Holiday season is fast approaching, have you started the search yet for friends and family? Don't fret if you're a little behind this year, we’re here to help spark some inspiration by showcasing some of Kubiya's top recommended puzzles to give as gifts. We love all of our puzzle designs, and some are especially suited for the art of gift-giving. Bestowing the perfect present truly is an art: is the gift practical, will they enjoy and use the gift, will they treasure the gift and think of you for years to come? We hope to show you Kubiya Puzzles that check all the hypothetical gift-giving boxes on your list, and just might inspire a new hobby for decades to come. As always, these are just the highlights, visit the Kubiya Online Store to realize the huge variety of puzzles available to you.
The Himitsu-Bako Japanese Secret Puzzle Box (10 step) is a beautiful puzzle that comes highly recommended for the gift-giving holiday season. These rare gems are a traditional Personal Secret Box (or, Himitsu-Bako), designed well over 150 years ago in the Hakone region of Japan. The mountains from which the region takes its namesake are noted for their great variety of trees, and these puzzle boxes most definitely take advantage of this huge variety of natural wood colors and textures to produce the gorgeous, complex geometric patterns. The appeal of the Japanese puzzle box is not merely in its entertainment qualities, but as a mosaic woodwork, a true piece of ancient art. We recommend this puzzle because of the intricacy and beauty, and the fun of discovering whatever treasures are locked inside! $78 | Difficulty level 3/5
The Explorer Subscription Puzzle Box $39.99 | Difficulty level 3.5/5
Colored Sudoku Set $40 | Difficulty level 3/5
Japanese Diamond Puzzle $32 | Difficulty level 3/5
Heart Tangram $52 | Difficulty level 3/5
The Last Fighter IQ Mind Game $20 | Difficulty level 3/5
Link 025 Puzzle $48 | Difficulty level 3/5
The Viking Puzzle Box is the perfect “Dad Gift”. Fathers will be intrigued by the word “Viking” in the title (because who wouldn’t?), and the visually appealing mix of metal gears and levers alongside beautifully carved wood will leave him in awe of the craftsmanship. This puzzle looks dazzlingly beautiful, is challenging to solve, and is a great gift to leave on display for guests to try their luck as well. We recommend this puzzle for all ages, but we think that Fathers will especially admire the Viking Box as a new gem in their collection of curios. $98 | Difficulty level 4/5
Another honorable mention for Dads or Father figures is our 3D Tic-Tac-Toe Game. Players must keep track of their X’s or O’s in 3 dimensions, trying to score as many lines of three as they can before the grid is full. This gift is unique, and perfect for displaying on a porch or a coffee table in the living room. We recommend this game for its simplicity, uniqueness, and fast-paced gameplay. It’s endless fun to introduce friends and guests to a new, exciting twist on a game that is universally known and loved in its 2-Dimensional form. Why not up the challenge?
The Thinker Subscription Puzzle Box $39.99 | Difficulty level 4-5/5
Two in One Box $116 | Difficulty level 4/5
E-Box Puzzle $82 | Difficulty level 4/5
Escape Room X-Factor Puzzle $32 | Difficulty level 3/5
Nine Men's Morris Strategy Game $36 | Difficulty level 3/5
Alpha Puzzle Lock $72 | Difficulty level 4/5
Backgammon & Checkers Board Game $38 | Difficulty level 3/5
Karakuri Double Puzzle Box $226| Difficulty level 4/5
One of our top recommendations for puzzlers seeking a real challenge is Mission Impossible, an infallible classic named after an iconic movie. This puzzle involves packing 25 identical Y-shaped wooden pieces perfectly back into a wooden box. It sounds so simple, but is devilishly tricky! Mission Impossible is perfect to give as a gift to experienced puzzlers looking for something more difficult. The premise is simple, but the execution of the steps is a real head scratcher for even veteran puzzlers. We recommend this puzzle for its challenging nature, intriguing design, and distinctiveness from other packing-problem puzzles. $40 | Difficulty level 5/5
More Crazy difficult puzzles here Level 5 Puzzles
The Wine Stopper Lock Puzzle is a fantastic choice for any party or gathering, and is also a great way to gift someone a bottle of wine or liquor. We recommend this puzzle for many reasons, in particular for its trendy appeal to the modern era. The style of puzzle attached to the wine bottle is an Escape Room Puzzle, following the growing popularity of escape room experiences across the country. Escape Rooms even have their own movie franchise, so join in the fun and surprise your friend with the most rewarding bottle of wine that they’ll ever drink! We recommend this puzzle as a gift for all ages 21 and over, although, with enough imagination you could lock away kid-friendly beverages as well! $40 | Difficulty level 3/5
