Mr Puzzle's Puzzles are manufactured by Brian Young (alias Mr Puzzle) in Queensland, Australia.

Brian (happiest when he's in his puzzle room opening a package of new puzzles just arrived!) has been making a full-time living from puzzles since 1993 and has been collecting puzzles since he was a boy. His personal collection (click here to see some photos from his collection) is now approaching 3000 pieces which he points out is by no means a large collection compared to others in the world. Some collectors have between 30,000 and 40,000 pieces in their collections. Some puzzles in Brian’s collection are more than 150 years old.
Brian’s puzzles are all hand-crafted and come in three ranges - Standard, Craftsman and his annual Limited Editions which are released just prior to Christmas each year and which are sought after by puzzle collectors. Brian began making only six of each puzzle in 1993 but, due to demand, he now produces 30 of each design - only 30 will EVER be made and Brian always keeps one for himself.

He began making the Limited Edition range as a way of adding puzzles not generally or commercially available to his own puzzle collection. Puzzles are chosen for either historical significance or aesthetic value, not necessarily degree of difficulty. An additional puzzle element is often added to make the puzzle unique - most times, it also increases the level of difficulty.

While a lot of modern puzzles are created and designed on computer, Brian still invents his own creations in his head.

Brian designed the puzzle that has become the inaugural trophy for the Nob Yoshigahara International Puzzle Design Competition run in conjunction with the annual International Puzzle Party (IPP). Brian created a complex burr puzzle based on the IPP logo complete with it's own puzzling stand. Brian has attended the last eleven International Puzzle Parties held annual in locations around the world, including co-hosting the 2007 event at the Gold Coast right here in South East Queensland.

Until recently his puzzle, Coming of Age Mk II, held the world record for the maximum amount of moves to remove the first piece of a commercially-produced puzzle. It has a difficulty rating of 10 and it takes 19 directional moves just to remove the first piece!!!

In more recent times Brian's become very interested in designing and making Sequential Discovery puzzles; a sub set of Take-Apart puzzles. The key difference between a sequential discovery puzzle and other take apart puzzles is that you will remove pieces that will have to be re-used as tools or reinserted to advance.

As well as here on the web we also sell puzzles at Mind Games stores around the country and at Art & Soul Gallery at Boonah in South East Queensland. Our puzzles are also well represented in Western Australian outlets like Yallingup Maze. Read details about outlets here.

Click on this link to see media coverage of Mr Puzzle.

Brian's favourite type of puzzles is complex burrs, particularly those with multiple or progressive moves and Sequential Discovery puzzles where there are many moves to open the puzzle or take the puzzle apart, especially those where the use of tools is required to do the puzzle.

In 2002 Brian designed a progressive move interlocking puzzle in his Limited Edition range called Ned Kelly. Modeled on the story of the Australian Bushranger the puzzler must solve ten different puzzles to discover the tools incorporated in the puzzle. These tools are required along the way to solve the puzzle. Brian enjoys not only the puzzle aspect of this puzzle but also the artistic expression of the work. He calls it Puzzle Art.

From 1997-1999 Brian became interested in the concept of multiple move 18 piece burrs. He came up with a design he called Coming of Age MkII which has 19 directional moves to remove the first piece. This is still one of his favourite puzzle designs.

Early in 2002 Brian designed The Collective. He expanded on his interest in complex burr puzzles and designed a puzzle that enclosed a 5 piece multiple move burr in a 24 piece cage.

Brian has always enjoyed designing puzzles with a particular theme in mind and in 2003 he designed the SEARious Burr, modeled on Chicago's tallest building, the Sears Tower, for the International Puzzle Party held in Chicago that year. Brian created this 13 piece interlocking burr incorporating the use of tools supplied as part of the puzzle. The puzzler must complete 13 moves to unlock the secret internal mechanism.

In 2007 the International Puzzle Party was held on the Gold Coast and Brian was part of the organising team for the event. He designed a sequential discovery puzzle called Gold Coast Parking Meter puzzle as his themed puzzle for the year and even bought along a real Gold Coast Meter Maid to assist him during the exchange event; Sophie was certainly a big hit!

Click here to see details of IPP Exchange puzzles Brian had desinged and made.
Click here to see details of Limited Edition puzzles currently available and details of past annual Limited Edition sets including those that are sold out.