2025-11-29

There are a lot of things I consider when purchasing a new puzzle for speed practice. The image is of course pretty central, but there’s also the brand and whether I’ve tried their puzzles before or not, the piece cut is also an important consideration, and whether this puzzle fits the theme of an upcoming BYOP or Speed Puzzle Pals event. And then, sometimes, I just really like the puzzle. Today is one of those times, and the reason for my excitement can be summed up in one word: Dragons!!

I wasn’t even looking for puzzles when I strolled into my local Indigo a few days ago, but when I saw that they had launched a new collection with Hobbry, it would have been silly not to take a look. I was immediately drawn to the minimalist but colourful and inviting packaging, and when I saw they had a puzzle with dragons I just knew I had to take it home with me. I also picked up a second puzzle for an upcoming BYOP, but that one will be featured a bit later. I’d never completed a Hobbry puzzle before, so it was perhaps a bit presumptuous to assume I would enjoy the experience enough to complete a second one, but both images were simply delightful and that was good enough for me.

The actual puzzling experience may not have been my favourite as the fit is unusually tight and the feel of the pieces is a bit different to what I’m used to, but all things considered I am extremely pleased with my purchase. First, the image definition is absolutely fantastic. I don’t know if it’s because of the image itself or the printing strategy or the material, but every line was perfectly crisp and all the colours matched the box exactly. This made it a perfect opportunity to practice looking at texture rather than just colour to distinguish different areas of the puzzle. I had a ton of fun working on this image and was able to identify lots of small projects, from the sky to the castle to the lake and even the book at the bottom. The dragons were tricky to assemble on their own but by focusing on everything around them they came together pretty seamlessly. I was a little hopeful that today might be the day I finish a puzzle in under 60 minutes on a first try, but I’m not quite there yet. Still, I’m getting really close and I know that if I continue practicing I’ll get there eventually.

Puzzle Stats

Brand: Indigo x Hobbry

Name: Once Upon a Dragon

Artist: Rachel Joanis

Time to completion: 65 minutes