anglement puzzles (also referred to as Disentanglement puzzles, though re-entangling them is often as difficult or more difficult than dis-entangling them) comprise a very large category, which encompasses wire puzzles, ring-and-string puzzles, and bent nail puzzles. They range in size from tiny and flimsy to large and indestructible. They can be made by a blacksmith from thick metal rods, or from much lighter-gauge wire, bent into shapes including closed rings. Sometimes they're mainly wooden. They can include flexible (string, rope, or chain) pieces, and other elements such as wooden or plastic beads - that mainly serve to prevent certain movements. Some have been made from nothing more than paper and string. Even leather or glass.

The objective is usually to separate a distinct piece I'll refer to as the Traveler (a term I've borrowed from a description of route-finding puzzles) - often a rigid ring, shuttle, or flexible loop - even an open cord with a bead at each end - from the rest of the puzzle, to which I'll refer as the Frame, and then to re-engage it. The best tanglement puzzles can elicit the reaction, "It can't be done!"

Other types of tanglement include those where there are two, sometimes more than two, more-or-less equal parts that must be separated, typically by some sequence of twists and slides relative to each other. These are usually made from hard wire or cast metal elements, sometimes nails.

I have been successful at solving other puzzles using computer programs, but this type of puzzle is difficult to model for an algorithm using a tree-search based approach. My solution strategy is to re-draw the puzzle in its simplest topologically equivalent form, then "re-fold" it, keeping track of how the target piece moves through the other elements. The solution is this sequence of crossings played in reverse.

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I had not found much formal analysis out there on the web, but through the LiveWire site I was able to contact Dr. Richard Hess, who has compiled a self-published Compendium of Over 10500 Wire Puzzles. This fantastic resource has drawings in schematic form of many tanglement puzzles, categorizes them, and formalizes some solution strategies. Where possible below, I will try to show the "Hess ID" he has assigned to a given design.

Dick's categories:

A. Trapezes (like TJ Iron Heart) pp.1-13 B. Pagodas and Houses pp.14,15 C. Rings pp.16-26 D. Horseshoes, Scales, and Folding Puzzles pp.27-36 E. Other Puzzles pp.37-44 F. Hard Wire Puzzles (bent nails, Magic Metal) pp.45,46 G. Type 1 Finnish Trapezes (like Uncle's Challenger) pp.47-49 H. Type 2 Finnish Trapezes (hinged crossbar rather than U) pp.50-52 I. Type 3 Finnish Trapezes J. Looped Finnish Trapezes K. Other Finnish Trapezes

L. Join the Rings M. Join the Rings on Type 1 Finnish Trapezes N. Join the Rings on Type 2 Finnish Trapezes P. Join the Rings on Type 3 Finnish Trapezes Q. Join the Rings on Looped Finnish Trapezes R. Join the Rings Double Cross on Other Finnish Trapezes S. Join the Rings Coiled Cross on Type 1 Finnish Trapezes T. Join the Rings Coiled Cross on Type 2 Finnish Trapezes U. Join the Rings Coiled Cross on Looped Finnish Trapezes V. Join the Rings Coiled Cross on Other Finnish Trapezes

(Whew! That's a lot of Finnish Trapezes! :-)

Dennis and Donna Sucilsky own and operate Tucker-Jones House, Inc. of East Setauket, New York, established in 1975. Dennis is a museum-trained blacksmith, and in 1980 began producing their trademark Tavern Puzzle brand of robust metal tanglements. Tucker-Jones' roster is now organized into eight groups, rather than the four previous difficulty categories of simple, intermediate, difficult, and very difficult. I believe their easiest puzzle is the Iron Heart (Hess A001 p.1). My favorite is the Dirty Dog (equiv. to Hess A291 p.11). The Group 6 puzzles are intended to be modular - you can re-combine their constituent parts in novel ways to invent new puzzles.

Group 1 Antique Designs	Group 2
Iron Heart (1981) Conestoga Playmate (1981) Old Shackles (1981) (identical to Horseshoes) Captive Heart (2012) (Created for their daughter's wedding.) Tridiculous (2017) Bottoms Up (2009)	Self Restraint (1996) Painted Lady (1991) Black Jack (2000) Iron Maiden (1982)
Group 3	Group 4
Lyon's Loops (1983) Traveler's Woe (1997) Clef Hanger (1987) Tinker's Bell (1992) Jack of Hearts (2015)	Wise Guy (2003) Collaborative Effort (2016) Blackbeard's Revenge (1993) Satan's Stirrup (1985) Dirty Dog (1985) Smartypants (2012)
Group 5	Group 6
Double Bypass (1994) (Hess A010 p.1) U-Turn (1998) Big Kahuna (2001) Smooth Operator (2011) Odd Ball (2004)	Big Shot (2005) Tri Again (2006) Doozie (2007) Best Ever (2008) Heart's Desire (2014)
Group 7	Group 8
Long Island Catch (1995) Double Trouble (1988) Matched Set (1999) Yankee Ingenuity (2010)	Sneaky Pete (1990) Patience Puzzle (1984) Freedom's Ring (2002) (eq. to Ball and Chain) Genuine Article (2013)

[38/39]

Timeline:

 

The tanglements from Uncle's Puzzles are shown below. Uncle's Puzzles were originally made by blacksmith Corky Storer at Heritage Forge of Maple Valley, Washington - but he sold the puzzle company to focus on more artistic work.

I would say their easiest is the Heart's Desire. (I own those in bold; thumbnails shown for items I lack, which are almost all equivalent to puzzles from other series.) My favorites include: Pentagon, U2, Trapeze, Vee Mobile, and Suffacator.

Moderate
Gingerbreadman (eq. to TJ Conestoga Playmate) Heart's Desire Carpenter's Special  (bent nails)	Trapeze (Hess E018 Govenor p.37) Sweetheart (eq. to TJ Iron Heart) Lucky Horseshoes (a really hefty version of Horseshoes) Vee Mobile (Hess D104 p.29)
Intense
Butterfly (eq. to TJ Lyon's Loops) Derby (eq. to TJ Satan's Stirrup) Double Image (eq. to Puzzletts Jigsaw)	Fooler (Hess D023 Stirrups p.27) U.S. Patent 1393565 - Parmenter 1921 Heartbreaker (eq. to TJ Double Bypass) Lance Derby Junior Triangledangle (2003) Witch Way (2005)
Severe
Baffle Chain Reaction (Hess D041 p.27) Challenger (Hess G002 p.47) Grand Wizard Ladder Nonplus triple compound trapeze var. (like Hess A019 p.1) Pentagon (like Hess E020 p.37) Ring (eq. to Ring and Fetters) Rope (eq. to Ball and Chain)	Suffacator Triad Compare to U.S. Patent 3441282 - Lewis 1969 U2 (Hess E143 p.39) 4 Play Snafflebit (2003) Luke's Lock Triple Crown Cuffed (2007)
Other (Discontinued, Promo)
Hi Q Tangle - see comments here Wizzard	FLP (Front Line Partnership) (Microsoft/Compaq promo)

I finally solved Suffacator! This picture of a version of Suffacator called "Tripwire" (I don't own this) shows that the solution requires only one end of the "shuttle" loop to pass through the body of the puzzle.

 

[31]

Frank Gregory founded LiveWire Puzzles in 1979 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Frank retired a few years ago now and the website is defunct. LiveWire's puzzles are smaller and made of lighter gauge wire than either Uncle's or Tucker Jones'. The lineup contains many novel and wonderful designs! LiveWire's roster is shown below - I omit non-metal tanglements and non-tanglements.

• The puzzles I own are highlighted like this (and in bold).
• Discontinued puzzles I missed are highlighted like this.
• Puzzles I don't have are highlighted like this.

[34]

Puzzle Master in Canada offers very nice lighter-weight tanglements. Several unique designs, including new (and difficult) designs by Dick Hess!

Here is their roster, with thumbs of items I don't have (most being duplicates of designs from other lines I do have). Items I've got are in bold.

Annihilator Anomaly 'A' Arrow Dynamics =Triple Trapeze, LW Arrow Batwing and Batwing 2 Beetle Bug =U Derby/TJ Satan's Stirrup The Big 30 Black Widow Blue Knight Brontosaurus Butterfly's Revenge Catacombs =Patience (6 rings) Catacombs Plus (12 rings!) Chain Gang Cowboy's Hobble =Ball and Chain Cupid's Dart (= Uncle's Suffacator)

Derringer Destroyer The Eagle =KG Step in Future Fantastic Five =U Pentagon 'G' Factor Gordian Knot Handcuffs =Horseshoes Handy Heart Breaker =TJ Iron Heart Infinity Iron Maiden =TJ Iron Maiden Jester =U Fooler Keyhole King Cobra =U Lance Lion's Lair =LW Double Vision Make My Day Man of War

Mirror Image Mosquito Panic Attack =KG Love Secret Parallel Dimensions Pendulum Rat Race like (but not) Squaring Off From the Old Game Store, VT ($14) Scorpion (Hess E069 p.38) Scorpion's Sting Sidewinder Silent 'E' The Rack =U U2 Tree 29 and Holding Wedding Vows =Ox Yoke The Whale The Yak Roller Coaster

[32]

Here are puzzles in the Family Games line. They've recently undergone some re-packaging and re-naming. The items in my collection are noted in bold. The others are shown for reference.

