Liberty Puzzles
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Jigsaw puzzles, Toy manufacturing |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder | Christopher Wirth, Jeffrey Eldridge |
| Headquarters | Boulder, Colorado , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Christopher Wirth, Jeffrey Eldridge |
| Products | Wooden jigsaw puzzles |
Number of employees | 130 (2024) |
| Website | www |
Liberty Puzzles is a U.S.-based producer specializing in traditional wooden jigsaw puzzles, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado.
History
Established in 2005 by Christopher Wirth and Jeffrey Eldridge, Liberty Puzzles drew inspiration from Wirth’s inherited collection of hand-cut wooden puzzles dating back to the 1930s. Noticing that vintage puzzles frequently commanded prices exceeding $1,000, Wirth sought to create high-quality puzzles priced near $100 by utilizing contemporary cutting technology. Christopher Wirth is the son of former Colorado senator Tim Wirth.
By 2011, Liberty Puzzles had become one of the leading manufacturers of wooden puzzles within the United States. The company launched a retail outlet on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall in 2014. Their sales exhibit strong seasonality, reaching their highest point during the Black Friday shopping season.
During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Liberty experienced a significant increase in orders, resulting in a backlog of 10,000 puzzles by March 2020 and wait times extending up to two months. Following pandemic-related restrictions, the company expanded its production capabilities. Although demand subsided after reopening, robust holiday season sales in 2023 once again generated overwhelming order volumes.
Liberty Puzzles manufactures all products locally in Boulder, employing archival-quality paper and inks applied to quarter-inch maple plywood sheets. These are cut with computer-driven laser cutters. As of 2020, the firm operated 44 laser cutters, each capable of producing one 500-piece puzzle every hour. By 2024, the workforce had grown to nearly 130 employees.
Designs
With a catalog exceeding 650 puzzle images, Liberty Puzzles emphasizes fine art, vintage illustrations, and Asian-themed designs. Their styles echo early twentieth-century puzzle aesthetics and prominently feature whimsical pieces—uniquely shaped components such as storks or swans—that can constitute more than 20% of a given puzzle. Nearly all puzzles include Liberty's trademark whimsy piece fashioned as an eagle.