any novelty keychain fobs and charms are available and can be considered collectible - one can find scores of different designs, both modern and some decades old. Among them are a variety of keychain puzzles (or key chain puzzles) - the subject of this section.

Keychain puzzles include interlocking, twisty, sliding piece, dexterity, and other types. Their most important characteristic is being small - according to experts three inches or less in the longest dimension (and even that is pushing it). Even when no chain or cord is included, often there is a hole or a loop where one could be attached.

In this section, I have focused on the interlocking variety of keychain puzzles though I do show some other types I've collected. Most collectors of keychain puzzles will admit certain small interlocking constructions into their collections even when the puzzles were not really intended to be hung on a keychain - I have included some examples here. They are referred to as "Miniature Plastic Interlocking Puzzles" and many were produced in Japan.

In addition, some keychain "puzzles" either are very simple - consisting of only two pieces - or don't interlock but rather press together. Such items are in a controversial gray area on the periphery of proper keychain puzzles. But of course part of the fun of collecting is to define one's own boundaries. I have included a section for "Gray Area and Non-Puzzle Keychains." I don't collect non-puzzle keychains but I sometimes acquire them as part of a grouping. A few of them are worth illustrating either because of their novelty, or because they embody a clever mechanism, or because I have seen them confused with puzzles and can provide clarification.

I have organized the keychains shown in this section into several categories
(you can mouse over and click on the entries in the menu box below):

• The First Keychain Puzzles
• Other Steinhardt Architecture Puzzles
• Other Geometric Objects
• Burrs
• Animals and Riders
• Dogs and Cats
• Elephants
• Pigs
• Beasts of Burden
• Birds and Fish
• Wild
• Reptiles

• People, Robots, and Other Figures
• Robots
• Insects, Plants, Fungi, & Molluscs
• Artifacts
• Guns, Cannons, & Tanks
• Vehicles
• Trains
• Boats/Ships
• Flying Machines
• Sets

• Showcases
• Mechanical Servants (US)
• Lional (US)
• Plas-Trix (US)
• Lido (US)
• Peter Pan (UK)
• Merit (UK)
• Bell (UK)
• Pussycat (DE)
• Kabaya-Leaf (JP)
• Kun
• Non-interlocking Keychain Puzzles
• Gray Area and Non-Puzzle Keychains

Below is a showcase of thumbnails of most of the types of keychain puzzles I have found.

• Guided by Dundas (see below), I have highlighted like this about 70 puzzles that probably belong in any basic collection. The focus is on puzzles issued in the U.S. in the 40's and 50's, many by Lional and Lido.
• I have highlighted like this another 30 or so puzzles an avid collector should be able to obtain - some from Hong Kong, England, France, or Germany.
• Many of the rest are from Europe or Japan and may be comparatively rare. What I have experienced to be the rarest, I have highlighted like this.

The First
Keychain
Puzzles

Other
Steinhardt
Architecture
Puzzles

Other
Geometric
Objects

Burrs

Animals
&
Riders

Dogs
&
Cats

Elephants

Pigs

Beasts
of
Burden

Birds
and
Fish

Other
Wild
Animals

Reptiles

People,
Robots,
& Other
Figures

Robots

Insects,
Plants,
Fungi,
& Molluscs

Artifacts

Guns,
Cannons,
& Tanks

Vehicles

Horse-
Drawn

Motor-
Cycles

Sedans

Vintage

Sports
Racers
Fantasy

Jeeps

Utility
Trucks
Tractors

Trains

Boats/
Ships

Flying
Machines

Sets

Non
Interlocking
Keychain
Puzzles

Gray Area
and Non
Puzzle

 
Small, intricate and colorful plastic keychain puzzles were sold beginning in the 1940's by American manufacturers or brands such as Helenhart Novelty, Plas-Trix, Toy Trix, Pal Plastics, Chemtoy, Harrison, Lional, Lido, and Mechanical Servants. In the UK they appeared under brands such as Peter Pan, Randall or Merit, Roddy, and Bell, and in Germany under the Pussy or Pussycat brand. Several interesting designs were issued in France, Japan, and others in eastern Europe. Some interlocking keychain puzzles - spheres, cubes, elephants, and pigs for example - are still made today in Hong Kong.

The puzzles, aimed at impulse buyers and sold for pocket change, were usually displayed in stores on large cards from which several puzzles - usually of the same type but occasionally a variety - were hung by their chains. Each puzzle would be accompanied by a small solution sheet - taken at sale time from a stack stapled to the display card. Some of the old larger store display cards can still be found - a few examples are shown here.

Sometimes individual puzzles were accompanied by an attractive heavier printed card, or packaged in small bags - either assembled or in pieces - or appeared in boxed sets or blister packs. Most often today they're found loose and without a card or instruction sheet, so it is always nice to be able to acquire an original card or solution sheet along with a vintage keychain puzzle. Shown below are some example cards and solution sheets.

Using Google Books search, I have been able to find several notices for wholesale lots of keychain puzzles dating from the late 1940's and early 1950's, in Billboard magazine. An example is shown at left, clipped from the May 28, 1949 issue of Billboard.

A determined collector should be able to find dozens, if not hundreds, of intact examples of vintage plastic interlocking keychain puzzles, and collecting such puzzles has the advantage of requiring a minimum of storage space! While the typical puzzle has only six pieces, and many of the puzzles share an internal architecture derived from one of a few common recurring designs, some of the interlocking designs can be unexpectedly challenging and pleasingly clever.

I am aware of very few published articles concerning keychain puzzles, and until recently the 1998 book Toys That Shoot and Other Neat Stuff by James Dundas was the only real reference showing a large variety of interlocking keychain puzzles (AFAIK). The book has a section on keychain puzzles on pages 70 through 80. Dundas shows about 70 puzzles and suggests rarity and dollar values for them - but the valuations given by Dundas are no longer considered accurate. Collector Steve Butler has written a few articles on keychain puzzles - one article entitled "It's a Puzzle" appeared in the September/October 1991 issue of The Toy Collector magazine. Another two-part article "Key Chain Puzzles" appeared in Antique Toy World in April and May 2004. A third article entitled "Puzzles and Their Place" appeared in the August 2015 issue.

In 2011, Jerry Slocum and William Waite issued their Compendium of Keychain Puzzles, which gives details for 465 puzzles (467 according to the internal numbering but there are unassigned numbers). The Compendium has been updated to a 2nd edition as of August 2015 and now contains 558 puzzles according to the internal numbering. Several from the 2011 1st edition have been reclassified or renamed, or dropped as it was decided they don't really qualify well. Unfortunately the assigned numbers have changed from the 1st to the 2nd edition.

In the U.K. several of what we in the U.S. know as "keychain puzzles" are known as "Jig Toys" and have been issued as cereal box premiums. I like the idea of thinking about these puzzles as miniature "jigsaw toys" - the best designs seem to me, while not exactly having the traditional curvy tabs and notches of a jigsaw, to have pieces that interlock along non-obvious borders. You can read more about Jig Toys at Hugh Walter's Small Scale World blog, in his post entitled "Jig Toys - Puzzle Key Chains." There is also a website called Cereal Offers that aims to document all U.K. cereal promotions over the years. That site has nice pages about Jig Toys free in Corn Flakes in 1959, in Sugar Smacks in 1960, in Frosties in 1960, and in Frosties in 1970. The website has numerous photos including pictures of the boxes, puzzles (many on sprues), and instructions.

Most of the Jig Toys were issued in soft plastic, and the designs which appeared as cereal premiums starting in 1959 - the Jeep, Covered Wagon, Helicopter, Aeroplane (equals Merit's Jet Fighter), Liner, and Transport Lorry, had been issued by J & L Randall Ltd. in their Merit line in hard plastic in 1954, or by Bell (the Liner equals Bell's Steamboat). In 1970, the Lorry, Plane, and Helicopter were replaced by a Tractor (the David Brown design but with a nearly non-existent exhaust stack), a Sedan (the Mechanical Servants design), and a Horse (the Dutch design). The Horse is almost always found without its tiny ears piece. The Liner was replaced by the Destroyer, and though the Covered Wagon remained, it underwent subtle design changes.

Keychain puzzles have inspired art - Steve Armstrong created a series of wooden sculptures - scaled-up renderings of classic keychain puzzles. They were on display at the Aron Packer Gallery in Chicago.

カバヤビッグリーグガムパズル (means Kabaya Big League Gum Puzzle) - Kabaya Foods Corporation is a Tokyo-based confectionery company founded in 1946. Originally manufacturing caramel, in 1963 they began producing gum and chocolate. Over time, Kabaya has issued a wide variety of small plastic toys and puzzles as "extras" or "bonus" items to accompany their candy or gum products. See for example The Transformers Wiki entry on Kabaya.

The company Leaf was founded in the 1940s when it was also a confectionery manufacturer. The Leaf brand name is associated with trading cards - according to the website The Cardboard Connection, Leaf produced one of the most iconic postwar vintage sets, 1948-49 Leaf Baseball, which featured the rookie card of Jackie Robinson. (Note that the current Leaf Trading Cards founded in 2010 has no connection to the gum and card manufacturer of the 1940s.)

Kabaya and Leaf entered into a partnership and in 1967 issued Kabaya-Leaf baseball cards - see the Japanese Baseball Cards blog. At some point they also produced Big League chewing gum.

Starting in the 1960's, Kabaya issued dozens of small interlocking puzzles in both soft or hard plastic to accompany their Big League Chewing Gum. The Kabaya-Leaf company issued over 100 puzzles including 40 puzzle kun (the set of 40 is fairly rare, having been issued only for a short time in the early 1980's) and over 60 in the Big League Chewing gum series.

Glico (sometimes mis-spelled Glyco) is another Japanese confectionery company that issued many small extra or bonus toys with their candy products - but few if any true puzzles.

---

I began collecting keychain puzzles in 2011, after I acquired a "Wha Hoppen" in March - although as a child I had a small white Bibendum keychain puzzle I received as a souvenir of the New York Auto Show I used to attend with my father.

 

Here's my collection of keychain puzzles:

The First Keychain Puzzles

These are examples of the Trylon Perisphere puzzle souvenir from the 1939 New York World's Fair, issued by the Helenhart Novelty Company. It is very small, and it is said (see Slocum) that this is the puzzle that gave birth to keychain puzzles (even though it has no chain). The Trylon Perisphere puzzle is made from a very early form of plastic and often the pieces have warped. One piece in particular seems susceptible to damage - in the group of orange pieces shown above, it is the bottom piece and is broken in two. You should not soak these pieces in water! I found an intact example of the orange sphere / blue Trylon version, shown below. In each Trylon Perisphere puzzle, the six letters W-H-A-L-E-N are embossed, one in each of the six pieces. Grover Whalen was president of the New York World Fair Corporation, and helped run the 1939 fair. Here is an original instruction sheet that came in the box with the puzzle: Irving Steinhardt received patent 2178190 in March 1939 for a six-piece interlocking puzzle. The patent depicts a spherical puzzle with an obelisk through it, but notes that the outside shape can vary. The drawings also include a bottle shape. The sphere pieces shown in the patent match the pieces of this puzzle. Steinhardt's design patent D112470 of Dec. 1938 clearly shows the Trylon Perisphere design, and is cited on the puzzle box. Steinhardt also received design patent D118253 in Dec. 1939 for an egg-shaped interlocking puzzle. Steinhardt has many puzzle patents.

The Trylon Perisphere souvenir puzzle appeared in metal as well, in both large and small sizes - although I am not sure that these aren't one-offs since I don't know their provenance, but I have seen one before on a popular auction website.