You might be able to find them at these resellers:

• ToysGamesPuzzles
• Educational Learning Games

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The (mostly) wood/cord/bead puzzles (now re-branded as "Flabber Floovers" in four levels):

Abacus (4)	Clench (4)	Dipper (1)	Duress (3)
Granville (2)	Grape Grief	Gripper (3)	Owl (4)
Periscope This one is in the "Science Stumpers" line.	Pulley (3)	Shackle (2)	Weaver (1)
Yank (2)

[12]

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The other wood/cord/bead puzzles (discontinued?):

Brain Drain	Brain Strain	Brain Tester	Brain Twister
Cuckoo's Nest	Wedding Vows

[2]

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The (mostly) metal puzzles (now re-branded IQ Collection in four levels):
(Where noted with "PM" there is an equivalent PuzzleMaster puzzle.)

A (4) PM	Beetle Bug (3) PM eq. to TJ Satan's Stirrup	Black Widow (2) PM	Brain Baffler (1) eq. to TJ Conestoga Playmate
Brain Bender (2) IQ Co. New Zealand	Brain Burden (4)	Brain Buster (1) eq. to Ball and Chain	Brain Game (4)
Brain Spiral (3) (Hess E016 p.37)	Cowboy's Hobble (1) PM eq. to Ball and Chain (Hess E017 p.37)	Cranial Key (3) eq. to Puzzletts' Jigsaw (Hess E022 p.37)	Fantastic Five (3) PM eq. to Uncle's Pentagon
Handcuff (1) PM	Heartbreaker (1) PM	Iron Maiden (1) PM	Lobotomy (4) eq. to Uncle's Challenger (Hess G002 p.47)
Mental Maneuver (2)	Mirror Image (4) PM	Parallel Dimension (4) PM	The Rack (3) PM eq. to Uncle's U2
Scorpion (2) PM	Scorpion Sting (2) PM	Sproing (3)	Yield (2) PM eq. to Uncle's Lance

[6]

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There are some dexterity/balancing puzzles in their line, as well as other types.

Orb (see Dexterity)	Sandpiper (see Dexterity)	Urchin (see Dexterity)
Labyrinth (see Route Finding)	Magnacube (see Magnetic)	Mosaic (see Assembly/Packing)

Family Games offers several puzzles in their "Don't" series - not all of them are tanglements; several are secret-opening.

Don't Break My Heart	Don't Break the Bank	Don't Break the Bottle	Don't Break the Bottle Caddy	Don't Break the Bottle Corkscrew
Don't Count on It	Don't P Me Off	Don't Push My Buttons	Don't Tee Me Off	Don't You Dare

[2]

Family Games also sells some larger puzzles in their IQ Collection series, shown here for reference. I have the Citadel and Porcupine.

Arch Rival

Citadel

Porcupine

Portico

Temple

[2]

Fiddl'Widdit Wire Puzzles is located in Bodega Bay, California. Marichu Hernandez and Paul Wood make the puzzles. I have those in bold.

Basic	Intermediate	Difficult	Very Difficult
Bridge (copper) Star Maze Heart in a Box	Heartful Dodger Heart Loop Heart to Heart Hobblitts Loop de Loop Mini Ring Ladder Ring Trapeze	Double Heart Loop Heart Ladder Ring Trapper Siamese Angels Triple Trapeze	Heart Breaker Jordan's Journey Ring Ladder Ski Doodle Triamese Angels

[7]

From the gift shop at Old Sturbridge Village, and from Necker's, a few tanglements by houseofmarbles.com:

Bungler's Block (aka Chinese Pendulum) (Hess E273 p.44)	Hell's Bells	Madman's Maze same as Dirty Dog	Indefinity Hess D326 p.36 Crossed horseshoes
Labour of Love Don't have it - but it's the same as Tucker Jones' Double Bypass	Mortal Coil Don't have it - but it's like Tucker Jones' Lyon's Loops	Gordian knot

[5]

The German company Logika offers several puzzles by Ingo Uhl, including "Das Magische Schnurspiel" tanglements. They're made from recycled materials.

Schnurspiel 4 =Eyeglasses

Schnurspiel mit sechs Wurfeln

Schnurspiel mit zwei Wurfeln

Schnurspiel mit ein Wurfel

[4]

GR.01 Heart = TJ Iron Heart GR.02 Swing = F024 Post and Twirls I don't have either.	GR.03 U Ring	GR.04 Devil
GR.05 Pot	GR.06 Loop	GR.07 Trio Ring
Kawada black packages Nos 3,4,5,6 F024 post and twirls, U Ring, F008 Long-stemmed Rings, F056 Triple Twists (Devil)

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The Oskar's Keys puzzle was also offered by Kawada:

[9]

I got these 3 Tenyo "Electro" puzzles in Japan at Tokyu Hands, then found some additional boxed copies.

#1

#2 See patent 4391445 - Vizelyi 1981

#3

Tenyo also issued a series of "Computer Puzzler" tanglements:

This is not a Tenyo, but it is similar to Computer Puzzler No. 1
Computer Puzzler No. 2 See patent 1091709 - Rutledge 1914	Computer Puzzler No. 3
Computer Puzzler No. 4	Computer Puzzler No. 5 (was No. 3)

Tenyo seems to have re-numbered their Computer Puzzler series (or someone copied Tenyo) - above are two box backs showing different numberings. Numbers 1, 2, and 4 are the same, but the square-shaped No. 3 has become No. 5 and a Gordian Knot / Loony Loop - type has usurped its place...

I think I figured out the point of Puzzler No. 4. The string loop needs to be between the lobes of the heart - see in the lower left diagram, where the two arcs make a "closed" loop (at least when seen edge on)? Right through there.

Penny Farthing I, II, III, IV		Penny Farthing V
Bathtub Ring	Out of Time - Lambert Bright - IPP31 Free the Cuckoo from the Clock	Monumental Mystification, designed, made, and exchanged at IPP32 by Lambert Bright

[8]

Menagerie including: Bison, Yak, Pig, Hippo, Ox, Rhino, Whale You can buy Hess' "Yak" puzzle at Puzzlemaster.ca

Meteor Torito has it.

This set of three were provided by Richard as souvenirs for IPP14. Included: Keyring with Two Cups, Ring, and Baffled Key; Keyring with Horseshoes and Ringed Key; Keyring with Double Cups, Baffle, and Simple Key.

[11]

I received several novel tanglement puzzles designed by Mr. Wang Yulong of China, ordered from Felix Puzzle Company.

Mr. Wang Yulong also very kindly sent me four additional puzzles as gifts. Thanks!

 

This set of puzzles is called Six Serpentile Strings. I bought it from Markus Götz at IPP29 in SF. R.I.P. Markus.

No. 1 - The Vulpine Colubrid	No. 2 - Morning Dew in the Mountains	No. 3 - Bite of the Scorpion
No. 4 - Sky With Some Clouds	No. 5 - Double-Edged Thought	No. 6 - Thunderstorm in Spring
More Serpentile Strings, designed, made, and exchanged at IPP32 by Markus Götz
Make My Day - by Markus Götz This hefty version was Markus' exchange at IPP34 in London. A gift from Markus - thanks! Now mass-produced in a lighter form by PuzzleMaster.
Simplexity - by Markus Götz - his exchange at IPP35 in Ottawa. Move the cord to lie along the opposite branch.

[14]

These fascinating original designs are from Kirill Grebnev:

Step Now sold by PuzzleMaster.ca as "The Eagle"	Love Secret Now sold by PuzzleMaster.ca as "Panic Attack"	Step in Future
Symbol	Spiral	Apple
	Purchased at IPP37 Paris (I am not sure of its name)

[7]

These are from Davan's:

Voluta

Ynoa

Channel Craft used to make a nice line of wooden/rope puzzles.

Left Brain Teaser, Right Brain Teaser, and No Brainer	Twin Trouble, Triple Trouble, and Quadruple Trouble
Trouble	Jeff Taylor Original (gift)

[5]

Lumberjack Toys of San Francisco, offered a nice line of wooden/rope puzzles called Stumps Puzzles from 1979 and 1982. They were identified by letter. I've obtained A, F, L, M, N, and P. Others shown for reference.

A	C	D	E
F	G	J	K
L	M	N	P
Q	R	S	T
single stick Is this B?

[6]

Mad Cow in the UK makes a series of wood/string/ring tanglements. I found several at my local Barnes & Noble bookstore, nicely packaged and offered by stirlingfox.com. There are eight designs in the stirlingfox series (more in Mad Cow's lineup), I got some of them, in bold:

Full Moon	Gatekeeper	Mad Cow	Wandering
Woodworm	Triangle	Quadrilateral	Drumsticks

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There are 7 other tanglements in Mad Cow's lineup (I don't have these):

Bilateral	Trilateral	Garden Gate	Lumbering
Square	Rope Ladder	Snake

Back in the 1980's in California at Games of Berkeley I found plastic "Magic Ring" tanglements by Danley Quest. There were seven in the series but initially I bought only the Level 6 and 7 puzzles. Years later I found on auction levels 2 through 7. I haven't found the level 1 puzzle, but it is an instance of the very common Boomhower design. Level 2 is an instance of the Wit's End design.

The Japanese company Chronos produces wire puzzles, sold in various sets. The series of 3-puzzle sets pictured are available from Torito. The Chinese company Zoyo produces copies of many wire puzzles and offers them in look-alike boxes.

These sets contain many designs I already have in various forms from other sources. I've given names/IDs of equivalent puzzles in each picture clockwise from top right.

I got the purple set (#3+) - it includes one puzzle isomorphic to LiveWire's discontinued Firecracker, which is a simplified form of the Suffacator/Tripwire design, and two other interesting designs. The other sets are shown for reference.

