Today, I present you with another great Picture Frame Puzzle design, produced exclusively by Puzzle Crafthouse. Created by Dave Janelle, the Noah's Ark Puzzle is a beautiful interpretation of the Bible's narrative and is the latest addition to their Picture Frame series.

Depicted in the puzzle are Noah himself and five animal species, for a total of 11 pieces. Each piece is thoroughly detailed with perfect deep-cut lines, and the frame measures about 17.7 x 19.5cm (7" x 7.7"). Dave had a great idea of having six different woods in the puzzle, giving each animal species and Noah their own identity, creating this way a stunning visual effect. Note that each puzzle will have a different wood mix. Another design choice worth praising is that the traditional squared frame was dropped over a more original one, a boat-shaped frame.

The puzzle is rated at a level 3/5+, and judging by the difficulty I encountered with previous puzzles, I'd say it's about right. It's definitely easier than last week's Flower Garden - Hawaii. Solving time for the Noah's Ark was about 30 minutes.

After solving the puzzle, I was in for a surprise. When comparing my solution against the one provided with the puzzle, I saw that they were quite different in the piece arrangement, except for a few common ones. This goes against what I've been thinking, which is that these puzzles are so unique in the way their pieces fit that it must indicate one single solution. This time, I was wrong and there's at least two solutions... Or it may just be a coincidence that the pieces fit in another unexpected arrangement. There's no force applied, since the pieces still have a little wiggle room after they're all placed inside the frame.

I also found a third solution, but in my opinion it doesn't count, as one of the pieces had to be flipped. As you may know, the pieces in this type of puzzles are not supposed to be used on their backside, because the deep cuts with details are only visible on one side. The other side is just blank. If you're not picky about it, though, let's say it has at least three solutions.

Update: I now know that Dave has a new version of this puzzle with different sizes for the animals, reducing the gaps between them. So, the current version is back to one solution only. This is true for the other Picture Frame Puzzles too. Should you find a second solution in any of his designs, contact Dave, so he can adjust the design back to one solution.

Solution: Here's mine, and here's the one that was on the solution sheet.

(Click to Enlarge)

Closing Comments:

Another brilliant idea by Dave Janelle, adding another great puzzle to the already wide selection of his Picture Frame Puzzles. Whether you're a religious person, or just a puzzle lover like me, this puzzle is definitely worth a try.

With such a sheer variety of species in the animal kingdom, I look forward for a Noah's Ark II.

Availability: You can find the Noah's Ark at Puzzle Crafthouse for $25. There's also a Beetlekill Pine version for the same price.