For toy retailers, stocking their shelves with a variety of puzzles is essentially a no-brainer. A category that has been lauded both for its exercise in brain building and its “fun” value, puzzles are a win-win across the board. Aside from appealing to all ages and skill levels, they are both parent-pleasers and kid-pleasers, and stand out as one of the few toys that can be deemed “interactive” without requiring batteries.

“We look at puzzles as brain food for young and older minds,” says Pat Duncan, president of Norwalk, Conn.-based Great American Puzzle Factory. “They allow children the opportunity to work together, but can also provide an excellent independent activity.”

One particular series, the company's John Deere line, is a favorite for all ages. Duncan says adults buy them for their nostalgia value, while preschoolers enjoy the 60-piece puzzles for the scenes of characters at work in the garden, at the fair or on the farm with trademark farming machinery in tow.

Other strong sellers include the company's 1,000-piece It's All in the Game puzzle—a colored collage depicting various games like Chinese checkers and dominoes—and the Faces and Places puzzle, which comes with a 32-page guide book so kids can quiz their friends and family on various facts.

Cobble Hill Puzzle Co. of Victoria, British Columbia, started out four years ago with a line of product exclusive to adult puzzlers. Next year, the company will make a “huge push” into the kids' market, says Dave Manga, president of their distributor, Outset Media.

“We will have 10 different piece counts for kids, and are introducing 80 kids' images this year,” Manga says. The addition of a broadened selection amounts to a tremendous range of product, from eight-piece framed puzzles for young children to challenging 1,000-piece fine art puzzles for true puzzle aficionados.

As for what typically sells, Manga says it's all in the artwork. “Every year we see a lot of gimmicky puzzles, and some do quite well for a short period of time, but at the end of the day, people always want great imagery.” He cites horses in the snow and Santa themes as especially popular this time of year.

When Champaign, Ill.-based Hobbico first entered the puzzle market, the company researched its target customer. Having deduced an adult puzzle builder profile of women in their mid-30s, who also buy product for their children ages 9-12, Hobbico tailored its line to include 500- and 100-piece offerings to hit both demographics.

According to Brian Schmit, Hobbico's senior product manager, the introduction of the company's lenticular puzzle line (under the Visual Echo brand name) triggered tremendous growth and has even spurred some knock-offs.

“When we launched our product three years ago, we knew that we needed to stand out against other puzzle boxes and display what lenticular is,” Schmit explains. Opting for a bright yellow box, Hobbico placed a card on the front to demonstrate the lenticular—an image that shows depth or motion as the viewing angle changes—effect. “As a result, we instantly became the best selling puzzle at Target,” he says.

Today, the company prides itself on working closely with artists to bring new images to fruition. “The amazing thing is, no one puzzle outsells the others,” notes Schmit. “Every time we launch a new series of images, we see an immediate spike in sales.”

At Puzzles Plus in Beaverton, Ore., puzzles reign supreme. In fact, they comprise a whopping 95 percent of the shop's overall business. Owners Brian and Sandy Woodruff say they have seen a definite increase in puzzle sales over the last five years, which can perhaps be attributed to their dedicated product focus.

To generate increased interest in their puzzle business, the Woodruffs offer their customers a Preferred Puzzler Plan that enables customers to earn free merchandise after purchasing set amounts. “There is no time limit to reach their goals,” they say of this flexible spending program, which appeals to both their longtime and new clientele.

Of the best-selling items in store this year, the owners note the genre of puzzle storage systems and materials, namely flat caddies by Shamrock Specialty Packaging and roll-up systems by Springbok and Ravensburger/FX Schmid.

Puzzles Plus also does well with 300-piece puzzles, which, the Woodruffs say, are “easier to see and handle by older adults. Numerous companies have come out with puzzles with pictures that are pleasing to adults.” These include Sunsout, Great American Puzzle Factory and Buffalo Games.

Also catering to its more senior customers is Games by James, a group of six stores in Minnesota and Iowa that carry Ravensburger/FX Schmid's 300-piece puzzles, which feature extra-large pieces that are easy on the eyes and on the hands.