Puzzlerings Set 1 F117, TJ Lyon's Loops, C264	Puzzlerings Set 2 Stumpy X, TJ Conestoga Playmate, IQ Brain Bender / MI group	Puzzlerings Set 3 F116/ BA Twin Tangle/ Hanayama Devil, HoM Indefinity, Smithsonian set large puzzle
Puzzlerings Set 1+ Puzzlett's Jigsaw, A001 (e.g. TJ Iron Heart), ?	Puzzlerings Set 2+ Simplified Ball & Chain, Simplified Flight Test, E044	Puzzlerings Set 3+ / Zoyo Set 3+ ?, LW (disc.) Flight Test, PM Mosquito / LW (disc.) Firecracker / Simplified Suffacator/Tripwire
Puzzlerings Set King 1 ?, ?, eq. to LW Silent E	Puzzlerings Set King 2 ?, D023/U Fooler, ?	Puzzlerings Set King 3 E143/Eyeglasses, E020/Pentagon, Triple Trapeze
Puzzlerings Set Stylish 1 F023 (Ring on Spring), "Questions," F027 (Ring and V)	Puzzlerings Set Stylish 2 Sam Loyd Buttonhook, ?, A048 (e.g. Uncle's Heart's Desire)	Puzzlerings Set Stylish 3 Schumacher Keychain, IPG Hooks, ?

I acquired a group of tanglement puzzles made by the late Perry A. Horton of Albany Oregon, from a neighbor of Horton's who purchased them at Horton's estate sale. Horton was born 8/25/10 and died 2/2/94. Several of the puzzles are whole, but others are mere fragments. The lot also included some instruction and inventory sheets.

Here are examples of the Boomhower design, produced and marketed under different names by various vendors over the years:

One example of the Boomhower design was called the Tee Bar and was offered by the John N. Hansen Toy Company in 1978.
Skor-Mor issued a similar example they called Ring-a-Ling, in their Thinker Series line of puzzles.

To solve the Boomhower puzzle, you should be able to follow the steps presented in Boomhower's patent:

Below are photos of my copy of the Wit's End puzzle marketed by Reiss during the 1970's. Can you spot the difference between Boomhower's puzzle and the Wit's End? Look at the cord - in Boomhower's design it passes through the slot only once. In the Wit's End design, the cord is looped around and passes through the slot a second time. This extra loop necessitates extra moves in the solution. The original Wit's End box says there are three solutions.

Here are additional examples of the more complicated Wit's End design with a looped cord.

To solve the Wit's End, treat one side of the cord - the one closest to the base and the traveler when it is in its starting position on the base, as irrelevant.

1. Using the other, relevant, end of the cord, pass its end element through the slot from the same side as the cord emerges - just as in the first step of the Boomhower solution.
2. Pass the traveler up the base, over the relevant end bead/block and off the end of the base.
3. Pass the traveler through the slot.
4. Remove the cord end element from the previous step back out of the slot.
5. Pass the ring over the base end and back down onto the base, back down over the relevant end bead.
Observe that the ring now sits on the base between where the irrelevant part of the cord goes through the slot and the useful end of the cord goes through the slot. Now you can perform the Boomhower solution to finish!
6. Pass the relevant cord end element into the slot from the same side as the cord emerges.
7. Move the traveler up over the bead/block and off the base end.
8. Move the traveler along the doubled cord, through the slot, over the bead/block and free!

Here are example of derivations that, while related, offer new levels of confusion and/or complexity. Many years ago I received a custom puzzle from Jeff Taylor, produced for him by ChannelCraft. In Jeff's design the cord is looped through the slot yet again! I also acquired a very nice puzzle called Ynoa from the defunct Davan's website. Ynoa has the usual base with slot, traveler, and cord with bead and end-ring, but one end of the cord has no end ring and is instead passed through the base to a bead fixed on the other side! Also, the cord itself is very short and the beads are very large, making all movements quite restricted. Ynoa presents a fresh take on this classic design!

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In this section I intend to highlight [disen]tanglement designs that have been around for a while (decades if not centuries) and have withstood the test of time. Where possible, I will provide interesting historical references.

These designs have been re-issued/copied over and over again and will often appear under various names and in various forms where the topology on which the puzzle is based remains the same but the shape or decorative/thematic details have been modified.

The earliest disentanglement puzzle I can remember having is the Ox-Yoke aka Solomon's Seal - rather than free a ring, get the two rings onto the same loop of cord.	The Ball and Chain (Hess E017 p.37) is a very difficult puzzle I managed to solve unaided. From Pentangle, purchased in Japan.	I obtained Rick Eason's Tricky Dick from Rick at the 2005 New York Puzzle Party. To me this seems very similar to the Ball and Chain.
Betcha Won't - "The 'Togetherness' puzzle made by C. B. Enterprises exclusively for Skor-Mor." Copyright 1971 by C. Schieber. Move the beads so they are side by side on the same loop of the cord. At first glance, this appears to be a version of the Solomon's Seal / Ox Yoke / Wedding Vows design. However, the Betcha Won't puzzle is more difficult than the traditional Ox Yoke because of the presence of the 'D' Ring threaded onto the cord. Note that the beads can pass through the D Ring, but not through the hole in the crossbeam. Also, despite the shape of the D Ring, no part of it can poke through the hole in the crossbeam. Here are closeup pictures:
Betcha Can't - issued by Skor Mor in 1970 An instance of the Wit's End design. Packaging matches the Betcha Won't instance of the Ox-yoke design I obtained earlier.
This design is one of my favorite tanglements and is known by several names - I call it the "Eggbeater." It was patented in 1937 by Courtland van Luven ( 2091191 2091191), and the more modern form appears in Design Patent D0172310 USD172310S issued to Hansel Riddle in 1954. Onto a central axis are welded teardrop-shaped loops, which are interwoven about the axis and each other in a specific pattern. Sets of loops in graduated sizes emanate from two common weld points , one near each end of the axis. The graduated loops extend back along the axis alternately on each side of the axis. In the basic design there are two pairs of loops - 2 larger identical but oppositely affixed loops and 2 smaller identical but oppositely affixed loops. I call this a 2-layer 4-loop configuration. The objective is to remove a cord which starts looped only around the axis inside all the loops, hanging from the center of the axis down. Several versions have been produced commercially, including those shown above: the very nice vintage Loony Loop (not to be confused with the Figure Eight puzzle which is sometimes also called the Loony Loop) - no longer produced, but usually available; the Gordian Knot by IQ Products of New Zealand (not to be confused with a plastic burr puzzle from Thinkfun also called the Gordian Knot); a wooden version by Gekkenwerk called Puzzleblok 5; the recent but defunct plastic Slip-a-Not; and the defunct Puzzlett's #505 Jailer. Professor Puzzle has also produced a version in their Great Minds series called Alexander's Gordian Knot (not shown). Next is a vintage French boxed tanglement - a simpler 1-layer 2-loop version called Le Lien Soudanais (listed with notes on my French Tanglements page). The last image above is a more difficult, 3-layer version called Triamese Angels from Fiddl'Widdit Wire Puzzles. Here is a solution - refer to the diagram below: I have labeled features of the puzzle: the left and right ends of the axis LE and RE, and the four loops (according to where their apertures, not their welds, are) - the large loops R1 and L1 and the smaller loops R2 and L2. Hopefully you can follow my notation for the sequence of moves of the cord - the cord starts hanging down from the axis in its center, and you move the dangling end. X means go through loop X, and (X) means go around loop or end X. It's not always obvious when you're actually going around something, so be careful. (X,Y,Z) means you go around X, Y, and Z in one move. (RE), R1, (R1,RE,R2), L1, (LE), L2, (L2,LE), L1, (R2,RE,R1), R1, (RE,R2), R2, (RE), R1, (R1,RE,R2), now move the top of the cord: (L2), (LE), L1, OFF!
There are many designs where you have to take the end loop of a cord and follow the cord backwards through several holes to finally loop it over an element, then bring the cord back out through the holes. I call these "Follow the Cord" type puzzles. Here are some examples: Brett brought me back an Emmentello by HABA from Germany. I got the Mausefalle by Philos in Montreal. The third photo depicts a nice miscellaneous example on a post and featuring a large ring at the end of the cord.
A vintage Imperial Scale tanglement This is one of several classic tanglement designs that have appeared in puzzle chests from the orient in the 19th century. You can download a PDF showing how to make and solve several designs including the Imperial Scale.	Fellow puzzle collector Richard Whiting kindly made me this beautiful Imperial Scale tanglement puzzle. It's very elegant and Victorian-looking, with brass fittings throughout. According to Slocum, the earliest known example appears in Catel's Catalog of 1785. The Imperial Scale also appears in Hoffmann in Chapter II, #19. Richard tells me this is the second one he has crafted (the first can be seen on his own website, which is definitely worth your time). Thanks again, Richard!
A Three Balls Conundrum - hand-turned by John Berkeley This puzzle appears in Hoffmann in Chapter II as No. XXIV - The Ball and Three Strings. I've wanted one for some time and finally obtained this beautiful instance from the master wood-turner John Berkeley. John offers hand-made items at his Etsy Store Jaybeeseturnery.

Here are other lighter-gauge tanglements I own.

