Kelly Wesley (@mintyfizz_puzzles on IG) and I were having a conversation one night, and she told me that she was thinking about making puzzles. Knowing that she is a brilliant artist, without hesitation, I told her, “You should go for it!” A couple months later, she talked with me and told me that she had begun the process and had puzzles coming down the pipeline very soon! My jaw dropped when she then asked me if I would be willing to test one of her puzzles, and I must say, The Mint has delivered a high-quality product that the puzzling community will undoubtedly enjoy! I was given the opportunity to solve “Joy Waves,” and I am honored to say that MintyFizz Puzzles has easily become a force to be reckoned with in the puzzle makers’ arena. Joy Waves was an amazing puzzle to piece together from start to finish. This puzzle is not the final product that the community will enjoy, so I am only commenting on and rating the parts that will be similar to the final product.
Packaging
The puzzle box was standard size. The puzzle pieces came in a plastic bag. There was also an insert with a message from Kelly.
Pieces
Construction
These pieces are comparable to BetterCo’s cut style and Galison’s construction, thick and multilayered, yet light.
Puzzle Dust
I didn’t have to deal with a lot of puzzle dust with this puzzle. A quick two minutes in the colander, and these pieces were ready for work. I didn’t see any excess dust during or after the puzzle’s assembly.
Appearance
These pieces were made with a matte finish, so shining them with a lamp did not create problems while assembling the puzzle. It was easy to determine which pieces went where without glare. The pieces are cut funky, with varying sizes and ends.
Image Quality
The image render was great! The color array is like candy to the eyes, the pieces looking like Jolly Ranchers and Cream Life Saver lollipops (if anyone can remember those). The details are as sharp as one would expect based on the painting itself, and you could tell where pieces are supposed to go. The puzzle pops in the light when standing far away.
Assembly
I started putting the puzzle together with the frame first, and then flowed green, dark corners, yellow corner, yellow bottom, purple splotches, then pink. The pieces are loose, so moving chunks of the puzzle was not possible without disassembling the chunk into smaller parts first. I tried doing the pick-it-up test, but this puzzle did not pass it, and I didn’t want to cry about it falling apart on me. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with the process and the solve.
Replay Value
Without question, I would put this puzzle together again! Though this work of art will look amazing on my wall, if someone asked me, I would expect to have the same wave of joy the second time around.
Satisfaction
Overall, this puzzle gets a 8/10 from me. The color arrangement made approaching this puzzle methodical and fun. The pieces are sturdy, thick, and light, and easy to look upon even with bright lighting. The pieces do have locking issues at times, so lifting pieces up and around in chunks is not feasible. The details are crisp enough to where a piece is supposed to go. MintyFizz Puzzles has easily emerged as a contender in the puzzle maker universe, and I am so thankful for the opportunity she granted me to test her product! Get your hands on this when you can!
