Category Archives: Games

APRIL FOOLS! (Update: A Brand New Puzzle App!)

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Alas, we’re sad to inform you that Puzzles for Pets, the hot new app on the puzzle scene, is just a delightful conjuring of the PN development crew. There’s no such thing.

We know, we know, your pets are disappointed. Mine too.

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But we hope you enjoyed our little April Fools Day prank. It was great fun to cook up and execute, and the response from the PuzzleNation audience was terrific.

Thanks for a fun day, and keep your eyes peeled, because we do have a new puzzle set for you coming this afternoon!

We’ll see you again soon, friends.

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A Brand New Puzzle App!

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Fellow puzzlers and PuzzleNationers, I know we don’t normally post on Saturdays, but we’ve got an announcement so exciting that we simply cannot wait to share it!

PuzzleNation proudly presents the newest addition to our puzzle app lineup:

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That’s right, finally you can share the fun and excitement of puzzle solving with the entire family by including your beloved pets in the solving experience!

Capitalizing on a recent breakthrough in paw print-recognition technology, Puzzles for Pets allows pets to interact directly with their favorite puzzles. Just put your smartphone or tablet on the floor and let them puzzle to their heart’s content!

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Does your dog love number puzzles? Check out Shih Tzu-doku!

Does your kitty enjoy hunting hidden words like mice! We’ve got Purred Searches!

Forget Blue’s Clues! It’s time for your pooch, tabby, iguana, or hamster to have clues of their very own with our Critter Crosswords!

Don’t let your pets go puzzleless for one more day!

Your furry friend could go from this…

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… to this in no time!

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Download Puzzles for Pets today! Just click the link for more info! It’s that easy!

Thanks for visiting PuzzleNation Blog today! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on everything PuzzleNation!

You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!

PuzzleNation Product Review: Fidgitz

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[Note: I received a free copy of this puzzle in exchange for a fair, unbiased review. Due diligence, full disclosure, and all that.]

The goal of most mechanical brain teasers is simple: complete a certain task. Sometimes, you’re twisting a cube until each face is a different color, or removing one piece from a multi-piece setup, or disassembling a three-dimensional cube entirely, or puzzling out the necessary steps to open a box.

But no matter the task, the ultimate satisfaction comes from conquering the puzzle. ThinkFun’s newest brain teaser, Fidgitz, turns that concept on its head by making the act of manipulating the puzzle as gratifying as solving it.

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Fidgitz consists of six spheres that are all connected with ball-in-socket joints, allowing you to twist, slide, and manipulate the puzzle in all sorts of ways. Each sphere is half blue and half white, and your ultimate goal is to maneuver the spheres so that the puzzle is all white on one side and all blue on the other.

I liken solving Fidgitz to solving a Rubik’s Cube, because it has the same sort of chain solving to it. Each move you make affects many parts of the puzzle, so you need to work a few steps ahead of where you are in order to make the most of each action you take.

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But unlike Rubik’s famous cube and other twisty puzzles, Fidgitz offers an immensely enjoyable level of engagement as you’re solving that’s unlike practically any other puzzle I’ve encountered. It’s fun to manipulate the puzzle, but it’s also very calming.

The seemingly infinite chain of twisting, shifting, and rotating the spheres is soothing. It didn’t matter that, at times, I thought I would never manage to get all six spheres arranged together. The sheer act of attempting to do so was engaging enough.

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In that way, it’s very similar to the bracelets and other tangle toys given to folks with anxiety or conditions like trichotillomania, where keeping your hands occupied can serve as a beneficial tool for easing nervous impulses.

As a single, self-contained puzzle, Fidgitz is travel-friendly, and whether you’re looking for a new brain teaser to challenge you or a satisfying tool to keep your hands occupied, ThinkFun’s newest product has got you covered.

Fidgitz is available from ThinkFun through Amazon and other online retailers. Click here to check out other ThinkFun product reviews!

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You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!

ACPT and New Puzzle Sets: A Perfect Crossword Pairing!

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The 40th edition of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is this weekend!