Double Treble Clef (Hess E041 p.37) Potty Puzzles has it.	Obstacle	Bunchgrass Mountain Misery
Two puzzles from the Great American Trading Co., York PA, purchased at Necker's: Provoke (on the left), and Torment.	Brainstorm IQ Co. New Zealand	Possibly Possible
Roundabout From the Puzzle and Craft Factory.	Butterfly Pendant Atlantis / Karl Scherer Hess E065 p.38	Ball and Chain From Stumpy Originals
Wire Puzzle No. 2 From Stumpy Originals Hess D028 Double star	Hemispheres - Eureka Mini	Jumper - Eureka Mini
Heart String purchased at Eureka	Escargot - Constantin purchased at Eureka	Saturn purchased at Games People Play
Gluhbirne by J.C. Constantin.	Omega this is the "Hobbles" design purchased from Hendrik Haak	HM Wire F
Fujita - Meiro Tower	Fujita - Meiro Maze	Five Keys - Constantin
Fishing	Euro See patent 779874 - Saunders 1905	Bull's Nose - Eureka
	A set of 9 small wire tangles from Rick Irby, including: The Magic Snail, The Magic Balance, The Magic Bracelet, Wire Monkey, U Ring, Ring on Spring, Horseshoes, Japanese Nails, and Rings with U Handles	"Puzzle Party in a Box" set from Rick Irby. Includes 9 puzzles depicted (plus a shuttle on spiral): Magic Scissors, Magic Gypsy Earring, Magic Impossible, Magic Snail (dup), Magic Ladder, Magic Balance (dup), Magic Pistol, Magic Bracelet (dup), Magic Guitar
A set of 6 in the "Mini Puzzle Series" by MI Toys, including: Heart on Double Trapeze, Shuttle on Triangle with Two Loops, Violin, D028 Double Star, Butterfly, and Clef.	a group from Spilsbury	A "Russian Angel"
Philos Verflixte Vier Purchased in Berlin on the way to IPP28.	No. 74, "Orli hnizdo" (Eagle's Nest) by Jan Sturm. Instructions: "Vyndejte provazek." (Remove the cord.) Thanks to Stanislav Knot for providing the information to me! Purchased at IPP28 in Prague.	Black Widow - Go Games Austin
Australia Map tangle - Mr. Puzzle Australia (Obtained from Rick Eason at NYPP 2009)	Outrageous Rings, by Dr. Richard Hess.	Toysmith/ Mindgames/ MiMi Puzzle Drum No. 8137 Purchased from Eureka in Brookline.
Marks and Spencer offered a puzzle called "Bull Ring" (I don't have) which had the above "solution" depicted on its box... A fellow puzzler determined that the pictured solution is impossible and the above solution is correct... The Bull Ring is equivalent to this hard wire version I have. B1 from the Kawada B set John Jaques & Son, a venerable British firm, called this Ring and Fetters.
Ring and U with Chain	Wal-Mart tangle w/ red cord	Target 2001 set
Dayton Hudson 1998 set	Ring and U on twist Target 2002 set	loops (Eq. to Lyon's Loops) Target 2002 set
Dayton Hudson 1998 set	PuzzleMaster carries this design and calls it Schaukel by Constantin very tricky, especially restoring it without an awkward twist	From the Zoyo Wire Puzzle set 3+ similar to Livewire's discontinued "Flight Test"
The large puzzle from the Smithsonian set - except I modified it so the lower left ring is as shown - in the puzzle as supplied in the set, that ring hangs off the frame and is useless.	Wire Puzzle No. 1 - China Purchased from EsTOYS.	Three Brothers - David Goodman - from IPP30
Marks & Spencer Lateral Thinking set of 4
The Twisted Puzzle Collection from the "Seriously Tough Puzzles" series by Lagoon Puzzles:
Coiled Two Stepper - Abraham Jacob IPP30		Lagoon Wild Wire Crocodile
Pentangle Leg-Irons Unlink and re-link the two hoops - each contains a small segment of cord.	Nice & Easy set "Our Starter Collection" Includes (l to r): Ringer, Block & Tackle, Cherry Tree
Impossible from Rick Irby	A tanglement puzzle featuring a wooden Horse - purchased from Rick Irby.	A robust metal tanglement puzzle - a variation of the "Wit's End" type, where the cord has been looped through itself (an eBay find).
Schylling Pony Puzzles - tanglements featuring a wooden horse figure
A vintage wire tanglement lot. The top middle puzzle looks like the Folley patent # 1102576 of July 1914. Bottom middle is a Chilian.	A vintage square wire tanglement puzzle (pair). From another puzzle collection. Similar in design to a Ryede puzzle I've got.	A tangle from Hong Kong "AC137"
Schlitten - Constantin	The Squared Fish - A. Jacob	Encircling the X, designed, made, and exchanged at IPP32 by Abraham Jacob
IPP31 gift - Markus Götz	I Heart NYPP - a gift from Nick Baxter and Dick Hess - Thanks!	Push 'n' Pull - House of Marbles - purchased in St. Augustine.
Bernhard Schweitzer sent me a care package containing various tanglements and other puzzles. Thanks, Bernhard!		Puzzletts' Jigsaw (Hess E022 p.37)
Google Unchained - promotional tanglement puzzle
The Fiddler - from the The Puzzle & Craft Factory Thanks, Em!	Squiggle - Dr. Richard Hess Received at a meetup at the Liberty Science Center in September - thanks, Dick!	Bickering Couple - Pavel Curtis
It's a Twister - Tim Udall At NYPP 2016 Tim was giving away some of his G4G tanglement puzzles. Thanks, Tim!	Coils II - from the Puzzle & Craft Factory.
This tanglement puzzle was Wil Strijbos' exchange at IPP35. Free the metal U.
Bon Voyage Tangle Set From PuzzleMaster.
A set of the latest tanglement puzzles, via Wil Strijbos They are (top photo): 4 et 4 U, Zauberschlüssel, OUU Metal, OUU Wood (bottom photo): 8U8 Large, U-Twins, 8U8 Small, U-Sockel, Und+Kugel, U-Loop
Some tanglement puzzles, purchased from Calendars.com The group of five bronze-colored Heavy Metal puzzles come with stands and are produced by Go! Games of Texas and made in China - (clockwise from back left) Cowboy, Bullets, Saddle Up, Big Slick, and Aces Up. The three chrome puzzles are lighter gauge and were also produced by Go! Games - Vertigo, Bad Trip, and Sink or Swim.
Assorted tanglement puzzles from my friends at PuzzleMaster.ca: Eagle 2, Glückspiel, Silkworm, Weigh Anchor

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I bought a set of tanglements from a French vendor who sells Japanese items. The puzzles are attractive and of good quality. I found the above group shot of the complete set of 10 on the website of an Asian collector (now defunct). I've got 6 of them:

No. 2 Helios	No. 3 Maze	No. 4 Labyrinth
No. 5 Upside-Down	No. 6 Escargot	No. 7 Hatena

No. 1 looks like it's equivalent to horseshoes. Nos. 8-10 are other familiar wire designs - claws, trumpets, and twists with straight handles.

The packages indicate that these puzzles are made in China. Based on the Babelfish translation of the text on the site, I believe these come from a "100 Yen Shop" chain named Cando. 100-Yen Shops are the equivalent of Dollar Stores, and are described on Wikipedia.

[6]

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Here is a set of several Chinese copper-wire puzzles in various whimsical shapes, and another group of five in brass.

[17]

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Other miscellaneous tanglement puzzles:

Trilogy II from Puzzle and Craft Factory	Cocktail Glass with Olive Not sure of its provenance, but I love it!	?
A Trapeze	The Devil's Staircase, with dark and light bases	a different staircase arrangement
The Horse (a triple trapeze) and the Cat (a double trapeze), from Binary Arts (circa 1985).	This puzzle keychain was a gift from Mike Green. U.S. Patent 692167 - Schumacher 1902	Spiral
Invincible Rings - Bits and Pieces (aka Dutch String Puzzle)	Minotaur - Loncraine Broxton Part of a set that includes: Sax, Shark, Minotaur, Rocket (I don't have the others.)	three triangles
Dragon String	Dragon / Rings	Pentangle Traffic Lights
The Adams' Scissors Puzzle	The Rudis Sword - by The Grail Inc. See U.S. Patent 3958807 - Hand 1976	Sticks / Two Rods (?) Purchased at IPP28 in Prague, from (I think) Ray Bathke's table.
A JCC tanglement "S270" from a Baxter Ergatoudis auction.	Can you take three safety pins and link them in such a way that if any one is removed, all fall apart? Think about it, then look up Borromean Rings.	Mind Benders Star Ring "Brought to you by the Wireman (c) 1978"
Teaser Balls - designed by Anneke Treep and Christian Freeling, made by John Rausch. A gift from John, at the 2014 RPP - thanks!	Mini Teaser Balls - Rocky Chiaro IPP 29 - thanks, Rocky! Teaser Balls was invented by Anneke Treep and Christian Freeling. Also made by John Rausch. See a solution at George Bell's site.	Scissors Puzzle (incorrectly translated as "Chisel") From Jeux Manitou (François Vachon) Daniel Deschamps gave an interesting lecture about this line of puzzles at IPP35 in Ottawa.
Here are several wooden & string tanglements issued by Bit & Pieces:       Triple Post, Window Pain, Terrible Twosome / Twin Towers, Triple Torment
Adam & Eve - by Alan Rolfs, Tom Sun, George Miller Join the heads together, leaving the apple around Adam's legs.

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I got a partially filled wholesale box of old Skor-Mor Thinker Series puzzles. The lot included: 3x F14 Frantic Frenzy (eq. to Wit's End), 1x F18 Ring-A-Ling (equal to Left Brain), 1x (no label, but equal to horseshoes), and 5x F17 Two On One (equal to Ox Yoke). See below...

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Various packaged wooden tanglements I brought back from Japan.

This section is for wooden polycube puzzles that would otherwise go in the Interlocking section, but have only two pieces each and behave more like tanglements due to the freedom of movement of the pieces.

This is Tom Jolly's great two-piece design called Tangler, made from Quilted Maple by Eric Fuller.