The Trylon Perisphere souvenir puzzle in metal - larger size.

The Trylon Perisphere souvenir puzzle in metal - smaller size.

This Mystery Ball Puzzle contains virtually the same pieces as the Trylon Perisphere, except the Trylon key piece has been truncated and become part of the ball. According to Slocum and Waite, this is the first keychain puzzle, issued by the Helenhart Novelty Company of New York City.   I found an example with its original card - it was evidently sold at F.W. Woolworth. This puzzle must have been produced in large quantities because many surviving examples can be found, with a variety of attachment types... The Ball's pieces also have the letters W-H-A-L-E-N inside. The patent number 2178190 is embossed on the hollow inside of the key piece. Steinhardt also patented the horseshoe-shaped clip, in 1942 (D132116), and another type of retention device having a cord, in 1944 (2361069).

I found this clear or translucent example of the Mystery Ball. The pieces contain the WHALEN letters and the patent number.

Other Steinhardt Architecture Puzzles

Here is a version of the Steinhardt Ball from "Peter Pan" made in England, with its card:

Here is a version of the Steinhardt Ball from Germany, with its card: NOTE the clever two-piece construction of the key piece - this allows it to be removed from the puzzle without having to detach the chain. The horseshoe clip proffers the traditional English "Good Luck." Also note these pieces have no WHALEN lettering, nor any patent number on them, but the ball is the same size as the Helenhart product. The pieces are very precisely made and fit is excellent.

This version of the Steinhardt Ball came from Russia, with instruction sheet, from a seller in Voronezh, Russian Federation:

The Steinhardt configuration in ball form is still made today in China.

Here is a set of eight colorful keychain puzzles, obtained in 2018 from China. All use the Steinhardt architecture.

A large version of the Steinhardt ball - hard plastic

A large (45mm) version of the Steinhardt Ball, with hollowed pieces - Hong Kong

A farily large version of the Steinhardt configuration in ball form has been used in France to advertise Air France and Pampryl. Pampryl is an orange drink. I believe both the Air France and the Pampryl versions were made from the same molds, as in both cases the surface of the sphere has embossed "continent" outlines on it.

I have two Air France keychain ball puzzles, and they are of different sizes. Also received a copy of an insert that seems to have accompanied the Air France puzzle. Note that what the insert says is incorrect! The "game" was not invented by the Japanese - as we know, this puzzle topology was invented by Steinhardt! And of course there are six pieces, not five. The Air France Ball in light blue is listed as #469 "Sphere 04" on p79 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. but the Compendium does not distinguish between the two sizes.

Air France keychain puzzle Ball - dark blue version I don't have this. Shown for reference. This mold and dark blue color may also have been used for the "Perfocarta Ferry" ball puzzle shown as #279 on p47 of the Compendium 2nd Ed.

This large version of the Steinhardt Ball was issued as advertising for Bennes Marrel.

The Steinhardt configuration in ball form appeared as the Sputnik. According to my source, this was issued by Sumugam of India in 1988.

Here is a comparison of Steinhardt Ball puzzle sizes. From front to back, left to right, balls and sizes are: Bowling Ball - 20mm, Steinhardt Ball - 22mm, soft KL ball - 23mm, hard Japan ball - 24mm, hard HK ball - 31mm, hard colored ball - 35mm, Bennes Marrel - 37mm, Pampryl - 37mm, small Air France - 37mm, large Air France - 42mm

The Steinhardt configuration in cube form has appeared in the past in small and larger sizes, and is still made today in Hong Kong. Here are ten examples in different sizes - one vintage medium-sized version is shown disassembled in the big photo. The left two in the big photo are modern Hong Kong versions - one with loop and one without - and the HK pieces are shown in the next photo. In the next photo, of two cubes, the larger cube is the same size as the HK cubes but it is stamped China. Its pieces are thin-walled cheap plastic. The last two photos show a bagged cube, issued by the Czech company Druopta in 1983.

This 45mm Steinhardt Cube came from Hungary. It fits together very nicely - I like it a lot. It's not a keychain puzzle, but you can see that the Steinhardt architecture has been widely copied.

Here is a proper keychain-sized example of the blocky Czech Steinhardt cube puzzle.

Kabaya Leaf of Japan issued a Steinhardt Ball and a Cube in soft plastic

Kabaya Leaf of Japan also issued a hard plastic Steinhardt Cube.

A group of Steinhardt architecture puzzles in soft plastic from Kabaya Leaf Japan. Only two are not Steinhardt - can you tell which?

Mechanical Servants issued a small Steinhardt Cube

Tamaki of Japan issued this boxed Die Cube using the Steinhardt Architecture

Tamaki of Japan also issued this boxed pastel/crystal Cube using the Steinhardt Architecture - they call it "Puzzle Square" Three examples.

The Steinhardt configuration in Drop or Droplet form has been issued in hard plastic, from HK and Japan, and possibly elsewhere. Here are several examples - note the differing chain attachments.

Kawada of Japan issued this boxed Droplet puzzle using the Steinhardt Architecture

This soft plastic version of the Droplet is from Kabaya-Leaf of Japan.

Here is a comparison of a hard plastic drop (on the left) with a soft plastic drop. The hard plastic drop is slightly larger at 30mm x 20mm versus 28mm x 17mm for the soft.

Here is the Kun version of the drop. It is much larger than either the hard or soft version of the regular drop puzzle.

A set of four card suits from Kabaya Leaf of Japan - Club, Spade, Heart, Diamond. Soft Plastic. All are sculpted instances of the Steinhardt configuration. I found additional examples of the Card Suit puzzles:

Another interesting variation on the Steinhardt Cube construction, from Kabaya of Japan, in soft plastic - this is a Cube on a Diagonal:

A Crystal-shaped puzzle from Kabaya of Japan. Hard plastic. With original box. #548 "Octahedron" in Compendium 2nd Ed. Diamonds are forever!

A faceted sphere on its original card. Steinhardt configuration.

Other Keychain Puzzle Geometric Objects

Keychain Sphere - 7 pieces Four examples - two blue and white from German company Pussycat, 7-color version obtained from France. Also green translucent version (pieces shown). I have instructions from the German company Pussycat

An example of the same sphere architecture, with Baseball stitching - Japan. Hard plastic. I found a Japanese store card of this puzzle, issued by the company "Junior":

A soft plastic sphere - Kabaya leaf Japan

5 piece Ball - Japan

Alternative architecture 5 piece ball - Japan

Yet another alternative architecture 5 piece ball - Japan I don't have this. Shown for reference, pix supplied by William Waite.

Sphere - Kabaya Leaf Japan Several pieces resemble crossbows to me - so I call this the "Crossbow Sphere." Not in the Compendium 2nd Ed. so far as I can tell.

Puzzle Kun Kumiki Ball - Kabaya Leaf Japan I also obtained the Kun Kumiki Ball on its original sprues, with unopened instructions: Here is the inverse, though my example seems to be missing its loop:

Keychain Kumiki Ball

Keychain Kumiki Cube

I know this as the "Frankfort Cube" - eight examples, the first two in hard plastic and the green, blue, yellow instance in soft plastic. It has been used for advertising in France. This design has a kind of "hinged" clip that swings out. I have instructions from the German company Pussycat.

Allsides Cube keychain puzzle - designed by William Waite Mine is #16, from a limited edition of 26 puzzles. Includes a signed card reminiscent of the way keychain puzzles were sold in the 50s. Each of the four pieces touches all sides of the cube, hence the name. Four moves to remove the first piece. "One of the most difficult keychain puzzles ever produced."

Keychain Barrel or Cylinder included in Japanese candy - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan I found several - perhaps this puzzle was produced and/or purchased and saved in large numbers (but it still is not overly easy to obtain outside Japan):

Kabaya Leaf Kun series "Cylinder 2" #539 on p. 90 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. I also obtained the Kun Cylinder, as well as the Kun Pagoda Burr, on their original sprues, with unopened instructions:

Keychain Cross included in Japanese candy - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan Was available in different color combinations: I also found one (from Japan) in yellow and white:

This is the Kun version of the Cross Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Capsule - Kabaya Leaf Japan

This is the "Kun" version of the Capsule puzzle issued by Kabaya Leaf Japan

Kun Hemisphere - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Kun Molecule Lattice - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #521 "Burr 18" on p87 in the Compendium 2nd Ed. To me though, this isn't really a burr, so I include it here with "geometric objects." It is also pin-in-hole press-fit, but it was issued among Kabaya's 40 Kun puzzles, with the ten in the blue box.

Kun Rattle Box / Cube Rattle - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #491 "Cube 11" on p82 in the Compendium 2nd Ed. It is also pin-in-hole press-fit, but it was issued among Kabaya's 40 Kun puzzles, with the ten in the red box. From the red box list, ボックス means box. くみたてかた means "how to make."

Kun "Chiclets" - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #549 "Platform" on p92 in the Compendium 2nd Ed. It is also pin-in-hole press-fit, but it was issued among Kabaya's 40 Kun puzzles, with the ten in the red box. From the red box list, 板 means board or plank, and ブロック means "block"

Puzzle Kun "Cylinder 1" - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #538 "Cylinder 1" on p90 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued among the 10 color Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, 円筒 means cylinder. I have opened the red example's bag but have not cut the pieces free of the sprues, nor cut open the solution sheet. I also found an assembled yellow example - I removed one side slab and you can see the supplied rattle ball inside. The puzzle has six side slab pieces and two end disks. Each disk is surrounded by a series of large or small pins; each side has a pair of holes, large or small, at each end. One must match holes and pins to build the cylinder. This puzzle employs the same principle as the Wheel and Tire puzzle.

Puzzle Kun "Lifesavers" Stack (Cylinder 3) - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #540 "Cylinder 3" on p90 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued among the 10 color Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, ドーナツタワー means "donut tower"

Puzzle Kun "Cube 13" - Kabaya Leaf Japan Its pieces remind me of a Pinned Cube such as Stewart Coffin's Corner Block, and externally of a Soma Cube. Appears as #493 "Cube 13" on p83 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued among the 10 color Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, 角 means "sumi" - a corner or angle, and コロ means "koro" - a log or roller. I have opened its bag but have not cut the pieces free of the sprues, nor cut open the solution sheet.

Puzzle Kun "Tangrams" - Kabaya Leaf Japan Its pieces remind me of a Tangram set. This is not an interlocking puzzle so it does not appear in the Compendium 2nd Ed. but I include it here since it was issued among the 10 color Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, 組み means "kumi" - set or assembly [of], and 組み板 means "Kumi-ban" or "braided board" - searching for that results in tangrams and jigsaws. I have opened its bag but have not cut the pieces free of the sprues, nor cut open the solution sheet.

Puzzle Kun "Hot Pad" - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #189 "Hot Pad" on p32 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued among the 10 color Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, コースター means "coaster" I have opened its bag but have not cut the pieces free of the sprues. I did however cut open the solution sheet, so I could dis- and re- assemble this blue example I found: There are six identical pieces marked "1" and two pieces marked "2" - the instructions indicate that a "2" goes in last, and that by offsetting pieces, "1" pieces can slide out of the way. I found this to be a difficult feat of dexterity and patience!

Checkerboard Brick (or Pylon) - Kabaya Leaf Japan It was not obvious to me at first, but this puzzle has been issued in multiple color schemes - I have examples with a white cross, an orange cross, a blue cross, and a yellow cross at both ends. Perhaps other combinations were officially issued. You can see both orange and white complete piece sets below. Of course, once one has various piece sets, one can create different color combinations. However, those I show here I obtained as shown - I have not gotten creative on my own. I also found one in yellow and white: Here is the pair of white and yellow KL puzzles I found:

Checkerboard Brick, Kun version - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Each keychain puzzle typically contains six pieces. Here is a photo of a bunch of pieces mixed together. Can you figure out which pieces go with which puzzle?

