Update!

(15 August) The database should now be fixed, so there are no more stray funny characters... but there may still be glitches. I just discovered that all of the Peanuts puzzles had disappeared, because "artist=peanuts" was not matching "Peanuts"; so there is more to do in sorting out case-insensitive matching.

Database problem!

Apologies! A recent database upgrade has left lots of Japanese text corrupted, and also some variant characters, such as the e-acute in "Pokémon," not showing correctly. I am working to correct this but may take some days...

申し訳ありません 現在、データーベースの問題でほとんどのパズルの詳細などの日本語が文字化けになっています。修復するまで何日かかかるかも知れません。ご了承ください。

Jigsaw puzzle manufacturers

Ensky – Artbox brand

On this page: Box contents - Ensky website - Identifying Ensky puzzles - Special orders

Ensky produces puzzles under the Artbox brand. The Ensky name is relatively new, only appearing in 2005, but the Artbox brand has a longer history, originally being produced by the Amada Printing Manufacturing Company. For historical notes and some more details, see the manufacturers page.

If you have a piece missing from an Ensky puzzle, we may be able to help.

Box contents

In days gone by you opened a jigsaw puzzle box, and inside were just the pieces! But Japanese puzzles come with various extra bits and pieces. The assumption is that you will only do the puzzle once, then glue it together for wall mounting, to impress your friends.

1 Pieces

2 Missing piece postcard (Details on request)

3 Sachet of jigsaw puzzle glue (principal ingredient polyvinyl alcohol - PVA)

4 "Mystery object" (glue spreader)

Doing the puzzle

Ignore the strict instructions to do the edge pieces first: put the bits together in any order you like. If you want to display the puzzle, you can use the glue to stick it together. Spread a sheet of clean but unwanted paper under the completed puzzle, with the puzzle the right way up. (Some people say it's best to do this on a sheet of glass, which the puzzle won't stick to.) Then pour the glue over the front of the puzzle: spread it out carefully with the mystery object, so all the joints get neatly filled with glue. It should dry with a nice glossy finish. It is a good idea to practice on a small puzzle before you try this on a really large one.

Disclaimer: I have very limited experience of gluing puzzles - I usually break them up to do again some day. But I have had some success with trompe l'oeil murals!

Please note: Actual box contents may vary slightly - if you find any major discrepancies, please let us know.

Website

The Ensky (Artbox) website is here: https://www.ensky.co.jp. There are now two index pages. The first, "Puzzle topics", has a list of all the characters appearing, unfortunately not in any obvious order (they are arranged in Japanese phonetic a-i-u-e-o order). The second, "Puzzle types", lists the different sizes of puzzles, and variations such as the "crystal" translucent puzzles. The following links lead to the first page of products for each character, with page navigation at the top and bottom if there is more than one page. Click the thumbnail for details.

The small numbers in parenthesis show the approximate number of puzzles in each category. (These may be missing or out of date; the Artbox catalog is updated frequently, and categories often come and go.)

Puzzle topics

Puzzle types

Under 100 pieces (16) - 100-199 pieces (214) - 200-299 pieces (104) - 300-499 pieces (276) - 500-999 pieces (95) - 1000 pcs and over (193) - Large pieces (50) - Compact puzzles (29) - Tiny puzzles (64) - Mini-puzzles (76) - Art board puzzles (31) - Decoration puzzles (14) - Crystal (111) - Art ball puzzles (2) - Frames (39) - Miscellaneous puzzles (2)

(Updated August 2023)

Identifying Ensky puzzles

The Ensky product codes all start with the piece count, then a hyphen, then a code number: e.g., 1000-29 is a 1000-piece puzzle. Imaginatorium Shop item codes all begin with 'N' (for "Ensky", as none of the letters in 'Artbox' was available!) followed by a condensed version, with the first two digits indicating the number of pieces. So the above is N1029, then N03xxx means 300 pieces, N20yyy means 2000 pieces, N95zzz means 950 pieces, and so on.