Sun, designed by Jos Bergmans, made by Eric Fuller, from Sapele wood. Here, one must manipulate the two pieces in order to position them such that the two inset semicircles mate.

Changing Partners designed by Chi-Ren Chen. Purchased from Puzzlewood. Four different pieces - all six possible pairs fit together (with rotations) to form 4x4x4 holey cubes.

Basic two-piece disentanglements made from hard wire, especially the sturdy bent nails puzzle, are among the best introduction to puzzles. There are many variations, all having different solutions.

Basic Bent Nails - F001 Nails U.S. Patent 969481 - Jenkins 1910 This is the archetype for the class. Myriad instances have been made. The Glass Nails were issued by Bits & Pieces some time ago. Variations with large flat nailheads bearing graphics have been used for promotions. You can easily find the solution to the basic bent nails puzzle on the web. Notice how the pointed ends exit through the loops? Other nails puzzles will change this...

Trumpets aka S-Nails (Hess F114 p.46) Found at Games People Play Cambridge MA, now defunct. See Nail 'N' from PuzzleMaster.ca.

ProfessorPuzzle used to offer a set called "Hard As Nails" containing five puzzles. Recent Toys later called it "Box of Nails." I obtained the Box of Nails set. The set includes: Nail Biter (equal to Bent Again, below). The Nail Biter/Bent Again design improves on the basic bent nails by preventing the solution where the points exit through the loops. Nail Jail (see below) S-Nail which seems like the Trumpets puzzle, above, and Twisted, below. The Last Nail in the Coffin (see below) Bed of Nails - balance nails on the head of another - see my dexterity page. I found a link at PuzzleThis UK but I think the set is discontinued and unavailable.

Nail Jail - see Hess F123 #2 in a series of 5 Professor Puzzle nail puzzles.

The Last Nail in the Coffin - see Hess F126 #4 in a series of 5 Professor Puzzle nail puzzles. This is an excellent puzzle and very different from the usual linked nails! Two distinct maneuvers are required in sequence. I still forget how it's done even after practicing!

Mr. Puzzle Australia offered several nail puzzles, including a set of four with stand called Another Nailbiter, and their entry in the Tokyo 2004 IPP Design Competition called Twisted's Sister (with Torii gate). Read their blog post about Twisted's Sister. The set includes four puzzles: Bent Again (like Nail Biter) - F122, Get Hooked (like Last Nail in the Coffin), Last Tangle in Tamborine (3 nails), and Twisted.

This is the 3-Nail Combo from Puzzlesdownunder. It includes the Nail Twister, Nail Lock, and something similar to the Trumpets / Twisted.

Spider Nails Puzzlingpuzzles.com offers nail puzzles, including this 4-nail puzzler called Spider Nails. As of March 19, 2021, I see them offered at Mind Games Geelong in Australia.

Puzzles by Noboru Hayashi Fang Duet Heart & Heart Entered in the 2020 IPP Design Competition. Mobius Triangle Junior Entered in the 2020 IPP Design Competition. Heavy Oden Entered in the 2021 IPP Puzzle Design Competition. Nail Quartet Entered in the 2021 IPP Puzzle Design Competition.

[25]

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Over the years, Rick Irby has created many wonderful tanglement puzzles, including several bent nails designs.

Double Loop, Get the Point, Lucky Charm, Naughty Nails, Nasty Nails, Nastier Nails, One Way Only Nails Point the Way, Puzzle Up, Rattlesnake, Revenge of the Nails, Triangle Nails, Twister Nails
Nails Puzzle Ring
Puzzle Up Nails	The Revenge of the Nails
Triple Twister	Nasty Nails

[8]

This is a vintage Puzzle Parties set by Gilbert. It includes 21 puzzles and an instruction booklet. (Gilbert's numbering, with Hess IDs.) No. 869 - The Twin Rings (F079 p.46) No. 878 - Three Rings (F010 p.45) No. 877 - Question Puzzle (F002) No. 868 - Twin Links (F063) No. 884 - Nails (F001) No. 896 - Heathen Ring (F017, but triple) No. 885 - Three Links (F014) No. 879 - Foxy Links (F024) No. 871 - Shamrock (F025) No. 895 - Wishbone (F008) No. 897 - Chinese Rings The Mysto Crosses (F026) Vampire Puzzle (F006) No. 891 - Tangle Twister (F020) No. 893 - Spider Web (plate maze) No. 880 - Conjuring Rings (F017) Turtle Puzzle No. 855 - Heart Puzzle No. 859 - Star and Crescent No. 883 - Spiral (ring on spring) (eq. to Hess F005 - Double Rings with bent handles)

Gilbert Set Six puzzles, including: No. 891 Tangle Twister No. 895 Wishbone No. 869 Twin Rings No. 884 Nail Puzzle No. 878 Three Rings No. 877 Question Puzzle

Journet's Family Compendium. Instructions inside lid. Eighteen puzzles, including: Two Nails V and Two Rings - F027 Dee Rings - F017 Rings & Links - two clips and a ring (or two?) Three Links - F014 Three Rings - more like a smaller version of Triple Twists (Target 2000) than F010 Ring on Spring ABC Salmon & Grid Pig Tail - F002 Two Loops - C and U F030 Lucky Star (horseshoe/ heart/ star) Curly - Post & Twirls F024 Jolly Ni**er (Strongman) Three Nags Maze - Ring and Plate Hearts Keys

Journet's Popular Compendium. Instructions inside lid. Nine puzzles, including: Heart & Anchor (aka Faith, Hope, & Charity) Two Links - Devil's Keys ABC Keys Spring (ring on spring F023) Star & Garter Pig Tail - F002 Two Nails Three Snakes

The International Box of Assorted Puzzles, from H.P. Gibson & Sons, Ltd. London E.C.1 (IBA) Eight puzzles, including: Fire Irons Snake & Scissors Tango (loop is broken) Lucky Star (horseshoe/ heart/ star) Salmon & Grid Heart & Anchor - aka Faith, Hope, & Charity - (missing - sub. shown) Hearts Sandow

The International Monster Box of Puzzles, from the International Card Company, London, E.C. (IMB) Nine puzzles, including: ring and twist - F018 ring on spring - variation where spring end runs back thru spring axially, has bead on ring double rings with handles F002 Three Snakes nails ABC Three Nags Faith, Hope, & Charity - cross/anchor/heart Kultur - Strafe der Kaiser - like Sandow

The International Box of Metal Puzzles, Series No. 4, from H.P. Gibson & Sons, Ltd., London, E.C. (GIB). This is the one I would've wanted back then - it has almost everything! The inside cover of the box describes each puzzle. Twenty puzzles, including: Pick-It-Out - pick the ball out of its flower-like cup Spring - F023 Aeroplane Two Nails Fire Irons Two Wire Links - F016 Claws Anchors Three Wire Links - F014 Triple Clips Two Loops - C and U Pig Tail - F002 Hearts Two Keys ABC Lucky Star - heart/horseshoe/star Tango Salmon & Grid Three Snakes Star & Garter Three Nags Two Links - Devil's Keys

"Chad Valley Series British Made Metal Puzzles" (blue box). (CVB) Instructions on loose blue sheet included. Twelve puzzles on the sheet, including: ABC Spring Three Twists - Triple Clips F014 Maze - ring on plate Two Nails Pig Tail Three Rings F010 Aeroplanes Keys Two Link - Claws F016 Link & Twist - F020 Three Link - like Target 2000 Triple Twists

"Chad Valley Metal Puzzles" (red box). (CVR) Box cover depicts eleven puzzles and says "Full directions included in each box," but I don't have the directions sheet. Eleven puzzles on the box cover but space for 12: Two Rings (aka Dee Rings) F017 Spring Two Link - Claws F016 Post & Twirls - F024 V and Rings F027 Horseshoes Maze - ring on plate Two Nails Three Twists - Triple Clips F014 ABC Devil's Keys - flattened style I included Pig Tails since there's room for 12 puzzles.

"Super Puzzles" set SP1 by Sherm's of Bridgeport, CT. (SP1). Includes an instruction sheet, but it says it "explains others besides those in your set." The instructions include the solution to the Doggie (Dog and Collar) puzzle. The instruction sheet covers the following: The Pretzel Puzzle - aka Two Rings (aka Dee Rings) F017 Two Nails Two Twist - aka Link & Twist - F020 The Question - aka Pig Tail F002 Spider Web - ring in plate - sheet tin Doggie Puzzle (sitting dog and collar - missing) Heart Puzzle - sheet tin heart with string Cover the Spot (missing) Triangle Puzzle - a sheet tin triangle with small hole - "catch puzzle" to "push a large coin through the small hole." Spring Horseshoes - sheet tin The Boo-Boogy Man Puzzle (river crossing) is described, but there are no physical pieces

Casse Tete Chinois Jeux Spear No. 430007, distributed by Waldi. A French set of 24 puzzles. The puzzles are shown on the box bottom, and solutions are shown on the inside of the cover. Includes: Two Nails Over the Top - two rings linked by a twist Claws F016 ring and two clips Two Rings (aka Dee Rings) F017 F002 Pig Tail Link & Twist - F020 large ring w/ break, two U's, small ring F025 Three Snakes (wire, not cast) Heart on Trapeze F008 long-stemmed rings Post & Twirls - F024 F026 offset keys F030 C and U F029 triangle and key Horseshoes E013 chain on spiral Patience - 5 rings large wire version of Tango E002 Stilts Spring triangle/ heart in spiral Egg-Beater - simple single-level version double trapeze

The Uncle Sam Puzzles sets were issued by the J.L. Sommer Mfg. Co. of Newark, NJ. According to Slocum and Botermans in Puzzles Old and New page 99, there were four sets with two puzzles in each and they appeared in 1920. I found all four sets in a larger box, called the Big 4 Set, Uncle Sam Puzzles , which is stamped "E.G. Billings Toy Shop, Providence RI" on the back. Set No. 1 contains: Pig Tails (F002), and the Ring on Spring (F023). Set No. 2 contains: Mutt and Jeff (F003), Over the Top (F079). Set No. 3 contains: Horseshoes (D001), Three Rings (F010). Set No. 4 contains: plate heart with string, Double-G (F017).