Keychain Numerals 0-9 - Japan

Set of three Letter puzzles ABC - Kabaya Leaf Japan Details below...

Letter 'A' - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf of Japan

Letter 'B' - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf of Japan

Letter 'C' - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf of Japan

Four Piece Cube - designed by Dic Sonneveld, made by Lee Krasnow from various metals. It's tiny! From Lee Krasnow at Pacific Puzzle Works, a machined stainless frame for Lee's Sonneveld Four Piece Cube, making it a keychain puzzle!

Metal Jigsaw Ball - advertising for AT&T This has a magnetized hollow spherical core. The loop unscrews and has a magnetic tip that can be used to pull pieces off the sphere (a piece is stuck to it in the photo). I know, I know - it's a jigsaw - but it's still interlocking, right?

Keychain Burrs
Several small geometric puzzles were issued by Pussy of Germany. I have seen these counted in some keychain puzzle collections. The Satellite, Tangle, Tripleknot, Cage Cube, Pussy Sticks, and Trick Star are shown separately.
Kreuzknoten by Pussy of Germany
The small Pussycat boxed puzzles have been produced by others as well - here is a set from China.
Puzzle Kun 18-piece Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan (May be #519 "Burr 16" on p87 of the Compendium 2nd Ed.) Issued among the 10 Kun in the red boxes. From the red box list, 組み means "kumi" - set or assembly [of], and 組み柱 means pillars. Also shown: a green example still on sprues in its original package.
A trio of translucent puzzles from Japan - Barrel, Truncated Cube, and Diagonal Star.
Diagonal Star - Kabaya Japan Here is a group of miniature plastic interlocking puzzles from Kabaya Leaf of Japan:
Diagonal Star, Kun version - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Diagonal Star Burr - China Diagonal Star Burr variant - issued by Vladimir Krasnoukhov at IPP21 Pointy Diagonal Star Burr variant
Keychain Burr - Brown & White - a version was made by Nanavati Plastics of India 2003, but see below - this design was also made in Germany. There are no markings on the puzzle.
Keychain Devil's Knot - Franco
Keychain Burr - France Two examples shown, but I traded away the second.
Keychain Burr - Teufelsknoten Schlüsselanhänger (Two shown but I traded one away.) One in original package - Thanks, Bernhard!
Chinesischer Knoten - Germany This small burr puzzle comes in a heavy vinyl bag that is almost of higher quality than the puzzle itself! The pieces are the Chinese Cross set { 1, 256, 824/975, 928, 1024 }. Schwerin-Sacktannen is in the north of Germany, east of Hamburg.
Six-piece burr keychain puzzle - most likely from Adams.
Adams' Locked Blocks
Kun Cage Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Adams' Block Puzzle Senior aka Adams' Panel Puzzle - their implementation of the 12 piece Altekruse design. Here are some disassembly steps:
Six piece burr - Druopta Czech. This burr uses pieces { 120, 160, 256, 512, 880, 960 } and is an exmple of a design by Philippe Dubois / Gaby Games. I also have a black example I picked up in Prague during IPP28.
Puzzle Kun Circle Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #501 "Burr Circle 3" on p84 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued among the 10 color Kun puzzles in the red boxes. From the red box list, 地球儀 means globe. Two examples - white, and a green one still on sprues in its original package.
Circle Burr - China		Starburst Burr - China
Keychain Diagonal Burr - Pussy Sixbricks		Keychain 14-piece Altekruse Burr
Diagonal Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Puzzle Kun Diagonal Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Six Piece Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan This is the "Yamato Block" piece set { 1, 188, 824/975, 1024 x 2 } If you examine the pieces, you'll see they are numbered 1 to 6: KL # 1 2 3 4 5 6 ID # 188 1024 975 824 1024 1 The fit on mine was very tight. You have to find the key piece 1, KL#6, and carefully slide it out.
Puzzle Kun Six Piece Burr - Kabaya Leaf Japan The same Yamato Block piece set as the non-Kun KL puzzle above.
Traditional six-piece burr as a keychain - three examples. The "Chinese Cross" piece set. A recent production, made in Hong Kong.		Another "Chinese Cross" piece set burr without a loop.	Czech Caged Burr
The "Chinese Cross" 6 piece burr on a keychain - from Taiwan
Keychain OCC Burr		Keychain 6 piece Burr
This 6-piece burr from Japan uses the unusual piece set { 1, 188, 512, 576, 976, 1024 }
A 3-piece wooden keychain burr.
Keychain Magic Circle - Bell 1954		Metal Sphere Burr keychain puzzle Purchased in auction from an Asian vendor. Inexpensive, but interesting - notice that the pieces have traditional six-piece burr notching. The 1024 piece to which the chain is attached has a rounded edge.
Pontiac Indian Head automotive advertising keychain puzzle. Really happy to have acquired this unusual puzzle! "Canada" is embossed on the hair piece. Similar to the Bell Magic Circle above. The blue wedge rotates to allow the green and red wedges to be removed. The white and red pieces shown near the metal pieces are thinner than usual to allow the metal pieces to fit alongside.
Circle Burr, soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan Listed in Compendium 2nd Ed. as Burr - Circle 4 No. 502 on page 84.
Pentagonal Burr - hard plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Puzzle Kun 6-bar Mine - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #522 "Burr 19" on p87 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued by KL as one of the ten puzzles in the blue boxes.
Puzzle Kun Weave - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #520 "Burr 17" on p87 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued by KL as one of the ten puzzles in the checkered boxes.
Slab Burr - hard plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Slab Burr, Kun version - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #507 "Burr 4" on p85 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Issued by KL as one of the ten puzzles in the checkered boxes.
Maltese Cross keychain puzzle by Bell (rwb has replica card, 2nd example has original card) 1954 The Chinese Cross pieces
Q-Burr - originally designed by Jim Gooch Keychain puzzle by George Bell		Stellated Orchid by George Bell
Burr in Ball from Japan - Kabaya Leaf Inc. This is the "Puzzle Kun" version.
Burr in Ball - multicolored version - Kabaya Leaf Japan Two examples, but I sold the black & red bodied one.
Comparison of the Kabaya Leaf Burr-in-Ball Kun and regular versions. The black and white Kun version is larger.
A small Pagoda Burr puzzle - hard(ish) plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan
A side-4 Pagoda Burr puzzle - from the Kun series - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #517 "Burr 14" on p87 of the Compendium 2nd Ed.
A six-piece 3D Cross Burr puzzle - from the Kun series - Kabaya Leaf Japan Appears as #512 "Burr 9" on p86 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Among the 10 Kun in red boxes. From the red box list, 放射状 means radial.