“These are great for the slighter older customer who finds the regular size puzzles a bit hard to see,” says Jennifer Hepler, president of Pointview Inc., which owns and operates the stores. One of this retailer's favorites is Winter Dawn, a Christmas farm scene.

Helper's Midwestern stores, where puzzles comprise 25 percent of overall business, are having a good year with a variety of jigsaw puzzles, she says. Standouts include: Sunsout's 1,000-piece Asian Rainforest and 500-piece unicorn-themed A Kiss for Mommy; Buffalo Games' 1,000-piece photomosaic series and specialty artists Hautman Brothers and Norman Rockwell; and Great American Puzzle Factory's Buds N' Blooms. “Puzzles with nature scenes and a lot of interesting detail tend to sell well,” says Hepler. She also praises Melissa & Doug's wooden preschool offerings, especially the freestanding Chunky Puzzles line. “Not only are they wonderful puzzles, but children can use the individual pieces as toys.”

With its flagship New York store amassing 65,000 square feet, the highly selective FAO Schwarz is known for stocking standout merchandise. And while puzzles comprise a modest piece of the pie—1 percent of the New York store's business in 2006—it is still a category that garners much attention.

“Parents are becoming more and more enthusiastic about hands-on, educational toys,” says FAO buyer Nicole Shekalus. As a result, puzzles are beating the store's sales plan by 60 percent this year.

While traditional jigsaws sell themselves for the most part, others require a bit more attention. One such example is an FAO exclusive: the Bedlam Cube, a brain-teaser from Plymouth, England-based Bedlam Puzzles, which a staff member regularly puts together on the sales floor, much to the amazement of shoppers. “He draws people in to come give it a try,” Shekalus says. “He is never without a crowd of people around him playing it.” She touts the cube for being “incredibly challenging without being impossible” to figure out.

Because this particular puzzle is such a favorite, FAO will be introducing another Bedlam puzzle this holiday season that will launch simultaneously in Hamleys' flagship toy shop in London, Shekalus adds.

FAO Manhattan also is having success with the New York Panoramic puzzle assortment from Buffalo Games, which appeals to a large tourist clientele seeking New York-themed souvenirs, Shekalus says.

Another retailer tapping into her customers' interests is Nancy Bloomberg, co-owner of La Toys Etcetera in Cedarhurst, N.Y. Because a notable demographic of this suburban Long Island town observes the Sabbath, she stocks toys that parents can enjoy along with their kids. By focusing on the needs of her customers, Bloomberg has had a definite increase in the number of puzzle SKUs; the 2,800-square-foot shop now houses 48 feet of them, she says.

In addition to young families, Bloomberg notes puzzles' appeal to more senior customers. “I now sell puzzles that adults buy for another adult who may be ill or just retired,” she points out. “I find myself also buying 2,000-piece groups of pleasant countryside themes or floral arrangements that my adult customers will glue together and frame as a picture when they finish.”

In addition to ages, Bloomberg says certain puzzle themes attract different genders. Right now, sea life and dinosaur themes are hot for boys, while ballet, puppies, kittens and enchantment puzzles are tops with girls.

As the puzzles section of her store continues to grow and change, Bloomberg expands the selection with more themes and new suppliers, rotating her choices so the mix looks fresh, although she notes, “Unlike other categories, if you have one or two pieces leftover from an old order, they [still] look good on the shelf.”

As store owners attest, puzzles have staying power. “Puzzles have always been a staple, and many parents still encourage their children to work on them for their educational value,” say the Woodruffs of Puzzles Plus.

FAO's Shekalus praises puzzles for their broad age appeal. “There's no age limit to when people stop buying,” she says.

And at a time when many are looking to de-stress, puzzles offer a way to slow down and focus. To that end, Pointview's Helper believes people are enjoying jigsaws more than ever. “You can work a puzzle with a couple of friends and talk at the same time,” she says. “There will always be a demand for relaxing forms of entertainment that foster good conversation.”