Who? What? Where?

Who's on first? What's the name of this funk? Where's the nearest exit? Are these profound questions? Do we want to know the name of the batter who just drew a walk? Are we discussing the order of speakers? Do I stink? Am I&

Sky Watch

What lies behind the light pollution? Anyone who has not flown into space must rely on images, telescopes and imagination to see beyond the sun, moon and clearly visible objects whizzing about. Whatever is out there won't be as much fun as this batch of puzzles. Trade your

A Walk in the Dark

With Halloween approaching, dive into some spooky fun with my collection of stories and puzzles. I roll out my Hallowmas Collection once a year for your enjoyment (or horror!) Bookmark the tag page and wait for Friday! To keep you busy until then, here are some fun puzzles. Hit reply

A Walk in the Park

Imagine a leisurely stroll through your neighborhood park. The autumn chill is barely noticeable as you take in nature's glorious hues. The serenity is interrupted by humanity, but it is sporadic enough to avoid triggering whatever antisocial feelings you might have. Alone with your thoughts, your mind wanders

Double O Seven

This issue celebrates the bonds of doubled O's. I hope you won't be shaken by the challenges. Perhaps they will stir fond memories. Whatever. 😂 Enjoy the puzzles! Cheers, Mitch Double O SevenBond, James BondDouble O Seven.pdf1 MBdownload-circle

It's All Relative

The title really makes me want to start this off with a Dad joke. I shall refrain (you're welcome.) I'll just say that I have been designing puzzles based on relatives for a while. Most of them wind up on the cutting floor. The ones that

Shifting Sands

The English language has so many quirks. Of them, I think idioms are the most fascinating. I always get puzzle ideas when thinking about such expressions. Check out the attached puzzles, inspired by "shifting sands". The first, Paradigm Shift, explores the many meanings of the word shift. The

Logic Puzzle Forge

The Time-Sucking Truth About Logic Puzzle Creation (And How Kevin Berry Fixed It) Creating logic puzzles should be fun. That's why most of us started doing it, right? We love the satisfaction of crafting a perfect challenge that makes solvers think without making them want to throw the

Dog Days of Summer

Technically, the period has passed. Colloquially, it is still upon us. The hot, sticky heat here in the United States saps energy, fries eggs on sidewalks and makes some people long for winter. I try to stay inside as much as possible. I'll do jigsaw puzzles, play games

Understanding Canva and Creative Fabrica Licensing

What Creators Should Know Before Selling Physical or Digital Products This guide is not legal advice. It summarizes publicly available information about how Canva and Creative Fabrica licenses appear to work for commercial use as of August 2025[1]. 🎨 Creative Fabrica – What You Can (and Can't) Do 🛍️ Selling

Dominoes and Butterflies

With schools set to start soon, your stomach may be craving pizza. Or, you might be nervous. Probably neither, I just wanted to play with the title of this issue. The theme is actually more scholarly. Test your knowledge of philosophy with the Dominoes and Butterflies puzzle. Afterwards, relax with

Pathfinders

More summer fun to engage your brain. This issue is about pathfinding. Instead of boring old mazes, I found a couple of interactive gems that you can play online. Net From Simon Tatham's Portable Puzzle Collection Reassemble the network by rotating the tiles until all terminals are connected.

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

What We Learn in the Gap

Collaborating with AI means acknowledging the source of ideas. The following piece was authored by ChatGPT. It never knew my true intent: brainstorming fresh puzzle ideas. The reasons for this will become clear as you read. Initially, I thought about editing out the Elmish ("LLM-speak" and those infernal

Lockbox Mystery

My wife and I frequently visit T. J. Maxx. There is always something interesting to catch my eye, whether it is a new snack, kitchen gadget or home furnishings. Recently, I spotted a clear lockbox that just begged me to buy it for a puzzle! (How many of you remember

Paint a Picture

Lemongello da Cremona, a notorious art forger, has struck again, desecrating the classics for the sake of a pun. I've captured four of them for you to solve. AI-generated art makes possible some really strange and unique puzzles. I've written before about the Connections-style puzzles (see

Picture This

Visual Puzzle Formats I’ve been thinking a lot about how to structure a visual puzzle book that goes beyond variety and aims for progression, discovery, and depth. What follows is a field guide of puzzle types I’ve worked with or analyzed closely. Spot-the-Differences Mechanic: Visual Comparison Classic visual

The Best Laid Plans

"Cartoon mice must be of a different species from the filthy, disgusting, germ-ridden things I pay people to kill." - Hillard Allen Father's Day is such a cool day for me. I have a fun father and fun kids! (My grown children are always going to

Impostor

As summer rolls into the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll want plenty of fresh puzzles. I’ve got you covered. This week, flex your word-play muscles with Color Code, tackle Impostor Syndrome, and dust off your pop-culture trivia knowledge with Seeing Stars? Finally, I've created three fresh visual puzzles

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

The Hidden Bias in ChatGPT's Memory (And How Puzzle Creators Can Outsmart It)

You sit down to brainstorm ideas for your next puzzle book. You fire up ChatGPT, type "Give me 15 fresh word search themes," and hit enter. The suggestions roll in—music genres, animals, seasonal activities. They look good. They feel familiar. Maybe too familiar. Three books later, you

Online

Replayable Puzzles

What Makes a Puzzle “Replayable”—and Should It Be? Activity books often mix in specialty puzzles alongside standard formats. I often notice only one or two of these oddballs in a given book, but those are what I consider "replayable" in spirit. Not because the same puzzle is

Printable

Mothers Day

Here is a quiet note for you. Mothers Day evokes different feelings for each of us. I hope that you find joy and peace on this day. To mark the occasion, here are a few puzzles. Enjoy! Mothers Day PuzzlesThree Themed PuzzlesMothers Day Puzzles.pdf7 MBdownload-circle

Twin Blitz

Twin Blitz is a fast-paced visual puzzle where you scan 16 tiles, each filled with a mix of quirky symbols. One pair is an exact match, tap both before the clock runs out. It’s a satisfying challenge for sharp eyes and quick fingers. Play now

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Using a Hammer to Turn A Screw

Summary: When LLMs Meet Letter Insertion: A Case Study I wanted to know if ChatGPT could help me brainstorm a list of word pairs, where the second word differed from the first by the insertion of a single letter between the first and second letters of the first word, such

Printable

Puzzles From Games

My dad taught me how much fun it is to make games from stuff lying around the house. He cut open two album covers and taped them together to make a large, foldable board. Then he cut the corners from an entire deck of cards so that only the suit