Keychain Animals and Riders Dogs and Cats Elephants Pigs Beasts of Burden Birds and Fish Wild Reptiles
Keychain Dogs and Cats These form a substantial subgroup, with the Compendium 2nd Ed. listing ten types of dog on pages 3 through 5, though there is only a single cat architecture. I have found some dog sub-type variants the Compendium does not distinguish, and also a few types not listed. This table gives a quick overview of the different types. Details on each follow in the main part of this subsection. [Back to Animals Menu] 1. #13/14 - Large Scottie, pointy ears, hollow legs (rounded) - Peter Pan (Common) Non Peter Pan Large Scottie, pointy ears, hollow legs (rounded) w/ letters VPATOI *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* DDR version Large Scottie, pointy ears, hollow legs (blocky) no letters *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* Druopta uni-ear, solid legs *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* 2. #15 Small Scottie, flat ears, rounded tail 3. #16 Spunky - symmetric ears Spunky with asymmetric ears *NOT IN COMPENDIUM*   Large Spunky from Hong Kong marked "WY No 50" *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* "Holey" Spunky *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* 4. #18 Russian Dog 5. #19 Puzzle Pup Jr. 6. #21 Modern Spunky, ears forward Modern Spunky, ears back *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* Modern Spunky, mixed ears forward & back *NOT IN COMPENDIUM*   7. #22 Waldi 8. #23 Roddy 9. #25 Kabaya Dachshund 10. #26 Czech inverted head Mack Bulldog 2 piece. *NOT IN COMPENDIUM 2nd Ed.* Listed as "Bulldog" in the 1st Ed. Polish Poodle Same architecture as Dutch Horse *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* Dog head on Dutch Horse body (DON'T HAVE) *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* "Cat 1" #7/8 p2 - "Puzzle Puss" Lucky Cat - Bell UK - same arch. as Puzzle Puss In Compendium Appendix #51 Note that there is no Cat 2 listed in the 2nd Ed. but in the 1st Ed. Lucky Cat was Cat 2. Bulldog head on Cat body (DON'T HAVE) *NOT IN COMPENDIUM*
The Compendium numbers the Peter Pan Large Scottie as "Dog 01" but I feel this honor belongs to Steinhardt's Spunky. This interlocking keychain puzzle is Spunky the Dog. A U.S. patent was granted to Irving Hartley Steinhardt in 1953 (2651522) - though the patent was filed in 1947. In the Feb. 28 1948 issue of Billboard magazine, Kim & Cioffi of Philadelphia were selling a gross of Spunky the Pup Keychains for $13.50. The same outfit is selling a "Keychain Puzzle Pup" in the Apr. 10 1948 issue. The Border Novelty Co. is selling a "Dog Puzzle Spunky Key Chain" for $1.25 in the Oct. 2 1948 issue. According to Jerry Slocum, Spunky was Steinhardt's pet dog. The six letters in S-P-U-N-K-Y are embossed, one in each of the six pieces - see below. I found a European (Spanish) patent on this design: ES17805U Antonio Pozo Vicente 1948.
Spunky usually appears having symmetric-width left and right ears, however there is an asymmetric version where one ear is wider than the other. Note that the two examples on the left have asymmetric ear widths.
I found an unusual version of the Spunky Dog - marked Made in Hong Kong in a circle on its head, and "WY No. 50" on its left rear flank. In size it is slightly larger than a normal Spunky but seems less accurately made. Comparison photos shown, original Spunky on right.
I also found another unusual version of the Spunky Dog - this one has holes hollowing out areas of its pieces - I call it "Holey Spunky." It is slightly smaller than the normal Spunky, and unlike the usual Spunky which has its chain attached at its neck, Holey Spunky has a hole in its tail for the chain attachment. Holey Spunky came from a seller in Bulgaria. Here is Holey Spunky (black/yellow head) in comparison with a normal Spunky (blue/orange head): and also with the large "50" Spunky:
This type of Keychain Dog is commonly known as Scottie but I found an original instruction sheet clearly showing these pieces (pointy ears and distinct tail) which calls it Plasty the Puzzle Pup. This type is larger than Spunky. Five examples shown - this model is fairly common. "Plasty the Puzzle Pup" is offered in the January 1947 issues of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, and in the February 1948 issue of The Billboard but unfortunately none of those issues have an image of the puzzle. NOTE the shape of the ears, and the tail piece - these instructions match this type of dog. I found the letters V-P-A-T-O-I molded inside three pieces of a version of this dog (the other three pieces show no letters) - I have no idea what they mean - see below:
The large dog puzzle was also offered by Peter Pan in England - here is a Peter Pan Dog on its original card. The pieces are glossier than the previous version, and in six different colors. Appears in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #13/14 "Dog 1" on p3. The C2E indicates that the Peter Pan Dog was offered in the 1948 Johnson Smith Catalog on p179, and in the 1949 Gordon's Catalog, but I cannot verify whether it was indeed the Peter Pan carded version or merely the Plasty version, though I suspect the latter.
Keychain Dog - DDR - two examples, both obtained in different lots from Germany Note the shapes of the insides of the pieces - they are blockily hollowed out and contain no lettering. I found a couple of European patents on this dog design. See DE1631833U Fritz Hasselbeck 1951. It shows the characteristic pieces of this dog type, including the tail and pointed ears - but the ears in the diagram meet in a V. An earlier patent ES15924U Benito Manso Alonso 1947, shows the same tail but separated ears. Note that there seem to be hundreds of patents of diverse types (see e.g. patentados.com which lists 428 from 1944 to 1969) where the assignee is "Manso Alonso, Benito" - I don't know who this is (or whether it was some sort of corporate entity). Among Plasty, Peter Pan, Alonso, and Hasselbeck, who has priority for this dog design is anybody's guess. There are several versions of this type of dog with subtle differences in appearance - here are some examples... In general, I have found that the keychain dog puzzles of this outward appearance fall into two basic classes (with some subtle subclasses) based on the internal shapes of their pieces and whether they contain lettering - this blocky hollowed type, versus the type where the hollowed areas are more rounded and contain lettering. Examples shown below. Blocky, no lettering: with a couple of sub-sub-variants - see how the blocky "plateaus" in the legs of the examples on the left remain at the level of the piece's edge, while those in the legs in the second photo drop down? Rounded, with lettering: Of course, the Druopta Czech dog isn't hollowed out (see below)...
At IPP37 I found this unusual version of a dog keychain puzzle, from Druopta. Note the "uni-ear" and the wide nose. Keychain Druopta Dog
Puzzle Pup Junior keychain puzzle - four examples Plas-Trix 1949 This type of dog puzzle was offered in the 1951 Johnson Smith Catalog (available at archive.org) on page 122 (page 60 of the PDF):
This version of the Scottie Dog is smaller and has a head like Spunky's and a tail like Pup Jr's. Three examples, but I sold the orange-headed one. The card shown above identifies this as Plasty the Puzzle Pup, by Toy-Trix. The instructions on this card show the distinctive tail piece and more squared-off ears of this dog type, but the larger dog shown above has also been called Plasty. So, evidently, the name Plasty has been applied to more than one dog type. The Pal Plastics Scottie Dog card below also shows the pieces of this dog type - note the tail in particular. However, this card was accompanied by the larger version of the Scottie dog. Go figure!
Here is a comparison of Spunky and the large and small Scotties. The large Scottie is on the left, Spunky is in the middle, and the small Scottie is on the right. Each has six pieces.
A small dog issued by Roddy of the UK - similar to the small Scottie Dog above. Three examples including a second but damaged pink/blue one with box.
Here is a five dog comparison:
This Czech version of the Scotty Dog has an "inverted" two-piece head. The two pieces of the head fit together and into the body only one way. In the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Dog 10" #26 on page 5. I found two examples but sold the green one. I later found this red version which came to me from Russia:
Keychain Russian Dog - two examples
A Dachshund dog interlocking keychain puzzle (soft plastic) - Kabaya Leaf Japan Four examples but I sold the white-headed and green-headed ones.
Keychain Mack Bulldog Minimally interlocking (only two pieces) and minimally a puzzle - but nicely sculpted.
Waldi the dachshund, the first official Olympic mascot. Created for the 1972 winter games in Munich. Instructions shown but my example is different - it has a plastic spine and press-fit tail and ears. Unfortunately someone glued the head, chest, and first segment together. Since my first was slightly damaged, I found a couple more.
Spunky Dog - large modern version A modern copy of Steinhardt's 1953 design (patent 2651522) - issued with different heads, including dog, llama (giraffe?), and elephant. These are larger than the vintage Spunky dog of the patent, and the pieces are hollowed out.
Whoever produced the "Modern" Spunky used the same basic architecture to also produce a "Llama/Giraffe" and an Elephant by varying only the head shapes. Modern Spunky - ears forward Modern Spunky - ears back Modern Spunky - Llama/Giraffe Modern Spunky - Elephant
Compare this to the large modern Spunky Dog above - here, the ears are swept back. Also, there is no protruding nose. Is this supposed to be something other than a dog? Maybe a Goat?
I ran across a photo online taken at an exhibition of the puzzle collection of Josef Horda at the Vida Science Center in Brno in the Czech Republic. One display case contained keychain puzzles, and in particular a dog that seemed to have a combination of the ears-forward and ears-backward head pieces. I captured the photos and show excerpts below. Here are the interiors of examples from my collection of the head pieces of both dog types - ears-forward on top and ears-backward below. Note that the ears-forward head pieces have a nose and a tab on one half, that sits in a corresponding slot on the other head half. The ears-backward head pieces have no nose, but have a peg on one half that fits into a socket in the other half. (I have three examples each of the ears-forward and the ears-backward dogs, and their configurations are as shown - I do not know of any instance where the slot and nose, or peg and socket sides are reversed.) Neither pair of mixed pieces fits together perfectly, but the slot half will fit with the socket half - resulting in a head with the backwards ear on the left of the face and the forwards ear on the right. I built this dog, shown below. Note that the other pair of head pieces (nose half and peg half) do not fit together - but in the Horda photo, that is the ears combination shown - forward on left and backwards on right! I am not sure whether the Horda version is yet a third type, or is a Frankenstein whose poor fit is obscured in the available photo. Please let me know if you have any information about this - photos of the insides of the mixed head pieces would be even better!
Who let the dogs out??
Here is a Poodle, obtained from a seller in Poland, which shares the architecture of the Dutch/German Horse puzzle. The poodle is made from hard plastic. The head piece slides out first. This puzzle poodle does not appear in the Compendium 2nd Ed. and seems very rare. Speaking of rare or unusual puzzles featuring the Dutch Horse body architecture, here are photos I snagged from the web of another variant, having a dog head, with no mane. Shown for reference (I do not have this): It seems to have been assembled with the "belt" piece in an incorrect orientation.
Puzzle Puss - three examples. Also showing two slightly different cards (can you spot the difference?) and a tear-off paper instruction sheet complete with tear! Also issued by Bell and called the "Lucky Cat."
Lucky Cat - Bell UK Comparison of faces of Lucky Cat (center) and Puzzle Puss (left and right): Frankly, I see no differences. The Lucky Cat fits together much more tightly than any Puzzle Puss I've run across, though. Ahem.
Here is a Bulldog using the Lucky Cat architecture. This one is absent from the Compendium 2nd Ed. and seems rare. Shown for reference (I do not have this): Thanks to Karen for the photos!
Besides Dogs, Keychain Elephants have also proven to be a popular type - the Compendium 2nd Ed. lists nine subtypes on pages 6 through 8 and I have identified a few more. [Back to Animals Menu] 1. #35/36 - Bell UK 1949 Plas-Trix' "Jumbo Elephant Zipper Pull" (listed in 1948 Billboard so predates Bell) *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* The Compendium lists 2. #37 - numbered pieces Denmark I DON'T HAVE. 3. #38 - Pussy Germany #2200 1981 Chinese copy of Pussy 2200 *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* BASF version w/ hollow legs *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* 4. #39 - "Split Head" soft plastic 5. #40 - Mechanical Servants w/ "limp" tail 7. #42 - Mechanical Servants w/ circular tail 6. #41 - Kabaya Leaf Elephant #78 p13 - Clown & Elephant - this is "Jumbo" by Lional. The Compendium incorrectly associates the Plas-Trix Jumbo card with this. 8. #43 - Modern Spunky-bodied Elephant 9. #44 - DDR/German Elephant Toby - France *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* Samson Novelty Elephant C2E Appendix #13
Jumbo the Elephant - two examples Plas-Trix The head is a single piece - note the tab at the top of the back of the neck. In the Nov. 6 1948 issue of Billboard magazine, the Harris Novelty Company of Philadelphia was selling a gross of each of "Key Chain Puzzles, Elephant" and "Key Chain Puzzles, Donkey" for $13.50 each.
Comparison of four elephants Compare Jumbo shown previously with the similar-looking examples below - each has six pieces. Simplified (Pussy) example in upper left. Soft plastic "split head" example in upper right. Vintage "simplified" example in lower left. Jumbo in lower right. UL: note hollow head w/ no tab, chain eyelet, lack of pin on right-rear leg (RRL) piece. UR: note split head, end point sockets for chain, pin on RRL piece. LL: note hollow head w/ no tab, end point sockets for chain, pin on RRL piece. LR: note solid head w/ tab, chain channel, pin on RRL piece.
"Simplified" Jumbo the Elephant - 4 examples The two blue and yellow examples are from the German company Pussy. Note the absence of the tab at the top of the back of the neck - also there is no pin on the right rear leg. The white-headed example is from China - note its instructions are identical to the Pussy German version.
Elephant keychain puzzle advertising BASF Note the hollowed out legs
"Split Head" Elephant - soft plastic Pieces are similar to but different from Jumbo.
