I wonder if there’s a market for puzzle rentals.  I think we should be able to rent them out and return them after we’ve solved them, much like borrowing books from the library or getting movies from Netflix.  That way we get the satisfaction of solving more of them without the associated price tag of purchasing them.  In trying to find such a thing, I came across RentAPuzzle, which does just that, but forces a time limit on solving the puzzle and costs a pretty penny.  I’d like a more economical way of playing around with puzzles – one that lets me do so in my leisure the way Netflix lets you enjoy a movie for as long as you want before you swap it in for the next one.

Based off that site, it doesn’t seem to be a hugely popular thing (or perhaps it’s just because people are like me and prefer not to have a 2-month restriction).  Might also be that people who spend a lot of time putting a puzzle together never want to take it apart again.  Though it’s kind of cool to have around as a keepsake, if I wanted to put a puzzle together to seal it with glue and put up, I would have just gotten a painting instead.  Certainly I would take plenty of pictures to remember it by, but I’d rather have another one to work on and challenge me (and without dropping hundreds of dollars on those crazy huge ones).

So cute!

Or maybe I could just get these eco-friendly ones, which are super cute.  The paper is embedded with seeds (see more on seed paper here) so you can finish the puzzle, then plant the pieces!  Now there’s a dual use.  As the paper biodegrades, it becomes fertilizers for the little seedlings sprouting.  Pretty nifty, but then nobody else gets to enjoy that puzzle.  I still think the best solution is a huge warehouse of them where people can choose the ones they want to work on and exchange them for the next one when they’re ready.  That way everybody gets to do more with fewer puzzles being created, which means less material and energy used.  I’m all about saving the environment in every little area possible.