Puzzlers from all over are sharpening their pencils and their wits as they gear up for what is affectionately known as the Nerd Olympics, and we here at PuzzleNation wish all of the competitors the best of luck!

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Here’s hoping Puzzle #5 isn’t as diabolical as it has been in previous years!

And since we’re on the subject of crosswords, we’re happy to announce the latest additions to our lineup of terrific puzzle sets for the Penny Dell Crosswords App!

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For prolific puzzlers and savvy solvers alike, we’ve got a puzzle bundle tailor-made for you. Collection 20 offers 150 easy, medium, and hard puzzles designed to challenge and satisfy any crossword enthusiast!

With bundles of puzzles organized by difficulty, no matter what your skill level, there’s something here for you!

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You can’t go wrong with these awesome deals! PuzzleNation brings you the best puzzle-solving experience available, with topnotch puzzles right in your pocket, ready to go at a moment’s notice! That’s the PuzzleNation guarantee.

Happy solving, everyone! And stay tuned! Next week, we’ll have more terrific puzzle sets for your enjoyment! The April Deluxe editions are coming soon!

Thanks for visiting PuzzleNation Blog today! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on everything PuzzleNation!

You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!

Birds have a monopoly on Monopoly!

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The folks at Monopoly are constantly trying new things in order to stay relevant in today’s ever-evolving game market.

When they celebrated Monopoly’s 80th anniversary in 2015, some of the games were sent out with real money instead of Monopoly money, which is a fantastic idea to promote the game.

In 2013, though, they tried something different, offering a more permanent change. They replaced the token of the iron with a token of a cat. Hazel the Cat. I was less enthused with this change.

But, hey, it’s just one token. No big loss. You’ve still got Scottie the dog, the thimble, the race car, the boot, the battleship, the wheelbarrow, and the top hat.

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[Image courtesy of Gizmodo.]

Well, that’s no longer the case.

Back in January, Hasbro launched an Internet poll to determine a new lineup of tokens for editions of the game going forward. You could vote to keep the current lineup, or you could select nominees from a list of dozens of possible replacements.

Those potential replacements included a goldfish, a trumpet, a telephone, a monster truck, a life preserver, a beach ball, a set of cufflinks, a bulky old cellphone, a bunny slipper, and several emoji faces.

Hasbro announced the results of their poll, and several of the original tokens didn’t make the cut.

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[Image courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.]

That’s right. Not only did Hazel the Cat stick around — ugh! — but the boot, the wheelbarrow, and the thimble are gone.

They’ve been replaced with a rubber duck, a penguin, and a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Now, let’s be fair. A T-rex token is awesome. I can get behind that. But a rubber duck and a penguin? Were all the voters really really into Batman Returns or something? (As they pointed out on Gizmodo, all of the winners are weird birds.)

Granted, I for one am grateful that none of the stupid emoji characters — like the crying-laughing face or the smooch face — made it into the game.

But to see the thimble go hurts. I conducted an informal poll among my fellow game fans and puzzlers, and the thimble and Scottie the dog were far and away the most popular.

Oh well. At least now there’s the option for a rule about a T-rex stomping someone’s house and causing property damage. That would be one heck of a Chance card.

Thanks for visiting PuzzleNation Blog today! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on everything PuzzleNation!

You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!

So Many Puzzle Brands, So Little Timex!

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After a few months off to rest up and recharge our punny brains, on Monday we were happy to announce the return of our monthly Puzzle Hashtag Game!

And today, I’m posting the results of our #PennyDellPuzzlyBrands hashtag game!

You may be familiar with the board game Schmovie, hashtag games on Twitter, or @midnight’s Hashtag Wars segment on Comedy Central.

For over a year now, we’ve been collaborating on puzzle-themed hashtag games with our pals at Penny Dell Puzzles, and this month’s hook was #PennyDellPuzzlyBrands, mashing up Penny Dell puzzles and products, companies, and slogans!

Examples include Pep-say that again, Dorito the Nines, and Campbell’s Alphabet Soup!

So, without further ado, check out what the puzzlers at PuzzleNation and Penny Dell Puzzles came up with!