Keychain Bell Elephant This nice version by Bell, with its original card, has examples of Bell's characteristic "flesh tone" (caucasian) and light green colored pieces.
Four examples of the "Mechanical Servants" style Elephant Pair of MS versions on the left, HK copy on the right. Both types made in HK but the MS versions are higher quality. Note the difference in the tail, and the neck insert length. MS instructions on the left, HK on right. Note that HK instructions do not reflect accurate tail.
Elephant - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan Steinhardt architecture variant. I found two but sold one, then I found another pair.
Three examples of an Elephant with Clown rider keychain The card I found calls this "Jumbo" from Lional
The "Dog Body" style (large) Elephant - two examples
Three examples of a German Elephant keychain. I sold the green one with the red belt.
This charming keychain elephant called "Toby" arrived from France complete with its colorful box. Its architecture is similar to the large Scottie Dog puzzle, but there are no letters inside the pieces. This puzzle is absent from the Compendium 2nd Ed.
Samson Novelty Elephant Puzzle - England The Samson Novelty Elephant and box appears in the Compendium Appendix "Packaging of Keychain Puzzles" as #13.
The Compendium 2nd Ed. lists five Keychain Pigs, as well as a Boar from DDR/Germany. [Back to Animals Menu] 1. #66 - circular tail, large hole in loop var. of (1) w/ limp tail *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* 2. #67 - rounded ears, tiny hole in loop 3. #68 - rectangular ears 4. #69 - Czech Pig, pointy ears 5. #70 - curly tail, indented circle around eye, bent legs - DDR/Germany Pig - Mexico *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #77 p13 - Wild Boar - DDR
Pig keychain puzzle, with round tail. The first pink and black version is higher quality (from Pussycat of Germany?) This design is similar to the MS Elephant construction. In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Pig 1" No. 66 on p11.
This version of the pig has a straight, flat tail as opposed to the round-tail version, but its architecture is the same.
This version of the pig has rounded ears. In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Pig 2" No. 67 on p12. Thanks, William!
This version of the pig has rectangular ears drooping down. In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Pig 3" No. 68 on p12. The seller was in Germany.
This version of the Pig comes from the Czech Republic. In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Pig 4" No. 69 on p12. My copy has some surface damage.
This version of the Pig comes from the DDR - three examples In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Pig 5" No. 70 on p12.
This version of the keychain Pig puzzle was produced in Mexico. It has the same architecture as Pig 3 #68. Mexican keychain puzzles often have the characteristic large plastic keychain attachment shown here. (I show the postmark from the package shipped to me, from a seller in Ixtapaluca, Mexico.)
Keychain interlocking puzzle Wild Boar or Hedgehog (Germany) - four examples
Another eye test - Keychain Puzzle Pieces Jumble #2 - can you tell which pieces comprise which puzzle?
Keychain Beasts of Burden - including Burros, Donkeys, Camels, Horses (some being ridden by Cowboys & Indians) - form another subgroup. [Back to Animals Menu] #92/93 p16 - Rider & Mule 1 - Mule Train - Lional #28 p5 - Donkey 1 - Plas-Trix #29 p5 - Donkey 2 - DDR/Germany #90 p15 - Rider & Camel - Desert Patrol - Lional #82 p14 - Cowboy w/ pistol in right hand *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - Cowboy w/ pistol in left hand #83 p14 - Cowboy w/ rifle in left hand *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - Indian w/ tomahawk in right hand NOTE - Indian w/ tomahawk in the LEFT hand is #84 on p14. It says that version is soft plastic and from Hong Kong. This version is the MUCH more common Lional hard plastic type included in the Indian Raid set, so I am surprised it isn't listed. #91 p16 - Mini Indian on horseback #87/88 p15 - Ranger / Scout / Mounted Police #80/81 - Ride 'Em Cowboy #94/95 - "Rider & Mule 2" - UK #85/86 - Kentucky Derby #54 p9 - Dutch Horse #57 p10 - Llama
Mule Train or "Burro and Rider" or "Mule Rider" A version was issued by Lional 1954 Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #92/93 on p16. 17 examples (The Sombrero isn't a puzzle but is sometimes seen accompanying the Mule Rider.) Interestingly, there is a design patent on this puzzle - D161829 Goodman - issued 1951, filed 1949.
"Don" Key (Donkey) keychain puzzle - three examples. See the instructions - this one has only five pieces but requires various rotations. Plas-Trix 1949
Donkey (German) keychain puzzle - Four examples
Desert Patrol / Camel Rider keychain puzzle - 3 examples Lional Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #89/90 on p15. Unusual in that it has only five pieces.
Lional Indian Raid set Includes two Indians on horseback, each holding a tomahawk in the right hand and two cowboys on horseback, each holding a pistol in the right hand. Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #19 in the Appendix - Multiples-2 section.
Cowboy with pistol in right hand - one additional (loose) example Lional Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #82 on p14.	Cowboy with pistol in left hand - 2 examples Not listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. Maybe these are riflemen with the rifle butt broken off, but I found examples from different sources and they don't seem damaged.
Cowboy with rifle in left hand - 3 examples Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #83 on p14. NOTE that this rifleman and the cowboy with pistol in LEFT hand share a style of horse that is distinct from the horse shared by the Lional cowboy, indian, and scout/ranger. Instead this horse appears similar to that of the Kentucky Derby puzzle made by Pal Plastics.
Indian with tomahawk in right hand - four examples including an all-black example. NOTE the Compendium 2nd Ed. lists only an Indian on horseback with a tomahawk in the LEFT hand, #84 on p14. It says that version is soft plastic and from Hong Kong. This version is the Lional hard plastic type included in the Indian Raid set, so I am surprised it isn't listed.
Keychain Mini Indian on Horseback Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #91 on p16.
Scout or Ranger (aka Mounted Police) (no firearm) - 3 examples, one with original card Lional Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #87/88 on p15. All of the Horse and Rider puzzles assemble in the same basic way, with a rotating tail piece as the key.
Comparison of Cowboy keychain puzzles - Scout, Pistol (L hand), Rifle (L hand)
Bucking Bronco or Ride 'Em Cowboy keychain puzzle - four intact examples 1951 Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #80/81 on p14. This puzzle is my least favorite - it holds together poorly and the key on the head is very fragile.
A Cowboy keychain puzzle produced in England 1995 - three examples Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #94/95 on p16.
Jockey or Kentucky Derby keychain puzzle - four examples, two individual cards, and a store card. Pal Plastics 1958 Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as #86 on p15.
Keychain Dutch Horse puzzle. A blue version (Dutch, vinyl) - missing the ears (a common issue), and a hard plastic version from Germany in its package. Yes, the German version has its ears, but someone glued them in. I obtained a nice red version including the elusive ears piece:
Two examples of either a Llama or a Giraffe with a fairly short neck
Birds and Fish... [Back to Animals Menu] #31/32 p6 - "Duck 1" - Lucky Duck[y] - Pal Plastics / Plas-Trix #33 p6 - "Duck 2" with seaman's cap #34 p6 - "Duck 3" Pussy 2900 / Geramont Duck in top hat #49/50 p9 - Bell UK Goose #65 p11 - Penguin - 6 pieces - Kabaya Leaf Penguin - 4 pieces *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #64 p11 - "Owl 2" - 1-piece head - Kabaya Leaf Owl - 2-piece head - Kabaya Leaf *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #63 p11 - "Owl 1" - Pussy 2203 Owl - various clones of Pussy 2203 *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* I have also seen but don't have a version with a cape. #73 p13 - "Rooster 1" - Germany #74 p13 "Rooster 2" - Russia #45 p8 - "Fish 1" - Pussy DBGM 2204 Fish - HK *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #46 p8 - "Fish 2" - Kabaya Leaf
Lucky Duck keychain puzzles - six examples a.k.a. "Lucky Ducky" Note on instructions in step D - "Find Egg Inside" - I found a copy of the Lucky Ducky with an egg still inside! PT - Pal Toy or Plas-Trix
Puzzler Duck in Cannon Package
Keychain interlocking puzzle Duck with Sailor's or Seaman's cap - four examples Note that the Lucky Ducky is wider than this version: Its belt and loop pieces are correspondingly larger.
Duck in Top Hat - seven examples I have instructions from the German company Pussycat. This duck has often been used to advertise Geramont French cheese.
Bell Goose interlocking keychain puzzle - three examples
At the Antarctic! Keychain interlocking puzzle Penguin A very small, soft plastic puzzle from Kabaya-Leaf of Japan. Four examples.
I found this keychain Penguin similar to the Kabaya Leaf Penguin, but having a loop on the head, a sharp beak rather than the KL's rounded beak, and only four pieces. It arrived in a plastic gumball machine capsule. A second instance has an opposite color scheme.
Keychain interlocking puzzle Owl - Kabaya Leaf Japan This version has a single-piece head.
Keychain interlocking puzzle Owl - Kabaya Leaf Japan This version has a two-piece head. Two examples.
This type of Owl keychain puzzle has been issued in both soft and hard plastic. I have instructions from the German company Pussycat, which issued the green and yellow hard plastic version shown below with the marking "DBGM." Here is another hard plastic example. Note that it differs from the Pussycat version by having a shoulder eyelet, and lacking a tab on the neck piece. Here is an assortment having different keychain attachments. The third from left is soft plastic - one piece is marked "Hong Kong" and has a 'W' on the inside.
Keychain Rooster - two examples This third example came from a seller in Mexico:
Keychain Russian Rooster
Keychain Puzzle Pieces Jumble #3	Keychain puzzle pieces jumble #4
Keychain Fish from Pussy of Germany This one has an interesting springy internal piece that when squeezed opens the mouth. I found another instance of the Fish by Pussy - this one in a package for ZeoZon, with instructions. The ZeoZon Fish has the same architecture, including the spring, as the Pussy Fish - but its spring is blocked by a piece of plastic. The interior of the side pieces are slightly different, too. But both have DBGM on the jaw piece. Here is a comparison of the Hong Kong fish, the Pussy Fish, and the ZeoZon fish. The eyes of the Hong Kong fish bulge outwards, while the eyes of the Pussy fish dimple inwards.
This version of the Fish is from Hong Kong and is so stamped on the tail. It has a simplified body and omits the spring and opening mouth. Fit is poor.
Fish, soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf of Japan
Keychain Piece Jumble #5
Other Wild Animals... [Back to Animals Menu] #52 p9 - "Hippo 1" - Kabaya Leaf I DON'T HAVE THIS. #53 p9 - "Hippo 2" - Kabaya Leaf #72 p12 - Rhino - Kabaya Leaf #71 p12 - Rabbit - Kabaya Leaf #48 p8 - "Giraffe 2" - Kabaya Leaf #47 p8 - "Giraffe 1" - Roddy #58 p10 - "Monkey 1" #59 p10 - "Monkey 2" - same arch. as Monkey 1 but w/ cap #60 p10 - "Monkey 3" - same architecture but has hair and cap - I DON'T HAVE IT. #2 p1 - Bear with claws #142 p24 - Berlin Bear (incorrectly categorized as "Robot 7" in Compendium) Butagaz Bear *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* Tiger - 5 pieces - Japan *NOT IN COMPENDIUM*
Hippo (small) - two examples - Kabaya Leaf Japan Steinhardt architecture variant.
Rhino - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Keychain interlocking puzzle Rabbit A very small, soft plastic puzzle from Kabaya-Leaf of Japan.
Keychain puzzle Giraffe - Kabaya Leaf Japan
A very rare Giraffe keychain puzzle, produced in the 1950s-60s by Roddy in Southport, England.
Monkey keychain puzzle (three examples shown but I sold the one with the green belt) The body can be installed with the "belt" either in front or back and the arms or legs can be swapped side-to-side. I am not sure of the intended configuration.
Keychain puzzle Monkey with Cap - Furfangos Hungary #59 p10 - "Monkey 2" in the Compendium 2nd Ed. This puzzle, with its characteristic keychain, is one of the Furfangos line produced in Hungary. "Furfangos" means "Smart." "Kabala Majom" means "Mascot Monkey."
A Berlin Bear - this type has claws and a crown Three examples.
Six examples of a keychain Berlin Bear This type has a robot-style body and a simplified head with a simple pentagonal "crown."
A German keychain puzzle zoo.
Butagaz Bear Keychain puzzle Very rare! But I did manage to find two. My first was slightly damaged - the piece in the lower right should have a tab projecting forward and up to lodge between the legs. Still very happy to have found it. Found an intact example and traded away the other.
Tiger - 5 pieces - Japan In the red yellow green series. *NOT IN COMPENDIUM*
Reptiles... NOTE: according to (for example) Wikipedia and The London Natural History Museum, "Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles." There are four major groups of reptiles: turtles/tortoises, lizards/snakes, crocodilians, and dinosaurs. [Back to Animals Menu] #10 p2 - "Dinosaur 1" - Stegosaur / Dragon Large #11 p2 - "Dinosaur 2" - Stegosaur / Dragon Small Stegosaur / Dragon Small - Kabaya Leaf *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #1 p1 - Alligator - Kabaya Leaf #235 p40 - Snake (+birds 4-in-1) - Kabaya Leaf Incorrectly listed as "Curling Stone" Triceratops - Kabaya Leaf *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* #12 p2 - "Dinosaur 3" - Brontosaur - Kabaya Leaf
Keychain Dragon (large version) - three examples All soft plastic.
The Dragon also appears in a small version. It has the same pieces as the large and is also soft plastic. Here is an example in its package, with a size comparison to the large Dragon also in its package. Also shown is a loose mini Dragon and its pieces.
The small dragon or Stegosaur appeared as part of the Kabaya Leaf keychain puzzle lineup. Note the absence of the loop on the top back plate. The pieces are also better molded and a bit more robust.
Alligator (soft plastic) - Japan - Kabaya Leaf Inc.
I found an instance of this Kabaya-Leaf puzzle in its package, complete with the instruction sheet shown here. Although this puzzle resembles a Curling Iron, the instruction sheet says four different animals can be constructed - with all pieces used to make a Snake. Soft plastic. Kabaya-Leaf Japan Six examples shown. つばめ means Swallow すずめ means Sparrow はくちょう means Swan ヘび means Snake
A small plastic interlocking Triceratops dinosaur - Kabaya Leaf Japan I found three but kept only one.
Brontosaur - Kabaya Leaf Japan I obtained two but sold the white-headed example.

