Cozy Up: 14 Must-Try Puzzles for Winter Indoor Fun!
These are our team’s top picks for the best puzzles!
These recommendations are the missing piece to the “what should we do?” puzzle 🧩
Puzzles are a pastime we can all enjoy. They can bring family and friends together or provide an equally fun solo activity for when you just need some “me time.” Not only are they fun, but puzzles also help to improve focus and brain function!
There are a ton of affordable puzzles available, so consider grabbing one now as a gift or to have on hand for holiday gatherings and beyond. We’ve compiled a few of our team’s favorite recommendations below, and we’d love to know if you have a favorite puzzle in the comments below!
Here are some of our team’s puzzles:
1. This Good Vibes puzzle sets the scene to kick back and relax with some easy-going fun.
My Hip teammate Liza has this puzzle set and it’s no wonder why she loves it! The hyper-pigmented scene of succulents and the sea is nothing short of stunning. 🤩
It’s a welcome challenge for adults but great for kiddos too, as the bright colors and high contrast will stimulate their interest. Not only that, but the pieces themselves are high quality with Buffalo Games’ “Perfect Snap” technology. Each intricate piece fits together perfectly… all 2,000 of them!
Any puzzle from the Buffalo Games brand is a GREAT puzzle. No duplicate-shaped pieces and they’re super sturdy. Plus they always have a rotation of puzzles on sale for crazy good prices! – Hip team member Madison
2. For the outdoors enthusiast, this National Parks puzzle is essential!
Cavallini Papers & Co. National Parks $23.96 (regularly $28.54)
This vintage-style, 1,000-piece puzzle by Cavallini Papers & Co. covers a collage of vintage national park signs, flags, and iconic logos! From the infamous Grand Canyon to the all-time favorite Yosemite, it highlights so many unique parks. As you put the pieces together, you’ll have a blast uncovering each nostalgic design.
This puzzle’s packaging is also high-quality with a screen-printed tube pretty enough to be displayed and a hand-sewn muslin bag inside to keep the contents secure. In fact, we think this would be a fabulous gift idea for pretty much anyone!
If you like the National Parks theme, Buffalo Games makes a 1,000-piece puzzle featuring National Park patches. Best of all, it’s about half the price of the Cavallini Papers version!
3. This Disney • Pixar puzzle will get the kids and kids-at-heart to all gather ’round!
For ages 10 and up, this option is filled with beloved Pixar and Disney characters! The familiar friendly faces of Dory, Buzz Lightyear, and the entire gang from Monsters University are reason enough to get the kids to put down their devices and join the fun.
Bear in mind this puzzle has a whopping 2,000 pieces, so patience, and perhaps a few sets of hands, may be required. But it’s safe to say the end result will be well worth it!
4. Feeling nostalgic? This puzzle set embodies the best of the ’90s!
Any 80s or 90s kids out there? This one is for YOU! There’s nothing better than reminiscing about the good ol’ days, as Hip teammate Kara will attest. She owns this puzzle and it’s her personal favorite! With 1,000 pieces of nostalgia, there’s no doubt you’ll be transported back in time with historic moments in sports, politics, cinema, music, television, and more.
5. This puzzle brings summer vibes all year round, and it kept Bryn’s family busy on vacation!
Hawaiian Food Truck Festival $11.99 (regularly $14.99)
This is the time of year when we all start daydreaming about beach weather, so this puzzle is the perfect escape! This option embraces the beautiful scenery of Hawaii with a food truck festival on the beach. It’s a 1,000-piece jigsaw that uses “Perfect Snap” technology to guarantee the perfect fit between each piece.
This puzzle is a favorite of Bryn’s family. They even took it with them on their Spring Break vacation to Hawaii!
6. This colorful candy puzzle is a sweet way to spend time with the kids.
Cascading Candies Puzzle $9.99 (regularly $14.99)
Got candy-crazed kids? They’re going to love this 1,000-piece puzzle! Not only is it wildly colorful and eye-catching, but it even comes with a full-size PDF poster you can use as a reference!
7. This puzzle is for the classical Disney fan!
Thomas Kinkade’s magical paintings are even more enchanting in the form of a Disney puzzle! Liza, one of our resident Disney fans, showed off her puzzle and we simply had to add it to this list. If you couldn’t tell by the box, it’s actually 4 puzzles in one box, making it just $6.50 per stunning 500-piece puzzle. Better yet, the set includes a bonus poster so the art can be displayed even after the puzzle is put away! 😍
8. This UNIDRAGON jigsaw puzzle is a wildly whimsical set.
While it ranks as the most expensive puzzle on our list, this wooden puzzle is absolutely stunning. It contains 185 intricately detailed pieces, each with the unique shape of an animal or another unique silhouette. These small pieces come together to form a larger animal; in this case, a wolf.
