphone) and you had to type it out like a business letter. Now, I had NO friends in school and everybody thought I was stupid. So, the letter was on the machine, we all listened to it and typed it out. I was the only one who got it right. Why? Because I was the only one who knew how the spell the word ensemble. Everyone else spelled it with an o. They didn't know that it is a French word. So, ha, ha on them.

  • @newsgiirl
    @newsgiirl Před rokem

    I'm happy you managed to find the puzzle from years ago. And solved it 😊I can't wait to see you do another large puzzle again. They are my favourite videos ❤️xx

  • @Alex.S.1
    @Alex.S.1 Před rokem +3

    What a great puzzle. So many puzzles try to be difficult just for the heck of it and they often end up being frustrating and no fun at all. This has a nice image, a nice shape, lots of interesting piece shapes and still manages to be a challenge. ❤

  • @anjelabug32
    @anjelabug32 Před rokem +2

    This is pretty amazing - I went puzzle thrifting for the first time today (the day after you posted this video!) and actually ran across this one at my local thrift store for $6. The box is in pristine condition, but after watching this video, I passed on it - it is not my thing. :) It's super cool that you found it and assembled it after all these years! Congrats!

  • @rachelcorns4180
    @rachelcorns4180 Před rokem +26

    Karen
    My GoSH!!!! Do you do all your own editing?! Seriously one of the BEST single person run channels out there. And you’re so entertaining. We were just watching with a cup of coffee for fun and ended up buying (and finishing) our first puzzle as adults. Hahahaha. You should have another channel for teaching people how to produce and edit.
    Cheers

    • @KarenPuzzles
      @KarenPuzzles  Před rokem +20

      I feel like since the videos are so personal to me, it would be hard to hand off the editing. Thank you for such a nice comment ❤️

  • @shireensasani6224
    @shireensasani6224 Před rokem +1

    I distinctly remember doing a classroom puzzle in my 4th grade French immersion class - it was cartoony Halloween themed, and we got to work on it over the course of a day or two as part of our spooky festivities. Halloween AND puzzles at school? I was so pumped!

  • @mediumjohnsilver
    @mediumjohnsilver Před rokem +3

    I used to work in an office (in America) where we usually had a jigsaw puzzle to work on during down time (waiting for a meeting, after work, etc.). Our biggest challenge was the 2000 piece Cinque Terre puzzle, and we were proud to have finished that.

  • @EverlastingDream328
    @EverlastingDream328 Před rokem +2

    I actually love these types of puzzles, the ones where the pieces are all weirdly shaped. Adds to the fun :)

  • @Zireael83
    @Zireael83 Před rokem +2

    i love storytime with karen

  • @thezriser
    @thezriser Před 6 měsíci

    I am so impressed. And background music is so soothing.

  • @joanne231
    @joanne231 Před rokem

    That is so cool you found this same puzzle and were able to have the experience of completing it and the validation that it was super challenging for middle school age You. Great video! It does look challenging! If I had this, I would have this puzzle out and probably be working on it for a month.

  • @All4thesnow
    @All4thesnow Před rokem

    I had something similar and lemme tell you, I’ll never feel as euphoric as I did that day. There was a children’s show I watched as a kid around the same time as we were watching ATLA and I could not remember what it was called. Literal years went by and I was fixated on trying to remember what the show was called. All I could remember was it like kinda similarly animated to ATLA, it had four characters, one was a red-headed girl who had fake legs, there was some kind of stone component involved in the show, and that my siblings and I enjoyed it immensely. I searched every streaming service I could think of, I googled it a thousand different ways a thousand times. And then one night, like after midnight on a Tuesday, I started looking down a list of every children’s show that ever aired in English in the United States between 2000-2010. And lo and behold, after a while on the list, Di-Gaga Defenders.
    Truly, I will never feel euphoria as I did that night scrolling through the lists and seeing the show’s cover picture with the four kids pop up. It was genuinely a life altering experience, like a piece of popcorn stuck in your teeth but for the last half decade of your life. And then one day, boom it’s out.

  • @partyinthecloudkingdom
    @partyinthecloudkingdom Před 7 měsíci

    as soon as you said there weren't large sections of the same color i knew it was going to be a more geographically accurate, if abstract, map. what a beautiful puzzle

  • @TheOlgaKayFan
    @TheOlgaKayFan Před rokem +1

    Can you do a recommendation video of chill puzzles? Like the one you did with the flowers? Love your videos!

  • @wendyhoward2699
    @wendyhoward2699 Před 6 měsíci

    I always put puzzles out for the students to work on when they finished their work. They worked some really hard puzzles. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

  • @nightworg
    @nightworg Před 3 měsíci

    What a great teacher you had in school. Maybe he had contributed to your passion to do puzzle's today.

  • @christinegreywolf
    @christinegreywolf Před rokem

    Ohmygosh I just found you and your puzzles. I love building, doing, filling in... solving or whatever...lol... puzzles.

  • @Dude-etiquette
    @Dude-etiquette Před 3 měsíci

    2 years ahead is amazing. Also how excited you must have been to finally find the puzzle. I am still trying to find a specific version of your song that was played after one of the amazing talent act shows but still can’t find it

    • @Dude-etiquette
      @Dude-etiquette Před 3 měsíci

      And by Your song I mean the original that was sung by Elton John

  • @makebacunningham6795
    @makebacunningham6795 Před rokem +1

    An amazing teacher you had.