Looking to purchase a piece of Hollywood entertainment history that has been refashioned into a delightfully challenging conversation piece? Papa C, a Hollywood special effects specialist, and his wife, Mama C, are putting their woodworking skills to good use during his down time by creating a line of “Puzzled Pets” – enchanting wood puzzles with interlocking pieces which only come apart when the “eye” pin is pulled.
These whimsical puzzles sprung from the imaginative Zoo-Illogical Society workshop and are crafted primarily of recycled 2″ x 4″s from old studio productions destined for landfills or discarded debris dumped unceremoniously in our local California deserts. Demolished Hollywood sets, old fence posts, and weathered decking once again become useful in the form of functional art. From these sometimes majestic, sometimes humble beginnings, comes yet another stage of life for one of earth’s most valuable, yet dwindling, resources – the tree. Determined to do our part to help save the planet, we adopted the motto to “Breathe New Life Into Old Lumber”. We saw all these great materials going to waste, and wanted to use them for more than just firewood.
Each piece is a 3-dimensional original, as no patterns are used in the puzzling, and will stay together as long as the eye pin is in. To work the puzzle, simply remove the pin and let the fun begin!
Driven by our motto to “Breathe New Life Into Old Lumber,” when we stumbled upon the renovation of the bleacher seating of the Hollywood Bowl, we sprang into action. Not just another source of discarded material, this vintage wood was a piece of Hollywood history!
It all began in 1996 with a little tropical angelfish. Inspired in part by the underwater diving world Papa C experienced with his brother and partly by a similar idea he had seen, the longtime craftsman decided to channel his considerable skills to creating puzzles of his own.
From the angelfish, Papa C and Mama C took on more challenging assignments – from beginner’s puzzles with only a few pieces, to very difficult ones with over 35 pieces. New species are created each year, and some are retired. Basically, a new puzzle design is born out of a request. People ask for a new species of animal, and it becomes part of the line. (Some non-animals have been created too!)
Each puzzle is hand-made of 100% recycled lumber and is unique in pattern and design. The puzzles are approximately 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick and some even come with stands to mount them on for display. In keeping with the “recycled” theme, some of the stands are actually cut off from the puzzles themselves…the contours of the stand fit to the figure like a lost continent. The length of each piece varies, with the longest being the snake at 32 inches.
We have had special orders for five-foot snakes, and as a puzzle, it’s a real challenge to put together, since every piece looks almost the same. The skilled artisans do not number their works since each is a hand-made original, a one-of-a-kind creature, but are happy to sign them if requested.
Puzzled Pets are perfect for anyone who might be looking for a truly unique and reasonably priced gift for all occasions, which combines art, Hollywood history, and entertainment, pure and simple. The puzzles are suitable for anyone, age 4 to 104. (Be careful of that eye pin – it is small enough to swallow!)
The complete line of “Puzzled Pets” is profiled online in the Puzzles section of this website. Ordering information can be accessed in the Order section. Pieces are made to order, and several Options are available including finish and wood preference.