 

Parlor Puzzles (website defunct) sold some nice sets. The sets contain many of the same designs I already have, and all of them contain the basic F001 Bent Nails. I have Sets #2 and #3.
Set 1 Ring on Spring, Claws, Double Rings with Straight Handles, and Double Twists with U Handles.	Set 2 Includes the Link (leftmost) and the Latch (rightmost). The Latch is actually the opposite effect of Nail Biter / Bent Again - it enforces the points-through solution.	Set 3 Sets 1 and 2 combined (only one copy of the bent nails), for a lower price.

 

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Here are some other wire puzzle sets I've obtained.

Sets from Wal-Mart

Sets from Target
2000	2001	2002
2003	2004	2005
2006	2007	2008
		2011

Sets from Dayton Hudson

Miscellaneous Tanglement Sets
(No Box)
		JAL promo sets
Kawada Make Puzzle Set B Purchased in Japan	Kawada Make Puzzle Set E Purchased in Japan	UMX set - Stumpy Originals
Tangle Set - Green Box - Taiwan
A set of vintage tanglement puzzles from Japan:

The following are from various sets, including those shown above. Many are small miscellaneous items I've had for a long time, by Famus (Magic Metal Puzzles) and Nasta (Mr. Magician Metal Magic Puzzles). I have many loose clips, rings, and triangles, not shown. I've replaced the group shots with the individual pics in the table below, and I have listed the Hess ID and his name for each of them. These are in Hess' section F, Hard Wire Puzzles.

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F001 Nails	F002 Double Rings w/ Handles aka "Pig Tail" or "The Eastern Question" Not shown: F003 = dbl rings w/ lg handles F004 = dbl rings w/ short handles	F005 Double rings with bent handles small from Gilbert set large from Dayton Hudson 1999 set
F006 Triple rings with handles First is "Well Spent Cash", next is Gilbert's "Vampire" Not shown: F007 = quad rings w/ handles		F008 Long-stemmed Rings
F009 Double Rings F010 Triple Rings F011 Quadruple Rings	F012 Double Triangles	F013 Double Clips F014 Triple Clips
F015 Double Twists	F016 Double Bends aka Claws Hess p.45 and F073 p.46 U.S. Patent 399146 - Jacobs 1889
F017 Double G aka Two Rings aka Dee Rings aka Bar Circle aka The Pretzel Puzzle, aka Conjuring Rings	F017 Parlor Puzzles Rings Compare with U.S. Patent 788048 - Jensen 1905	F017 Professor Puzzle's The Enigma in the U.S. included in the Metal Madness set from Cardinal
F017 Twister in the IQ Buster series This is a large robust version of F017 I wanted a copy that would rule out any forcing/bending! Each ring is about 65mm in outer diameter, and 8mm thick.
F018 Twist and Ring Not shown: F019 dbl rings and twist	F020 Double Twist with Twist U.S. Patent 718323 - Deck 1903	F021 Offset Triangles
F022 double V's
F023 ring and spring (Hess p.45) U.S. Patent 742397 - Day 1903	ring on spring twice	F024 Post and Twirls
F025 Wire Snakes	F026 Offset Keys	F027 Ring and V
F028 Wheels and Ring(s)	F029 Triangle and Key	F030 C and U Large version by Constantin, purchased from Oy Sloyd Ab. U.S. Patent 584857 - Dennis 1897
F031 Wire Monkey NOTE: F032 - F050 were omitted from Hess because they are cast, enlarged, or include flexible parts	F051 Japanese Nails	Not shown: F052 triangle and 2 circles F053 circle and triangle w/ lock F054 two circles w/ lock F055 circle, square, and triangle
F056 Triple Twists see Kawada GR.04 Devil	F057 triangle with 2 twists (I don't have this.)	F058 Wheels with 2 rings see Kawada GR.06 Loop contrast this with F028 - in F058 one of the rings is permanently attached and links the two wheels.
F059 Japanese Hairpins	F060 Cup and locked ring see Kawada GR.05 Pot	Not shown: F061 - F068 F070 - F074 F075, F076, F082, and F084-F103 omitted from compendium F077 - F078 F080 - F111
F069 Double Rings with Straight Handles	F079 twist and two rings aka "Over the Top"	F081 Open Hearts
F112 double twists with handles Twisted Twins by Binary Arts Not shown: F113 dbl rings w/ threaded handles	F114 Israeli Nails aka Trumpets Not shown: F115 mini-ring w/ clip	F116 Sao Paulo Puzzle aka Twin Tangle by Binary Arts
F117 Double Twists with U Handles	F118 lg bent tip nails (I don't have this.)	F119 Double twists with curved handles aka Nines Smithsonian set Not shown: F120 Naughty Nines F121 "The Wire Puzzle"
F122 Bent Again Mr. Puzzle Australia	F123 Hard As Nails by Puzzlingpuzzles eq. to Nail Jail by Professor Puzzle Not shown: F124 Totally Nailed	F125 Totally Hard (I don't have this.)
F126 Get Hooked Mr. Puzzle Australia	NOTE: F126 is the last item in section F.

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Prior to section F, Hess covers several other categories of wire puzzle:

• A) Trapezes
• B) Pagodas and Houses
• C) Rings (this section includes the Patience puzzle)
• D) Horseshoes, Scales, and Folding Puzzles
• E) Other Puzzles

I have included some items from those sections in the next table.

A001 simple trapeze	A048 entangled hearts p.2	C264 p.23 Spiral with Heart Casse Tete Chinois set
D001 p.27 Horseshoes many sets include this classic	D009 Scales Le Bon Geolier	D034 Japanese horseshoes WalMart SM186 green set
E002 Two-way Stilts from the Casse Tete Chinois boxed set	E013 Triple Twist	E037 p.37 Entangled double loops I got the long-handled CADABRA at a DAC. smaller is from Target 2002 set U.S. Patent 1168987 - Wixom 1916 and U.S. Patent 478668 - Walker 1892
E044 p.38 Quadruple Loop With Chain (a2) from small blue French box SM186	E051 Airplane on Mt. Fuji

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Additional hard wire puzzles I have not found in the Hess Compendium...

Large twists with U handles Target 2002 set	eights Smithsonian set	P and G Clips WalMart WM7494 gold box w/ red string on cover
Twists - Target 2004 set	Triple Twists - Target 2000 set	Parlor Puzzles Triangle
Wal-Mart WM9036 set of 4
Wal-Mart - twists w/ J handles	Wal-Mart - bent nines	Target 2006 links
Stumpy Originals "X" aka Lotus Flower Blooming	Dayton Hudson 1998 set
Pretzel	Paper Clips - Luc de Smet IPP19 U.S. Patent 442511 - Church 1890	Professor Puzzle's The Sting in the U.S. included in the Metal Madness set from Cardinal
Ampersand originally designed by Rick Irby	Another kind of Ampersands. Gift from Brett's Mom and Dad - thanks!	pinches
IPG - triangles IPG - SS IPG - hooks "Questions" Gift from Brett's Mom & Dad - thanks! uPuzzled Puzzled Presidents series - a series of re-branded large metal two-piece tanglements I got: Taylor's Linked Metal Puzzle, Tyler's Warped Metal Puzzle, and Van Buren's Crooked Loops. (The entire series comprises more than the three shown here.)
Dr. Richard Hess has created several "hybrid" puzzles based on combining elements from different puzzles offered by Professor Puzzle: Claw-Pinch Hybrid Claw-Nail Hybrid Nail-Menace Hybrid #15 Purchased from Dick at IPP28 in Prague Hybrid #55 IPP31 Berlin
Here is a fairly simple tanglement, but in a fairly large size, called Troika.