Best Choices for Kids
Teens
A great recommendation for the teens in your life is The Player Subscription Puzzle Box – For Beginners. We have tougher subscription boxes too, The Explorer and The Thinker, but if your teen is new to the world of mechanical puzzles then The Player Box is the first step to a new hobby. You are able to choose either a 1-month, 6-month, or 12-month subscription, and each month we will ship a surprise variety of puzzles right to your door with selections that we believe are worthy enough to be in your own collection! Subscription boxes are hot right now, they are quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to give a gift to a loved one. The appeal is easy to see: there’s a variety of selections as well as an element of surprise. Most importantly, whoever receives the gift has something to look forward to each month. If you choose the year long subscription, that means your friend or child will be thinking of you all year! We recommend this subscription box for teens because the difficulty ratings are not too far out of reach, but still challenging enough to get them hooked and wanting more puzzles to play with. $39.99 | Difficulty level 3-5/5
Toddlers
Kubiya’s Natural Wooden Building Block Set is perfect for toddlers who are just learning how to build with their hands and recognize shapes and patterns. The craftsmanship is unique, so that each set has slightly different wood grains. Our set comes with 24 pieces of natural wooden blocks. Not only is this a fun, classic toy that children have loved for centuries, but the blocks encourage your toddler’s creativity. They teach shape and size recognition, and help develop fine motor skills (like hand-eye coordination). Not to mention, children can play together to nurture important social skills through group play and cooperation. Building social skills at a young age while the brain is more receptive to change and growth is crucial, and that is why we recommend this as a perfect gift for children. The literal building blocks you place in front of your child could be the building blocks of their entire life! $32
Babies
Whether you need to pick up a baby shower gift or are just looking for a natural wooden toy for your own little one, we’ve got you covered! Baby behavior is unpredictable, and they love trying new things, biting new things, and eating new things! Providing quality, safe toys that are totally baby-proof is important, because mechanical puzzles are truly for everyone, even the tiniest little tots among us. Kubiya’s wooden toys are made from organic, non-toxic, sustainable material, meaning that concerned parents never have to worry about their baby’s natural instinct to chew. One of the most popular baby toys from our collection is the Xylophone – made out of a rainbow of colors, one for each musical note! Studies have shown, and most people just know from common sense, that introducing the brain to music as early as possible is a major recipe for success. Buy your child a baby xylophone today, and soon you’ll be cheering them on at their music recitals! We recommend this gift because of the bright colors, the fun musical element, and the safe, smooth design. $32
Another honorable mention in the baby category is the Stacking Ring Baby Toy, made up of multicolored, different sized wooden rings that can be stacked on a pole. Crowned at the top of the stack is an adorable mouse head to complete the delightful image. There is even a built-in safety feature: the rod that holds the rings is bendable at the base so that it falls to the side if pressure is applied. $32
Go forth and solve puzzles!
The examples above are just a few of our favorites from the collection, make sure you browse for yourself to see if anything resonates with your personal taste! We've spoken many, many times in this blog about the beauty, artistry, and intelligence behind the craft of puzzle design, and it's always worth repeating! Building, constructing, and solving a great puzzle leaves a sense of accomplishment to the recipient that is unmatched by any silly, mindless game played on a smartphone app. Take a break from the chaos of social media, use your hands, and reinvigorate some problem-solving skills while having a great time! Please keep Kubiya in mind during your seasonal shopping, especially for those people (we all know a few) who are particularly tough to shop for. With the uniqueness and variety of a mechanical puzzle, there's no need to worry about double gifting. Keep calm, puzzle on, and happy solving to you and your loved ones!