Friedman, Shelley – The Cruiser Puzzle

The Story of the Box

About 10 years ago I bought a little 4 piece puzzle at a game shop.
It sits on my coffee table amusing (and frustrating) many guests.

With the help of my carpenter (and husband) Dan, I copied this brilliant Stewart Coffin design that combines elegance and apparent simplicity into something that is actually cunningly diabolical.

Despite only being 4 pieces, few will get this one quickly. The goal is to get all 4 pcs into the rectangular opening in the base. The puzzle kind of sucks you in as it seems you are always on the verge of solving it, but the solution remains elusive for much longer than you might expect. It’s a great one to leave out on a desk or coffee table as its very un-intimidating and people will want to try it. This puzzle is super addictive & deceptively challenging.

I made the same puzzle last year (with different papers). I am repeating the puzzle this year in order for the visitors of Gallery Route One to be able to play with it in person, rather than virtually as in 2020.