Puzzly Food Brands!

Countdown Chocula

Lucky Star Charms

Observation Post Raisin Bran

Alpha-Bits and Reese’s Pieces

Cadburied Treasure

Zigzag nut candy bar

KenKen mints

HubbaBubbacaps

Crypto-Teddy-Grahams

Teddy-Graham-less Crostic

Keebler Anagram Crackers

Slide-O-Gram Crackers

PhasaGram Crackers

Nabisco Ana-graham Crackers

Nabiscrosswords

Missing Domino Sugar

Swiss Miss-ing Trios / Swiss Missing Vowels

Coca-Bowl-a Game

Discocacola

Tropicancellations

Letter Powerade

Capri Sunrays

Red Bulls-Eye Spiral

CryptoSeagrams

Orville Redenblockbuilders

Pop Secret Words

Common Combos

Wise Potato Chips

Ritz Crackers

Fancy Five Guys

Chick-fil-A to Z Maze

Trade-Off Joe’s

Missing Dominoes Pizza

Domino Theory Pizza

Extra Cheesy Domino Theory Breadsticks

Goo Goo Crozzle

Kibbles ‘n Bits ‘n Pieces

Fancy Fives Feast

Flower Power Bars

King Arthur Flour Power

Treasure Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

Double Up Oreos

Funyunscramblers

Triscuit Figures

Starkist Words

Blue Diamond Ring Almonds

Hormel Word Spiral Ham

Spammers

PollyO Pulling Strings Cheese

Maze-ola corn oil

Mrs. Dash-It

Vlasic Variety Pickles Plus Crosswords

Eggland’s Best Logic Problems

Puzzly Brands!

Build-A-Pyramid Workshop

Nikeywords

FedHexagams

Missing Chevroletters / Chevrolet Word Trailsblazer

Dixon Pencil Pusher / Ticonderoga Pencil Pusher

Pop-O-Matic Double Trouble

Dell Crazy Glue Clues

Stay-free Maxi-Points (with wings!)

Ty-D-Bol Game

New York Stock Exchange Boards

Kiss My Face to Face

VOSS Arithmetic

Pur-In A Word

Silly-Putty-bility

Anderson Window Boxes

InstaQuotagrams

Hot Wheels

SpellBounty

Right of Way-Gard

Double Uptree

Around the Blockbuster

Bob the Blockbuilders

Bubbles Wrap

FrisBe-fore and After

Photoshop Finish

All Four One-sies

Matchbox-Up / Mathbox cars

Zip-lock It

Tylenol for One

Missing Listerine

Ginsudoku

Anagram Magic Bullet

Calvin Klein ‘Em Up

Tidy Categories

Rolex the Dice

Armor All Fours

Lorealpha Quotes

Aquaphor-Fit

Whirlpool Words

Thom McAnagrams

Pinecone-sol

Quick & Febreze-y Crosswords

Take-a-Breakstone’s Word Seeks

Puzzly Brands and Slogans!

HeinekenKen – You can finish the beer or the puzzle, but not both.

Just SuDoKu It. – Pennikey (after the merger, obviously)

A Diamond Rings is Forever…or until you finish the puzzle – DeBeers

Imagination at Framework – General Electric

Because you’re Wordsworth it. – L’oreal

All the News That’s Four-Fit to Print – NY Times

Good to the Last Letterdrop – Maxwell House

Connecting Poetic People – Nokia

A DeBeer’s Diamond Mine…Where A Penny Puzzle is Forever.

Bounty paper towels jingle: “When puzzle spills are at their worst, Bounty is at it’s best – Bounty the quicker Picker-Upper!”

Target’s Bull Terrier puzzle mascot “Bull’s-Eye Spiral”

Have you come up with any Penny Dell Puzzly Brands entries of your own? Let us know! We’d love to see them!

Thanks for visiting PuzzleNation Blog today! Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on everything PuzzleNation!

You can also share your pictures with us on Instagram, friend us on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr, and explore the always-expanding library of PuzzleNation apps and games on our website!