Creative Playthings Inc

This series of puzzles by Creative Playthings Inc. dates from the 1950’s and are all see-inside puzzles – as the pieces are lifted they reveal an image beneath of what is inside, or beneath. The puzzles have all been photographed with the pieces removed showing the fabulous black and white drawings beneath the colour saturated painted layer. The majority of the puzzles in this set have the signature of Jeanne Bendick, who went on to illustrate over 100 books for children, in addition to writing scripts for television and films. Interestingly Jeanne Bendick married Robert Bendick in 1940, with Robert being one of the first of 3 cameramen at CBS-TV. The final puzzle in this section has often made me wonder what the message was being implied – featuring as it does, a TV cameraman filming a dancing man and woman with a muzzled bear between them outside a television studio – I think it may have been an in-joke between Jeanne and her TV cameraman husband Robert. The envelope pictured alongside was the packaging for the puzzles, and this arrived with my oversees purchase of the puzzle ‘Louie’s Diner’ in mint condition, having never previously seen the light of day. The envelope helpfully listed the entire catalogue of Creative Puzzles alongside the piece-count for the junior puzzles, ages 2 – 5 (10 – 19 pieces) and the same puzzles but with more pieces for the senior child, ages 4 to 7 (21 – 34 pieces) Creative Playthings, Inc. offers a series of exclusive wood puzzles that supplement the social study and science curricula of the Kindergarden and primary grades in a graphic way’

All of the puzzles are manufactured using the early technique of the puzzles sitting on top of a wooden tray with a wooden surround; later modern versions of these puzzles were of an inset style. The set is almost complete with just one more puzzle to find; the children’s hospital.