Level 1 ABC, Keys, Bike, Flag, Loop, Hook, Diamond, Love
ABC British Registry Number 577846 - 1911	Keys U.S. Patent 488974 - Davis 1892	Bike U.S. Patent 609941 - Lejeune 1898
Flag U.S. Patent 596633 - Shortt 1898	Loop Designed by Vesa Timonen But take a look at U.S. Patent 984803 - Dinuccio 1911	Hook Designed by Vesa Timonen
Diamond - designed by Scott Elliott	Hanayama Cast Love - designed by Scott Elliott
Level 2 Keyring, Cricket, Disks, Violin, Horseshoes, Plate, Key 2, Medal, Box, Harmony, DOT, Snow
Key Ring Designed by Oskar van Deventer NOTE: In the solved state, the words "Key" and "Ring" are in the same quadrant.	Cricket U.S. Patent 609081 - Collins 1898	Disks Designed by Oskar van Deventer
Violin U.S. Patent 3168316 - Lytle 1965	Horse	Plate
Key 2 Designed by Otake & Wong	Medal This is a commercial version of Dalgety's St. Mungo's Fish	St. Mungo's Fish from James Dalgety
Cast Box - Designed by Akira Yuta. Navigate the ring from the "Start" edge, free of the box (then back again). Of the 12 edges of the hollow cube frame, only 7 have various slots that allow the tooth in the ring's slot to pass.		Harmony, designed by Dmitry Pevnitskiy and Kirill Grebnev.
DOT - designed by Akio Yamamoto	Snow - designed by Kyoo Wong
Level 3 S and S, O'Gear, Cage, Snake and Star, W-U, Dolce, Cuby, Coil, Delta, G & G, Galaxy, Shift, Arrows, Slider, Die, Cross, Hex
S and S Based on the Devil's Keys U.S. Patent 732954 - Mowry 1903	O'Gear Designed by Oskar van Deventer	Sunflower (George miller) Equiv. to "O'Gear"
Cage A variation of the "national puzzle" of the Czech Republic.	Star U.S. Patent 3383113 - McCandless 1968	W-U
Dolce Designed by Akio Yamamoto	Cuby Designed by Oskar van Deventer	Coil Designed by Edi Nagata
Delta	G & G - designed by Jin-Hoo Ahn	Galaxy - designed by Bram Cohen Winner of a Jury Honorable Mention in the 2013 IPP Design Competition
Shift - designed by Kirill Grebnev	Arrows - designed by Andrei Ivanov	Slider - designed by Vesa Timonen
Hanayama Cast Die - designed by Timothy Collins	Hanayama Cast Cross - designed by Edi Nagata	Hanayama Cast Hex - designed by Masui Ohno
Level 4 Devil, Heart, Baroq, Ring, L'Oeuf, Radix , Coaster, Marble, Rattle, Donuts, Twist, Cylinder, U & U, Keyhole, Hexagon, Moebius, Cake, Dial, UFO, Valve, Planet
Twin Tangle - see Hess F116 p.46 Equiv. to "Devil"	Heart	Baroq Designed by Akio Yamamoto
Ring	L'Oeuf Designed by Oskar van Deventer	Radix Designed by Akio Yamamoto
Coaster Designed by Serhiy Grabarchuk	Marble Designed by Bram Cohen and Oskar van Deventer	Rattle Designed by Bram Cohen
Donuts designed by Vesa Timonen	Twist designed by Oskar van Deventer. Separate the two donuts - each has a series of engraved spiraling and criss-crossing grooves, and a pin that rides in the grooves of the other donut.
Cylinder - designed by Vesa Timonen	U & U - designed by Kyoo Wong The nuts screw up and down but do not come off. A gift from Brett - thanks!	Keyhole designed by Vesa Timonen.
Hexagon designed by Mineyuki Uyematsu Adapted from "Claws of Satan" winner of a Jury Honorable Mention in the 2014 IPP Design Competition.	Moebius - designed by Oskar van Deventer	Cake - designed by Bram Cohen
Cast Dial - Hanayama Level 4 designed by Vesa Timonen	UFO - designed by Vesa Timonen.	Valve - designed by Vesa Timonen.
Planet - designed by Masumi Ohno.
Level 5 Amour, Spiral, Laby, Ring 2, Duet, Vortex, Equa, Helix, H&H, Padlock, Cyclone, Tube
Amour Designed by Akio Yamamoto	Spiral Designed by Kennet Walker	Laby U.S. Patent 598855 - Carter 1898
16 to 1 Issued by Bits & Pieces Equiv. to "Laby"	Ring 2 Based on a design by Jose Grant	Duet Designed by Oskar van Deventer
Vortex (2008) Designed by Akio Yamamoto	Equa Designed by Oskar van Deventer	Helix Designed by Akio Yamamoto
H&H designed by Oskar van Deventer	Padlock - designed by Jinhoo Ahn.	Cyclone - designed by Kyoo Wong, level 5.
Tube - designed by Vesa Timonen.
Level 6 Elk, Chain, NEWS, Enigma, Nut Case, Quartet, Square, Infinity, Trinity, Hourglass, Rotor
Elk	Chain Designed by Oskar van Deventer	GGG Special from James Dalgety; Designed by Oskar van Deventer. A more difficult version of Chain!
NEWS Designed by Nob Yoshigahara	Enigma Designed by Eldon Vaughn
I got an original ELJO Enigma with magnetic stand a while ago from Puzzletts U.S. Patent 3885793 - Vaughn 1975	and a plastic Enigma more recently from Games People Play in Cambridge, Mass. The plastic version was issued by ELJO Games. Their website is defunct. There is not much information at the Internet Archive capture of the defunct ELJO Games website dated January 2011.
Nut Case Designed by Oskar van Deventer	Quartet Designed by "Mine" (Mineyuki Uyematsu)
Square Designed by Vesa Timonen	Infinity - designed by Vesa Timonen	Trinity - designed by Kyoo Wong
Hourglass - designed by JinHoo Ahn Two each of two different pieces.	Rotor - Designed by Kyoo Wong. Level 6 (very difficult)

Hanayama also produced a bespoke puzzle for Canadian Magician and YouTuber Chris Ramsay:

[81] + [7]

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Hanayama also issued a set of six "Marine" puzzles - first in keychain format, then in full size. These were all designed by Akio Yamamoto.

Seabream (1), Shark (1), Starfish (2), Claw (2), Seahorse (3), Reef (3)

[12]

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Hanayama also issued a set of four Disney-themed puzzles based on existing designs.

Mickey Keys

Mouse

Alice

Pooh

[4]

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Hanayama also issued a set of four Ultraman-themed puzzles based on existing designs.

Ultra 7 Ultra Eye - Hanayama	Ultraman Emblem - Hanayama
Ultraman Meteor - Hanayama	Ultraman Capsule - Hanayama

[4]

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Takara Toys Co. of Japan (now with Tomy) offered a line of four puzzles in their "The Puzzle Museum" collection based on an animated detective story starring a character named "Lupin the 3rd." Each puzzle features Lupin trapped in some way along with another character. You must find a way to separate them.

 

Vol. 1 with Fujiko Mine

Vol. 2 with Inspector Zenigata

Vol. 3 with Daisuke Jigen

Vol. 4 with Goemon Ishikawa

I bought most of them from Thierry Borne's Japan Goods Shop (which now seems to focus only on pre-paid cards).

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Other modern cast puzzles...

This is really a maze, with a figure of Mickey Mouse in the center. Remove the C-shaped shuttle by navigating the notches around the perimeter and on the spokes.

Disney Horseshoes Tangle

It's not cast metal - nowadays 3D printing has become a good way to create attainable puzzles having complex shapes... Wavelinks - designed by Rod Bogart A 3D print from Rod's Shapeways shop RGB Puzzles. Four pieces - two each of two slightly different types. Fit them together to form two complete interlinked rings. One of the top-ten vote getters in the IPP 2018 Design Competition. This hefty metal version of Wavelinks by Rod Bogart was offered by Craighill via Kickstarter

This is known as the "Fire Irons." It is described on page 94 of Slocum and Botermans' 1987 "Puzzles Old and New." It contains a poker, shovel, and tongs. The objective is to free the tongs piece, which is not too difficult. A nice vintage piece with cast elements.	Lucky Star Horseshoe/ Heart/ Star	Aeroplanes CVB
Three Nags	Salmon and Grid	Two Hearts
These are the Devil's Keys, also known as "Loop the Loop" - described on page 95 of Slocum and Botermans' 1987 "Puzzles Old and New." U.S. Patent 732954 - Mowry 1903	Tango (GIB)	Strafe der Kaiser (IMB)
Strong Man (aka Jolly Ni**er)	Here is an alternative version of the Strong Man.	Here is another alternative version of the Strong Man (I don't have).
The Snake Puzzle	Maze - Ring and Plate CVB	thick rings
The Hello Puzzle U.S. Patent 896344 - Akin 1908	Snake and Scissors (IBA)	Sandow (IBA)
Faith, Hope, & Charity, aka Heart and Anchor (IMB)
Star and Garter The lower copy is an unusual advertising version, for the Minneapolis Times.	Anchor	vintage cast ABC and Keys
	CWS This is similar to the ABC puzzle - you have to navigate the horseshoe piece around the frame and off.	VIM Another maze-type puzzle similar to the ABC puzzle.
A group shot of several versions of the Elk puzzle. The smaller examples in the center are the older ones, from vintage sets. The larger examples on the top and bottom are versions issued by Hanayama - they're marked "NOB" on one of the tabs. The other large versions are made in Taiwan.	Queen's Jubilee / Waterbury Watch	A version of the vintage Queen's Jubilee puzzle, called Uncle Sam's Divorce

Jerry Slocum put together a spiral-bound "Compendium of Mechanical Puzzles from Catalogs 1785 to 1946."
It lists several vintage cast tanglement puzzles from the 1929 Johnson Smith catalogue, all shown above.

Star and Garter Lucky Star (horseshoe/ heart/ star) Tango Snake and Scissors Salmon and Grid Three Snakes Ring and Plate aka Maze Keys Loop the Loop (Devil's Keys)

Faith, Hope & Charity (cross/ heart/ anchor) Elk Hearts Three Nags Aeroplanes ABC Fire Irons Anchor (lg. anchor/ ring/ sm. anchor) Sandow

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Several of these older cast puzzles have a British Registry Number on them, by which they can be dated.
I have not yet found an online site where the registry documents can be found, nor more information about them.