Keychain People, Robots, and Other Figures
William Waite was kind enough to provide some info on what I thought was called the "Contortionist" keychain puzzle. It turns out this model is actually known as the Wha Hoppen or Wrestler puzzle. The hapless wrestler has been tied into a pretzel by his opponent. I finally obtained an instance including the original card. This was marketed by the Harrison Co. of Long Island City NY in 1951.
Here is the Bell version, called the Wrestler, on an original card.
Five additional examples of the Wrestler.
Bibendum (Michelin Man) puzzles. This is the small version. As a kid, I had a Bibendum keychain puzzle I got at a car show at the NY Coliseum. It disappeared long ago, but after searching for some time, I finally found another one. This puzzle is the last of four "Lost Puzzles of My Childhood" (Drive Ya Nuts, Phony Baloney, Screw Loose, and Bibendum) that originally motivated me to start following auctions! You can read more about the history of Bibendum on Wikipedia. Bibendum, also known as the Michelin Man, is the official mascot of the Michelin Tire company, a French multi-national. Introduced in 1894, he is one of the oldest trademarks still in use. His name comes from the slogan Nunc est bibendum "Now is the time to drink" - see an early poster. Bibendum is white because early tires were made of white or gray (or beige) rubber - only in 1912 did they become black, when carbon was added. Early effigies of Bibendum could be somewhat frightful! Michelin also began reviewing restaurants so that more people would travel further distances in their cars to eat at these restaurants. This in turn would wear down their tires faster, and force them to buy more. The star system that Michelin uses goes up to three and is broken down by whether or not it's worth driving to the restaurant. One star: "A very good restaurant in its category" - Two star: "Excellent cooking, worth a detour" - Three star: "Exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey."
Bibendum - the medium sized version.
Bibendum - the large sized version. Architecture is similar to a kumiki puzzle. I also found two in their packages:
Bibendum Trio
After finding the above Bibendum versions, I learned from Peter Hajek of the existence of a variant of the largest Bibendum - whose key piece is wider than that of the version shown above, with a correspondingly smaller left hand piece. At IPP37 in Paris I discovered a copy of this wide-key variant, shown below with its accompanying card and in comparison with the narrow-key version. Narrow-key variant on the left in all comparison pictures. Note that there are other minor internal differences, including internal grooves on the shoulder and hip pieces, and circular tabs on the sliding pieces of the wide-key version, and different tabs on the right hand piece.
Blue version of the large, wide-key Bibendum
Esso Oil Drop Man interlocking keychain puzzle - 2002 Hard plastic, 8 pieces. The chest is a front and back fixed together. (Seems permanent to me and I didn't try to pry it apart - the legs and arms have flanges and slide into it in grooves.) Very happy to have found this extremely rare keychain puzzle! In pristine condition, to boot! Since this one is so rare, I have taken photos of the [dis]assembly steps.
宇宙人ピピ パズル (Alien Phi Phi or PiPi Puzzle) -【メーカー】ジュニア Manufacturer: Junior (Japan) 1960s Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Elf 1" No. 102 on page 17. My green example is missing its face disk and the nose pin. From a Japanese description: "It is a puzzle figure named Phi Phi from a children's drama series "Alien Spirit" written by Sakyo Komatsu and directed by Kazumasa Hirai with music by Isao Tomita that began broadcasting on NHK in 1965." The show was a pioneering blend of live action and animation. See the Wikipedia Japan entry for Alien Spirit. Watch a sample episode at the NHK archive. This puzzle was produced in the 1960s by the manufacturer "Junior" in various colors including yellow, green, red, and blue - the TV character was yellow. I found another example. This one has a face piece but was missing its nose, so I made one out of spare green plastic.
This Japanese cartoon figure is called "Naruheso-kun" (なるへそくん or なるへそ君くん ) which translates as "Navel-Boy." - Japan Note the ball bearing that came inside the head to make it rattle. According to the blog Before Mario, "the character Naruheso-kun was created by Aoui Yamane. Naruheso-kun is a cartoon figure whose main claim to fame is a violently popping navel. The Japanese word for umbilicus is actually 'heso' so his name translates to Navel-Boy." NOTE that the card that accompanied this puzzle character says ヤダモン which is "Yadamon" so I first thought that was this character's name, but images of the Yadamon character do not feature the navel nor do they much resemble this character - images of Navel-Boy are a much better match. I found a storecard and it came with a few paper instruction sheets.
This Japanese cartoon figure is Q-Taro - Japan
This version of the Q-Taro keychain puzzle came with its original box. This puzzle borrows the traditional Robot puzzle architecture.
Another Q-Taro version, #121 p21 in the Compendium 2nd Ed. I don't have this. Shown for reference. Pix courtesy of William Waite.
Skull keychain puzzle - Maruka - Japan With movable jaw. Shown as #123/124 "Skull" on p21 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. どくろ means skull, スリラー means thriller. I found a second example:
I don't know what cartoon figure this is, but it came from Japan A bit raccoon-like. It has only five pieces but it seems complete. The yellow example may be missing a ball-like tail. I have seen this referred to as a "Tanuki" (たぬき) - a Japanese raccoon-Dog. I sold my yellow example, after I found another example with an intact tail:
I found this five-piece puzzle Monkey from Japan that seems to be in series with the Tanuki.
This is a cartoon character Perman (see the Wikipedia entry about Perman) - Japan
Keychain Topo Gigio - Japan
Ninja - Japan (Maruka) 忍者 - means ninja In the Compendium as Ninja #118 on p20. I found yellow and red examples, too:
Elf / Monkey King - Japan In the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Elf 2" #103 on page 18. 孫悟空 means "Sun Wukong" or the Monkey King 組立説明図 means "assembly drawing" I found a store card complete with three sets of the Monkey King in four different colors: red, blue, green, and brown.
This version of the Monkey King came in a gumball vending machine type capsule. Its four pieces press together with peg-in-socket joints. I found another example with a much more nicely rendered face:
Crazy Kid - Japan In the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Kid with Hat" #106 on page 18 However, note that the example in the Compendium differs from my example in several respects, including the cap, head, and eye structure, as well as the arms, torso, and legs, and finally the card - so evidently there exist at least two different versions of this puzzle character. I did not disassemble the lower section including the legs - the pieces of this puzzle are fairly fragile. 怪物くん means "Monster-kun" which was a Japanese television show featuring a boy like this character.
I obtained an example of the Monster-Kun Kid puzzle shown in the Compendium 2nd Ed as "Kid with Hat" #106 on page 18. The puzzle includes a small ball bearing rattling around inside the head. Comparison with other version of the Monster-Kun kid.
Dancer - Japan I don't have this. Shown for reference. Pix courtesy of William Waite.
Shmoo - two examples, one with original card Toy-Trix 1949 Also shown - excerpt from Billboard magazine of May 1949 offering "Shmoo Puzzle Keychains with fortune" at a dozen for $1.50 or a gross for $16.20. As indicated on its card, the Shmoo originally contained a fortune - on a small slip of flimsy paper and nestled in the cavity in the white piece shown at bottom center in my photo of the puzzle's pieces. I found an intact example in one Shmoo! Aside from the head and tail pieces, the Shmoo puzzle is equivalent in architecture to the Lucky Duck keychain puzzle issued by Pal Plastics, which also appeared as the Lucky Ducky that itself contained a fortune - one instruction sheet promised 'Find your fortune inside "Lucky Ducky."' (See step D in instructions shown below - "Find Egg Inside.") Here are some interesting facts about the Shmoo, from Denis Kitchen's website, the Wikipedia article on Capp, and the Wikipedia article on the Shmoo: By the postwar 1940's Al Capp's comic strip "Li'l Abner" - created in 1934 - had millions of fans and had made him millions of dollars. In August 1948 Capp (b. Alfred Gerald Caplin 1909 in Connecticut, d. 1979) introduced a new character called the Shmoo, which became an unprecedented merchandising phenomenon, spawning dozens of Shmoo-themed products and lasting through 1952 - and generating over $25,000,000 in sales in one year (in dollars of the time - more than $200 million today). Shmoos packed with candy were dropped by the U.S. during the Berlin Airlift. A Shmoo Savings Bond was issued by the U.S. Treasury Department in 1949 - Al Capp appeared with President Truman at the unveiling ceremony. Shmoos appeared alongside Capp on the cover of Time magazine in 1950. For a not-so-flattering account of Capp and his strip, see an article The Brand Called Shmoo by Daniel Raeburn at the Baffler website. "The Shmoo is shaped like a plump bowling pin with legs, but no arms." Oddly, the card shows a Shmoo with arms, but the iconic character has none. More Shmoo trivia - Shmoos are white - there are evil Shmoos called Nogoodniks and they're green colored.
Howdy Doody keychain puzzle - six examples. From Lido.
Baseball Players (or Batter) (six examples - a few short of a team...) - From Lido.
Knight. From Lido. Three examples and a card.
Happo - The Jolly Clown Puzzle - seven examples. Appears in 1951 Johnson Smith Catalog I found the alternate card - it's much smaller than I expected.
An interlocking puzzle doll - thanks, Erhan!			Here is a female figure similar to the one I received from Erhan - but this one seems to be missing its chest piece. Perhaps it is a legitimate variant?
An interlocking puzzle doll - issued by the Czech company Druopta	An interlocking puzzle doll - Czech	An interlocking puzzle doll - Czech	An interlocking puzzle doll - Czech
Bartissol Man - France 2002 An interesting design with a spring-loaded button in the chest.
The Compendium 2nd Ed. lists nine Robots on pages 23 and 24. I have found a few more variants... 1. #135 p23 "Robot 1" no chain mount, 2-piece head, head out first *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - no chain mount, 2-piece head, head out first neck tab variant - Russia *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - shoulder loop, 2-piece head, head out first Pussy Germany 2217 There are many clones of this model - e.g. China, Japan, Tamaki, Mechanical Servants *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - chain embedded in shoulder, 2-piece head, head out first Pussy DGBM *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - loop on head, must remove shoulder first 2. #136 p23 "Robot 2" - 1-piece head 3. #137 p23 "Robot 3" - loop/antenna head, must remove shoulder first 4. #138 p23 "Robot 4" - fin on head, sharp nose 5. #139 p24 "Robot 5" - detachable long legs 6. #140/141 p24 "Robot 6 - Astronaut" - variant of Berlin Bear, comes in capsule 7. #142 p24 "Robot 7" - this is the Berlin Bear, misidentified 8. #143 p24 "Robot 8" - bear body, frustum head with face - DDR/Ukraine/Russia *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - Czech Robot - bear body, frustum head w/ no face, large round ears 9. #144 p24 "Robot 9" - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - Mini Robot - does not seem to disassemble *NOT IN COMPENDIUM* - XL Robot - ring structure #127 p22 "Space Man 2" - aka Martian - based on the Robot architecture #122 p21 "Scuba Diver" - listed as a diver, but has always looked to me more like a robot e.g. Gigantor
Below are examples of "Robot 1" #135 on page 23 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Robot 1 is distinguished by having: no chain/cord mounting point, a two-piece head, and a right-shoulder piece that internally has a hook around the neck, such that the head/neck must come out first. Also, the thick part of the neck on the left is subtly engineered to have a small protrusion that snaps it into the body when inserted. This black and white one came from Russia. Note the different, more linear, neck, and the different eyes. Otherwise the architecture is the same, and this robot also has no chain/cord mounting point.
This variant of Robot 1 has a loop on its left shoulder. Its head is still two piece and the right shoulder hook arrangement and head-out-first is the same. Two examples - the green translucent one is from Pussycat of Germany, the purple-headed one is from China. Two instruction sheets shown - the 102217 sheet is from Pussycat of Germany, and the Made in China sheet accompanied the purple-headed robot. The Chinese sheet is essentially a copy of the Pussy sheet. There are several more examples below from different sources of the Robot 1 with a left shoulder loop.
Mechanical Servants Robot Standard, plain two-piece head, head pulls out as first move, loop on left shoulder.
Robot with All-Stars card
Keychain Robot in package - China
Examples of Robot 1 with shoulder loops, from Japan.
Keychain Robot in box - Japan - Tamaki I found a second example:
This version of the robot has a chain embedded in the left shoulder. Four examples, two used for advertising (BASF, and Karo-As Cutlery). One has bejeweled eyes, three have the marking DGBM on the neck tab. I believe the DGBM examples were issued by Pussy of Germany. These all still use the hook inside the right shoulder, and head-out-first - note the subtle locking protrusion on the yellow bejewelled DGBM neck piece. Comparison with other similar robots shown.
This Robot has a chain loop on its head. It is hardly legible, but the back of the head says "HONG KONG." Note that this one also has the provision for the chain to be embedded in the shoulder - two holes can be seen in the left shoulder. This one has a major architectural difference - here, the right shoulder must be removed first, only then can the head/neck be extracted. The right shoulder piece has no hook, instead it has an indentation to accommodate a "pin" protruding laterally from the neck. If you try to pull the head out first, you will likely break this pin! NOTE the 'T' shaped neck piece with pins, and how the right shoulder pieces have no hook but rather a notch underneath to accommodate the neck pin.
"Robot 2" #136 on page 23 is similar to Robot 1 but has a hollow one-piece head, and a shoulder loop. Two examples.
This robot has kind of a TV antenna on its head. Japan. This is "Robot 3" #137 on page 23 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Two examples. Of note is the difference in this robot's architecture, similar to the HK robot - usually one can first pull out the head, but in this case one must first remove the top right arm piece before the head can come out. You can see the pronounced protrusion on the neck piece which locks it in place under the arm piece. One body piece has text on it: サロンパス which translates as "Salon pass." Looks like they make bandages. Maybe advertising?
This version of the robot has a sharp nose, pronounced mouth, and a head fin - Japan This is "Robot 4" #138 on page 23 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Standard head out first. I found a second example:
Keychain Robot with Long Legs - three examples This is "Robot 5" #139 on page 24 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. After I bought these, I found a Japanese store card of the Long Leg Robot but it is missing one robot (though I suppose I could simply replace it).
Astronaut with Capsule In the Compendium 2nd Ed. "Robot 6 - Astronaut" No 140,141 on p24. NOTE that "Robot 7" #142 on page 24 is what I list as the simple (no claws) Berlin Bear with pentagonal crown.
Keychain Russian Robot - from a seller in the Ukraine Architecture similar to the Berlin Bear Appears in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Robot 8" #143 on page 24, where the country of origin is listed as East Germany (DDR). I obtained one from Russia, in its bag with an instruction sheet:
Keychain Czech Robot This faceless robot with large disc ears is not listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. Architecture similar to the Berlin Bear. This red example came to me from Russia:
A small robot - Kabaya Leaf Japan This is "Robot 9" #144 on page 24 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. Klaatu barada nikto!
Mini version of the Keychain Robot I found three examples but none disassemble. This tiny robot from Japan is not a keychain puzzle - but this particular character appears frequently as a container.
I obtained this storecard of big robot puzzles from Japan. The nice, colorful graphics on the storecard - a rocketship and a blaster-wielding space cadet - are hidden behind the puzzles. This robot does have six pieces and a keychain loop, but it is fairly large and has a simpler architecture than the common robot puzzle - it is held together by two rings. This version is not in the Compendium 2nd Ed. Below is a comparison with other robots.
A Martian - based on the Robot design. This is "Space Man 2" #127 on page 22 of the Compendium 2nd Ed.
Japanese Diver keychain puzzle. Three examples - one in its original package. Slocum and Waite identify this Japanese interlocking keychain puzzle as a Diver, but it reminds me of Gigantor.

