BonBon (June 2022)

Often preferring to break new ground, we don't always re-release designs. We even more rarely continue to revisit a design over the long term. Only the most exciting and entertaining puzzles are consistently remade, and BonBon fits that description. It is the perfect blend of difficulty, intrigue, and display beauty.

BonBon is also just a ton of fun. The set of five tetrominoes must be fully inserted in the rectangular box, and there is only one particular way to do it. The solution requires over a dozen correct moves and rotations. It must be found by careful analysis rather than random attempts.

Accommodating the unusual cutouts in the box was an exciting design challenge. The acrylic top is held in place with a tricky set of shoulders resulting in a tight fit while retaining a solid exterior.

This third release of Bonbon was constructed from the last of the previous Butternut. Butternut is usually a very soft wood, but we found an unusually dense billet with some nice figure and curl for this project. We paired this with a dark and dense Chechen for the pieces. In addition, we created a variant for this release that combines a bright quarter-sawn Sycamore box with some lovely Chakte Viga for the internals. The fit and finish meet our accustomed accuracy, with parts sliding precisely and smoothly.

Here is an excellent blog review of BonBon by Zenpuzzler.

100 copies made for sale, each signed and dated. BonBon is shipped in an unsolved configuration.

Previous Releases:

• BonBon (October 2020)
• BonBon (February 2022)

Precision wood puzzles can be damaged by environmental changes and must be kept within the range of 40-60% relative humidity at all times. Failure to do so may cause inoperability or permanent damage. Please read the Caring for Wood Puzzles guide to ensure proper fit and operation. We recommend occasional polishing with Renaissance Wax to keep wood puzzles in top condition.