Planet Puzzle: 1970s plastic puzzle haul

 

It's my day off, and I still ended up needing something quick, so I'm back with another installment of puzzles. This time, I'll be covering a lot I got online after making the only bid, all from a company called Reiss. I remember playing with a few games and puzzles from this manufacturer growing up, but these puzzles were familiar simply because they were clearly the basis of more recent and inexpensive puzzles I have been encountering for decades. To start with, here's the best of the lot, in the box.

This particular puzzle has been sold both by the name Equilibrium and UFO seen here. I know the pattern from one that came from the same bulk lot as several I covered for Mystery Monday. I have found further evidence of earlier versions manufactured in the 1960s or earlier. I have considered it a personal icon, in opposition to a certain group that uses puzzle pieces as a symbol. What I like is that every piece is essential to the whole. The one featured here looks about twice as big as the cheap one I already had. It looks quite nice, and is pretty easy to handle, though the sliding action of the "key" piece is a little hit or miss. It came in a sealed box, as did the others, but it was clear from the price that opening them wasn't going to be a big loss.

The next two were sold as The Star and Cell Block. They both arrived already unmoored within their packaging, and I haven't tried to get them back in. The first is an archetypal pattern I had seen frequently before. The second is one I'm almost certain I encountered at least once before. The same pattern appears to have been used by another manufacturer for a puzzle called Curious Cross that seems to have been manufactured in good-quality reissues quite recently. Unfortunately, I haven't quite worked out how to take it apart. Here's the pair together, plus a pic of the unsolved puzzle with the pieces slid out.

And, here's a pic of "The Star" with a cheap counterpart.

Finally, here's one more that came with the lot. It's a big version of a "pinball" puzzle, with an extra tricky twist. I would probably go nuts if I spent more than 5 minutes working with this thing.

All in all, these have been nice additions to my collection. They aren't exactly a trip down memory lane, but they are a glimpse of what came before, familiar but just a little different. With that, I wrap this up. As always, more to come!