With its laser-cut details, vibrant colors, and sturdy wooden quality, this puzzle could double as an eye-catching decor piece. It would also make for a wow-worthy gift idea!
9. This heart-shaped puzzle could be an I-Spy game, too!
Featuring classic Callie Danielle illustrations and doodles inspired by the sun and sand of 30A beaches, this heart-shaped puzzle is truly unique. Search for summer treats, beach attire, ocean wildlife, and more beachy scenery found on Florida’s famous 30A!
10. This hilarious puzzle features 101 pooping pups.
Sure, dog poop is a fairly gross concept for a puzzle, but it’s pretty funny too! This puzzle will surely bring a smile to the face of any dog-lover. Just add a little puzzle glue and a frame, and your completed masterpiece will make for some unique bathroom art, too!
11. This colorful puzzle will be a huge hit with LEGO fans.
LEGO Rainbow Bricks 1,000-Piece Puzzle – $11.37 (regularly $17.95)
This 1,000-piece LEGO Rainbow Brick Puzzle comes together to reveal bricks in all shades of the LEGO rainbow. Fun for solo builders or the whole family, this LEGO rainbow will brighten any rainy day.
12. This puzzle features the artwork of Charles Wysocki.
Buffalo Games – Frederick the Literate 300-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle – $9.97 (regularly $12.99)
The folksy charm of Charles Wysocki’s artwork shines through in this 300 large-piece jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of this puzzle are 67% larger than traditional puzzle pieces, which makes them easier to see and hold for puzzlers of all ages. A bonus puzzle poster is also included so that you have a handy reference of what the completed puzzle should look like.
13. This serene puzzle is based on the artwork of Darrell Bush.
Buffalo Games – Darrell Bush Moonlight Lodge 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle $11.97 (regularly $14.99)
Darrell Bush is one of America’s top artists, known for the way he paints the luminescent presence of light. This puzzle features one of Darrell’s paintings with two dogs waiting at the water’s edge, welcoming boaters ashore for the evening.
14. Enjoy breakfast in bed with this fanciful Aimee Stewart puzzle.
Buffalo Games – Aimee Stewart Breakfast in Bed 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle $9.26 (regularly $14.99)
If you’ve ever completed one of Aimee Stewart’s puzzles, you know that her captivating images can whisk you away to a world of whimsy. In this puzzle, a colorful blanket is set for a cozy breakfast in bed.
Can’t get enough of these product recommendations? Check out our latest buying guides!
I got the National Parks puzzle as a gift this past Christmas – I just love it! Super fun to put together and the quality is great.
YAY! So happy to hear you loved it Tracey! 💗
I was able to find the Disney poster puzzle in the used section on Amazon for $12.83. Says it’s like new but box is damaged. I’ve had good luck with these like new/damaged box items before, so here’s hoping🤞🏻
YAY! So happy you were able to snag some savings on that puzzle, Patti! 🤗💗
I have so many puzzles I have done the past few years. I wish I knew someone closer to me that would take advantage of the great deals I let them go for. It seems like puzzles are a dying thing now that people aren’t stuck at home. I did have one person buy a bulk deal for work to keep around their lunch area for everyone to poke at. I thought that was a neat idea. I wish I could just donate them, but my mother bought some too and I can’t afford to make at least some of the money back. Some of the puzzles can be very pricey.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Sue! Love the idea of having puzzles in the workplace’s lunch area – I like to set out puzzles in a central location also to work on as I walk by! 🥰
White Mountain puzzles are the absolute best…the pieces always snap together perfectly.
Thanks for taking a moment to comment on the quality of these puzzles. dannee! 💞
I’m a huge puzzler and have done all of these. I don’t recommend the heart shaped one! The pieces are really small and they don’t fit well together. I found it frustrating. The others all are good though!
Unidragon wood puzzles have ruined all other puzzles for us! I bought my daughter a jumbo sized mandala puzzle lest year and now those are the only puzzles we enjoy. if you like a challenging puzzle that sits on your table for a week while you slowly work on it and is gorgeous when finished I highly recommend these puzzles they are worth the price tag.
Happy to hear these puzzles have been a hit, Wendy! Thanks for the recommendation! I’m going to have to tell my daughter in law about these as she loves to work on puzzles, but I’m not sure she’s tried any of these yet! ❤️