Keychain Insects, Plants, Fungi, & Molluscs

Three Ladybugs (two of orange/pink, and red/black German Pussycat version)

Ladybug (soft plastic) - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Dragonfly keychain puzzle - soft plastic - six examples, some in original packaging. Note the "short body / no loop" version in foreground (see below)...

This example of the Dragonfly is different from the Hong Kong versions - it has a shorter body and lacks a loop - and may have been issued by Kabaya Leaf Japan (I received it from Japan). Note the lack of an eyelet and the smaller dimensions. This is 32mm long with a 9mm tail, versus the normal 37mm with a 12mm tail. Comparison with HK version: I found a second example of the short-body/no-loop version, also from Japan:

Keychain Butterfly - two examples - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Keychain Grasshopper puzzle - Kabaya Leaf Japan

Keychain Cicadas - three examples

A keychain Beetle (with no horns) - two examples.

Rhinocerous Beetle - soft plastic - three examples (two in packages)

Rhino Beetle - Kabaya Leaf Japan The KL version has no loop on the tail. I found a second, green-headed example and sold the white-headed one. Then found the example with a yellow horn.

Stag Beetle keychain puzzle - three examples

Insects store card (Rhino Beetle & Dragonfly, with loops) - Japan

Keychain Mushroom by Pussy of Germany - two examples

Keychain Almond - a four-piece interlocking Almond keychain puzzle from Spain

A keychain Gourd from Japan - Maruka My copy is damaged, but it was a kind gift. Thanks, Peter! I obtained parts of a second and was able to build a complete example: This tiny token was inside the gourd: I found a Gourd on its original card, below. It rattles, so I believe it may contain the token. ひょうたん means "Gourd." And you can see in the upper right of the card that this is in the "Puzzle Corner" series.

Interlocking puzzle Clam - Kabaya Japan - soft plastic.

Interlocking puzzle Scallop - Kabaya Japan - soft plastic.

Keychain Artifacts
Score A Touchdown Football keychain puzzle - three examples Plas-Trix 1949 In the Nov. 5 1949 issue of Billboard, Joker Novelties of New York was offering a "Football Puzzle Key Chain" at $8.40 for a gross. This may resemble a Steinhardt configuration, but it is a distinct design and comes apart/assembles differently. I show pictures of the steps.
This one has been variously called the All-American / Cum-A-Part / Five Segment / Try A Pencil Football keychain puzzle - three examples The letters T-R-Y-A-P-E-N-C-I-L are embossed in the pieces, two letters to a piece. One is supposed to poke a pencil in the tip to pry the pieces apart. In 1955, Irving Steinhardt received patent 2712447 for this type of football keychain puzzle, called the "sector puzzle construction." Note that the actual puzzle differs a bit from the patent - the loop is on one of the five segments rather than on a separate sixth segment of its own.
Here is a Football puzzle from Kabaya of Japan, in soft plastic. It looks like it would be a copy of the sector puzzle construction - but its internals are completely different and it has six pieces. Two examples - red and yellow
Here is another Football puzzle I received from Japan, in soft plastic. It has only four pieces.
This four piece Beachball puzzle also came from Japan. I found three examples but kept only one.
Here is a very simple 2-piece version of the ball, from Japan.
Keychain interlocking puzzle Volleyball - Kabaya Japan. Soft plastic.
Puzzle Kun Volleyball - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Tennis Ball (?) (soft plastic) - Kabaya Leaf Japan Two examples - yellow and blue To me this looks like a tennis ball, but in the Compendium 2nd Ed. it is listed as Basketball 2, #219 on p37
Keychain Soccer Ball - two examples - black spots and white spots. I have instructions from the German company Pussycat. Two colorful examples from Israel:
Soccer Ball - Kabaya Leaf Japan A very different architecture than the "traditional" soccerball. I'd never before seen pieces designed to fit by flexing.
Kun Soccer Ball - Kabaya Leaf Japan I obtained a second one on its original sprues and with (unopened) instructions.
A six-piece hollow sphere / Soccer Ball - two examples.
Keychain Basketball
Keychain Billiards 1-8 Same architecture as the Basketball.
けん玉 Kendama puzzle - Japan Hard plastic. 13 pieces for the body, 3 for the ball, plus one string. Kendama, or Sword and Ball (a variant of Cup and Ball), is a popular dexterity toy in Japan. See the Wikipedia Japan page on Kendama. Listed in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as Cup & Ball 1, No. 233 on page 39. The pointy-tipped rod (red here) slides out first, releasing the locking piece in the base (yellow here). One of the base halves (the black one here) has a tab near its narrow end that locks it into the crosspiece - so the base halves must be removed/inserted into the crosspiece hole one half at a time.
Kendama Puzzle - Japan a boxed version, still on sprues
Jingle Bell - Japan A second example did not contain an actual bell:
Keychain Legal Coffee Grinder (French) - two examples The pieces are basically the Steinhardt cube.
Kumiki Barrel - three examples.
Keychain Barrel Puzzle in package - China This Barrel is larger than the Hard Plastic Kumiki Barrel above.
A hard plastic barrel was issued by Kawada Japan
The Kabaya-Leaf Puzzle Kun Barrel
Lucky Mallet puzzle - Japan Same architecture as the Kumiki-style Barrel
Keychain Barrel - Kabaya Leaf Japan This Barrel has an architecture distinct from the usual barrel.
A keychain puzzle Bell was issued by the German company Pussy. Their version is made from a high-quality plastic and is well molded. The letters DBGM are molded into the bottom piece. The chain is embedded into the stem piece. Two copies are shown. I also obtained a copy from Israel - it is the same design but the inscription is missing and the plastic is more brittle. Its chain runs through a loop on the top. Here is the copy from Israel:
Here is another copy of the Bell, from Kabaya Leaf Japan - note the difference in the stem: Two examples, one came with a box. Hard plastic.
The bells issued by Pussycat and by KL are of two different sizes - KL's being smaller and having one less segment - here are several for comparison:
Dice keychain puzzles - three examples, with three different styles of chain attachments I've had the white one since I was a kid. I have instructions from the German company Pussycat.
Dice puzzle - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan A different architecture than the Pussycat version. The KL version relies on a flexible tab, and a friction-fit peg in hole. I found a blue example, too:
This is the large Kun version of the puzzle Die - Kabaya Leaf Japan Inverse version also shown, along with instruction sheet.
From dice to playing cards... A Diamond suit keychain puzzle simple playing card from China. The central diamond rotates in place on an internal vertical axis. This neat little unusual keychain puzzle was very kindly gifted to me by Debra M. - Thanks! If anyone recognizes the WM logo, please let me know!
A Club suit keychain puzzle simple playing card from China. The central club rotates in place on an internal vertical axis.
Lufthansa Supercargo Crate advertising keychain puzzle. This has quite a few more pieces than the typical keychain puzzle! In 2022 I found a second example, but I sold it - this puzzle does not come along often!
Keychain Cheese Wheel - Wine and Cheese! Four examples, one without stickers
Keychain interlocking puzzle Circuit Breaker (France) - four examples
Keychain interlocking puzzle Mini-Stotz Circuit Breaker (Germany - BBC) Same basic architecture as the Robot. Also has a small red "jewel" on the bottom of the green piece - I imagine it is meant to represent an indicator. Last image is a real mini-stotz.
A keychain puzzle light bulb. Steinhardt architecture. I don't have this. Shown for reference.
Keychain Trophy - Japan Two examples - gold in package, and loose silver. Also available in multicolored. A nice assembly, with robust plastic. I really like this one! I found the colorful version, too.
Terramycine Spray Bottle adevrtising keychain puzzle - France I found four examples including one in a bag with its brochure.
Keychain Terramycine Bottle (yellow) - France			Kodacolor - France
Sarazin - France Same architecture as the Kodak Box
BP Longlife Can - two examples
Lithol Can
Avioline Can - same architecture as BP Longlife can		Keychain interlocking puzzle Oil Can BP T.O.U. - two examples
There are at least two additional variants of the Longlife / Lithol / Avioline can - an Avioline in dark blue, and a Vernis Optimaxine in yellow. I don't have these. Shown for reference. Pix courtesy of Bob Rosenberg.
The Oil Cans and the Kodak Box puzzles employ similar mechanisms.
Antargaz Can puzzle - France A Steinhardt architecture puzzle. The keychain attachment must be removed for the key piece to slide down and out. The non-puzzle form of this Antargaz Can keychain seems very common.
Keychain Lucky Charm - two examples
Two examples of a Lantern keychain puzzle Note the difference in the corners on the base. The orange version, with rounded corners, was made by Pussy of Germany and is of higher quality.
This version of the Lantern is from Hong Kong
This version of the lantern came on a pole atop a base. Probably Czech origin.
Legal Coffee Bean - four examples
The Legal Coffee Bean and Steinhardt Cube puzzles employ similar mechanisms.
Heart and Arrow keychain puzzle from "Mechanical Servants" Also two examples of same heart but without the arrow Has a rotational move - see step (E).
Heart on All-Stars card
I finally acquired an example of the very rare Peter Pan UK version of this puzzle with its heart-shaped card. Heart and Arrow keychain puzzle - Peter Pan UK The heart-shaped card is smaller than I expected it to be.
Heart interlocking keychain puzzle - three examples. The pink one is by Pussy. The colorful one is from HK. The architecture of this type of heart is similar to the Bell Goose. I have instructions from the German company Pussycat.
Keychain puzzle parts Jumble #6		Keychain parts jumble #8.
Three examples of the Mystery Watch Puzzle Tear-off instruction sheet on left, card on right (front and back) 1954
In the U.K. the Mystery Watch was issued by Peter Pan. Note the logo on the back, and the vintage safety pin clasp.
Grandfather Clock Keychain puzzle - Japan - Kabaya Leaf Inc. Two examples.
Alarm Clock Puzzle - Japan
Bowling Pin and Ball Three examples, two with card. Aka Skittles. This one has a bowling ball hidden inside!		Bowling Pin with Ball Keychain puzzle store card
Skittle and Ball keychain puzzle (with original card) - Bell UK
Bowling Pin keychain puzzle - "Thin type" - two examples. Compare to the bottle below.
Another Bowling Pin - similar construction but this one is fatter. Three examples.
Bowling Pin Keychain Puzzle in package - China
This bowling ball and pin came in a set of puzzles by Kawada, from Japan. The "Fat Pin" style. Ball is Steinhardt config. Second bowling ball also shown.
Bowling Pin and Ball set - Japan ボーリング means bowling Both the pin and ball in this set have novel architectures - the pin is formed around a central spine, and the ball is not quite a Steinhardt configuration - it has only five pieces.
Another set from Japan, but with a "thin" style pin.		Comparison of Bowling Pin puzzles
Keychain Bottle - two examples
An extra-large keychain bottle puzzle - two examples
Another example of the large bottle - this one labeled as Beer.
Keychain Movie Camera puzzle - the orange one is from Pussycat (Germany). Four examples. Two marked "Bauer."
A wonderful small keychain puzzle Camera from Japan - #162 on p27 in the Compendium 2nd Ed. It even has a kind of shutter mechanism inside! This puzzle is much smaller than I thought it would be - I'd been after it for a while and am very happy to have found it! Previously I had obtained pieces of this puzzle, including an intact lens, but missing too many to come close to constructing one. This example's lens was missing the transparent piece in the barrel, so I was able to swap in the intact piece.
Slideshow Camera puzzle - Japan Probably too big for a true keychain puzzle. But it does interlock. Pushing the shutter button moves an internal spring-loaded ratchet, advancing a wheel having small images visible through the viewfinder.
Drill (Peugeot France) - three examples The pieces of this puzzle can sometimes get wedged very tightly together. Take a look at the instructions - don't break yours trying to pry it apart! The bit/chuck comes out first, then the handle, then the top front cowl slides forward.
Good Luck Horseshoe or Lucky Horseshoe keychain puzzles - four examples Lional The Horseshoe was available with three different inserts: horsehead, clover, and Davy Crockett (in order from most to least common).
Lucky Horseshoe keychain puzzle on alternative card - Pal Plastics
The Good Luck Horseshoe with Horse Head also was issued in a small version. The height (including the loop) and width (at the widest point of the horseshoe) of the large version are 1 7/8" (48mm) x 1 5/8" (42mm). The corresponding height and width of the small version are 1 3/4" (43mm) x 1 3/8" (35mm).
Keychain Good Luck - Clover version - three examples (Both sides of the yellow and green clover puzzles shown.)
Good Luck Horseshoe - Davy Crockett version		Tea Kettle or Teapot keychain puzzle This one has an actual screw thread.
Vibromax Jumping Jack Tamper keychain puzzle
Wheel and Tire keychain puzzle
Keychain puzzle Suitcase
Keychain Linde Heimgefrierer - Pussy Germany
Keychain puzzle Top (Czech)
Here is a Spinning Top puzzle from Japan. Hard plastic. I found a store card. This one does not spin well at all, though I did manage to get a photo of it spinning.
Keychain puzzle Yo-Yo - Japan Absent from the Compendium 2nd Ed. (I didn't feel like taking the string side apart.) カラー means color, ヨーヨー means yo-yo.
Keychain puzzle Windmill (Czech) - two examples The Windmill shares architecture with the Lantern, but here the Lantern is upside down and its base is inverted. The roof is friction fit.
This Old-style Telephone Interlocking Keychain Puzzle was designed by John Flower in 1952 and issued by the UK company Bell. It has six pieces and assembly requires several pieces to be moved back and forth in sequence, which is not typical for keychain puzzle mechanisms. I like this one a lot! This was designed by John Flower in 1952. 92,000 produced. I show instructions for reference - but I do not have the card for this puzzle.
This hard plastic Telephone puzzle is from Japan. Issued by Ito. It is #210 on p35 of the Compendium 2nd Ed. The instructions come from the "Head Sports" set card. I found three in individual packaging:
This keychain Telephone puzzle is from Kabaya Leaf Japan, part of their "Big League Chewing Gum" bonus series. I found a second example:
A vintage Crown interlocking keychain puzzle, issued by Bell. With its original card! This was designed by John Flower in 1952 for the coronation of Elizabeth II. 235,000 sold.
More headgear... Samurai Helmet (兜) - Japan One in a series (シリーズ) of at least four - this particular helmet represents Minamoto no Yoshiie (源 義家) - long antler pair Fellow keychain puzzle collector William Waite has a complete set of four and has supplied pictures of the others. The others include: Kusunoki Masashige (楠 正成) - trident Uesugi Kenshin (上杉 謙信) - crescent moon Minamoto no Yoshitsune (源 義経) - thicker, shorter antler pair (Information and diagram courtesy of William Waite.)
I acquired an example of the Kenshin Samurai Helmet: All that differs from one helmet model to the next (aside from random colors) is the insignia shape piece insert.
Tower Bridge - Bell Designed by John Flower in 1953. 28,500 sold.
Bell Piano Keychain Puzzle Designed by John Flower in 1952. 40,000 produced. I am very happy to have finally found one of these, with its original card!
Petrol Pump - Bell Designed by John Flower in 1951. 172,000 produced.
Electric Iron - Bell The first Bell keychain puzzle designed by John Flower, in 1951 - 134,000 sold.
Interlocking Keychain Puzzle Lock from Japan I found one in its package, and a card. I traded away the example in its package, since I prefer to open and dis/re-assemble my keychain puzzles anyway, and to scan the cards when possible.
Another Lock puzzle from Japan - this one has three toroids implementing the combination lock. A "Puzzle-Corner" series member.
Interlocking Keychain puzzle Mailbox from Japan - Kabaya Leaf Inc. I found three but sold one.
Interlocking Keychain puzzle Pitcher - Kabaya Leaf Japan I found an example in an interesting box - the box shows the Kabaya Leaf Pitcher, Blender, Giraffe, Elephant, and Pay Phone, but also a sort of Zebra which I have not seen before!
Interlocking Keychain puzzle Blender - Kabaya Leaf Japan I found a second example:
A Pagoda in soft plastic - Japan - Kabaya Leaf Inc.
Pagoda (hard plastic) - Japan This is probably intended to be a model of picturesque Nagoya Castle. Two examples shown, one in its bag with instructions. I have another incomplete copy and scanned its instructions, shown.
Tokyo Tower (hard plastic) - Japan 東京タワー means "Tokyo Tower" The Compendium 2nd Ed. lists this as #277 on page 47 "Eiffel Tower 1" - but though the Eiffel may be more iconic, the instructions that accompanied my copy clearly call this the Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Tower puzzle came with an instance of the Nagoya Castle puzzle, molded in virtually the same plastic and colors - I surmise these puzzles were produced by the same manufacturer. Note, however, the differences between the previous Nagoya Castle instructions and these - there probably were multiple issuers of the Castle puzzle. 城 means "Castle"
Kun Pyramid - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Puzzle Tower (Eiffel Tower?) - Kabaya Leaf Japan (soft plastic) - two examples
Blackpool Tower, original card - Merit UK Very rare. Also issued with pieces in colors - see Compendium p. 46 #275,276.
A set of three Kabaya Leaf Japan flag puzzles (four if you reverse the French to see the Finnish flag). Details below...
American Flag - soft plastic - Kabaya
Union Jack Flag - soft plastic - Kabaya
French and Finnish Flags - soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Television - Japan Hard plastic. With instruction card. I found several additional examples, each having a different image.
The keychain community had previously thought this puzzle from Kabaya Leaf of Japan was representative of the Kokugikan Sumo Stadium, however now this is believed to be one of a series of three "Gemstone" puzzles illustrating different gem cuts. See the next two KL puzzles...
When I first found this, I didn't know what it was meant to represent, so I called it a "Squashed Halfdome." I now believe this is one of a series of three Gemstone puzzles illustrating different gem cuts. soft plastic - Kabaya Leaf Japan I found three but sold one.
With the discovery of this puzzle issued by Kabaya Leaf of Japan, William Waite (who owns this example - I lost the bid) and I now believe that the puzzles previously known as the Kokugikan Stadium and the "Squashed Halfdome" are along with this one three Gemstones illustrating different gem cuts.
Nut and Bolt - Kabaya Leaf Japan
Coin Box - Japan
This Walkie Talkie (aka "Transceiver") puzzle shoots plastic "bullets" and came in a set of spy gadgets including a bullet-shooting lighter and bullet-shooting folding knife. Only the Walkie Talkie is an interlocking puzzle. From Japan. Shown in the Compendium 2nd Ed. as "Walkie Talkie" #214 on page 36. The antenna extends and retracts as one rolls the knurled side wheel.