The numbers I know of are:

Waterbury 3 U (shown under Vintage Wire below) - 111469 - 1888 or 1889 Much older than I had thought, but this number is stamped clearly. Lucky Horseshoes - 371445 - 1901 ABC - 577846 - 1911 CWS - 789052 - 1934

Seems to be a cluster around 6319xx in 1914... Tango - 631907 - 1914 Three Snakes - 631909 - 1914 Fire Irons - 631910 - 1914 Anchors - 6319xx (maybe 12) Sandow - 63191x (maybe 5) Salmon and Grid - 6319xx Aeroplanes - 637925 - 1914

An early ring-in-plate maze/tanglement, Gilbert's No. 893 Spider Web puzzle. The 18-step solution is in the booklet that came with the Gilbert set.	Dog and Collar, or "The Doggie Puzzle." Described in Slocum and Botermans' 1987 "Puzzles Old and New" on page 93. Two versions - sitting and standing.
The Bootlegger and His Flask, mfd by the Gardner Screw Corp. MA. Described in Slocum and Botermans' 1994 "The Book of Ingenious and Diabolical Puzzles" on page 103. I have another marked "W.R. Maxwell 88 Lafayette Ave. Brooklyn N.Y. Patent Apld" See U.S. Patent 1635022 - Allen 1927
I found a second vintage Ryede Puzzle (on the left) - this one is complete and even came with its paper package/instructions in pristine condition. Also shown: Ryede patent - 787796 - Rydquist 1905 and a listing for the Ryede Keyring Puzzle in an early 1900's vintage catalog from the Western Puzzle Works in Minnesota.
Ryede Perfection This is an alternate configuration from that in the Rydquist 1905 patent, but using the same characteristic shuttle piece stamped "Ryede." I actually found these first, and two of them, so it's not a fluke. I found a reference to this puzzle in a Western Puzzle Works catalog from the early 1900's, where it is called the Ryede Perfection (they mis-spell Ryede "Ryde").
A vintage metal advertising puzzle, in the ring-in-plate maze category - two entangled keys to be separated, from the Waterbury Watch Company. I show them here in vintage plate tanglements, as well as in the route-finding ring-in-plate maze section.
Heart and String	Stars and String
Ox Yokes	Horseshoes (alt.)
Valspar U.S. Patent 1484849 - Stoppel 1924	Stars and Crescent See patent D0035115 - Forster 1901
handbag	A vintage Trio puzzle. See U.S. Patent # 2162278 Galeazzo, June 1939.
Balkan Compare to the Trio. (I don't have this.)
Bootlegger aka Boot and Hand - a vintage plate metal tanglement puzzle, patented in the U.S. in 1924 by Preuss, No. 1519702. But also see the earlier US295665 - Mount 1884.
On May 1, 1906, Benjamin Dorstrom of Rhode Island received US Patent number 819345 for a tanglement puzzle which came to be known as the Dorstrom Hub. It comprises three rotating pieces held by a riveted hub, and a removable loop. I am very happy to have found an original example, albeit missing the loop. One can see from the patent drawing that the vanes of the pieces are notched, and they ride the hub axis along an S-shaped channel. Those features allow the pieces to be offset from each other and maneuvered to free the loop. I had earlier acquired an example of a related puzzle called the Tango Shoe, which is inscribed "PAT 1906." At the 2018 IPP, Allard Walker used a recreation of the Dorstrom Hub as his exchange puzzle. The reproduction, larger than the original and made from lasercut plywood rather than metal, was envisioned by Michel van Ipenburg and executed by Robrecht Louage. A generous gift from Allard. Thanks! Michel reports, "I stumbled on it while browsing Rob Stegmann's website some five years or so ago. Having teamed up with Robrecht [Louage] provided the much needed tools to actually see this puzzle being made. After the prototyping in 2016 I offered this to Allard as a possible future IPP exchange puzzle. I'm very happy he took the opportunity and am delighted another vintage puzzle has gotten a new audience! The object of the puzzle is to remove the ring from the gears. Some delicate movement of the pieces is needed to succeed... once off the second challenge is to get the puzzle to its original state again... and that might even be harder."
Houddene	Gilbert Turtle
Milwaukee Key Maze A 2.75" square brass plate, with a brass wire "key" including a trapped ring. Remove the key from the plate - the ring gets in the way. Clever but not difficult. Stamped "MILW. WIS. F.J.O. 1939" - maybe this was homemade?
Peter Wiltshire crafted from aluminum this reproduction of the Stanley puzzle found in Hoffmann (Chapter VIII, No. 12)	Panama Lock - this is a modern repro by Allen Rolfs of a vintage puzzle - See U.S. patent 994694 - Sievers 1911.
Traveling Salesman tangle - Allen Rolfs - IPP31 Not vintage, but based on a vintage design.	USA - another nice repro by Allen Rolfs of a vintage tanglement
Leprechaun's Dilemma - another nice repro by Allen Rolfs of a vintage tanglement
The Old Anchor Puzzle - Allen Rolfs IPP38
A rare vintage Boodle Alderman Puzzle - enameled tin plate. Said by Slocum to have been made in 1891 by "Strait Manufacturing, Hatter & Glover." Based on the idea of a corrupt politician of the times in shackles. My copy is in fairly good shape but is incomplete - some of the shackle pieces are missing. Both James Dalgety and Jerry Slocum have this puzzle - it is described in Slocum's Puzzles Old and New on page 93. Both admit, however, (as do I) to lacking a clear understanding of the puzzle's objective and solution. If anyone out there has any information about this puzzle, especially a solution sheet, please contact me!

Waterbury 3 U		Cup and Ring (Hess C084)
The "Psycho Cycle" (Hess E009 p.37) was produced in 1976 by A. J. Koveleski. Get the handlebars piece off. You're in for confusion when you reach the back wheels.	Here is the Trickie (sic) Trike. The box says Copyright 1954, Made in Japan. So, I guess this predates the Psycho Cycle. Vinyl covered wire, and no seat. U.S. Patent USD173360S - Kerner & Huffine 1954
various thin wire, including Maltese Cross, Comb	Not sure of the name. I call it "Libra." The ring does come off, with a modicum of force. Looks like Hess E130 p.39 (also see variant E138) I found a reference to this puzzle in a Western Puzzle Works catalog from the early 1900's, where it is called the Ring Off.	Kross Keys Jerry Slocum told me Kross Keys was advertised in "The Novelty News" March and May 1915 issues.
vintage Spring	The "Chilian" (sic) Puzzle.	A pair of the Chilean Puzzle. U.S. Patent 962039 962039 - McFarland 1910 See also 1649054 1649054 - Barket 1927 See also 828880 828880 - Falkner 1906
ABC set - Hong Kong mentioned in Slocum and Botermans' 1987 Puzzles Old and New on page 88.	Buster Brown Hess F003 Double rings with large handles aka Mutt and Jeff	Red Goose Shoes promo

Edison Mazda Lamp tanglement puzzle - a vintage advertising puzzle issued by the General Electric Company of Harrison NJ. It is made of celluloid - an interesting material that feels like plastic, but is more fragile. I had been after one of these since seeing it in Slocum and Botermans' 1994 book The Book of Ingenious and Diabolical Puzzles (page 94) and I finally found one in great shape! The book says this was issued circa 1912-13.
Pilsbury Flour
Worcester Salt
Van Houten's Cocoa Spider Web
Tennessee Jed - a vintage card tanglement puzzle advertising Tip Top Bread.
B.F. Goodrich Tag Remove the string without tearing anything or bending the round green end tags.	Magic Skull Remove the skull from the string.	U-Haul Tag Remove the string without tearing anything or bending the round end tags.
Aunt Jemima	Cannon & Cord A turned wooden Cannon. See Hoffmann Chap. II No. X.	Butter Nut Bread
Van Houten's Violin	Jayne's Expectorant	Fairmont Creamery Puzzle
Adams' Rastus	National Oats Girl vintage advertising tanglement puzzle	Rabbit in Hat - a modern repro by Allen Rolfs using plasticized card of a vintage design
London Underground - Allen Rolfs A plasticized card repro of a vintage metal design. US Patent 486141 - deVirgile 1892	Champion Spark Plug tangle	Michelin Bibendum and Tire tangle
Red Goose Shoes tangle - a group of vintage advertising puzzles.

Houdini designed by Nicholas Cravotta and Rebecca Bleau produced by Thinkfun A tanglement puzzle kit with 40 challenges.
This is Brainstring - a difficult puzzle to classify. Here, the goal is to prevent a tangle from ever occurring. Move the colored buttons around in the grooves to create various patterns, but avoid tangling the strings inside the cube.	Brainstring Advanced	Brainstring R
This example was a handout at IPP28 in Prague, commemorating RGee Watkins. See the European Patent database: BE393637 - Friedrich Carl Schmidt 1933	Moebius and Trinity Infinity, purchased from Bits & Pieces, both designed by Doug Engel.
I obtained this vintage advertising puzzle - the card urges readers to place a classified ad in the Pittsburgh, PA Dispatch. The puzzle objective is to remove the key from the card without damaging anything. The card refers to U.S. Patent 695059 - Kellogg - Mar. 11 1902, but also see U.S. Patent 295665 - Mount - 1884		Loopy Ladder - IQ Products
Free-the-trapped-object are kind of a distinct sub-category. Here, there will be a subtle orientation you have to find in order to get the target piece free, or a sequence of moves.
Man the Torpedo, Pop-Earth, and Trilby These are examples of a puzzle known as the Hedgehog Puzzle. The Hedgehog Puzzle has an interesting history in the Czech Republic, where it was popularized in a book and a film featuring one with a secret map hidden inside the hedgehog. See jezcivkleci.cz and Wikipedia. The Pop-Earth design was patented: U.S. Patent D0280430 - Holman 1985; but see also 558009 - Worrall 1896
Axis Hedgehog - Rademic	Light in the Lantern - designed and made by Czech craftsman Vaclav Skopek See his Etsy store SHOKCZ A very steampunk instance of the Hedgehog - the Czech national puzzle
Hexahog and Hexacage - from Radek Micopulos at Rademic Puzzles. An unusual take on the Hedgehog puzzle, with a secondary external put-together cage.		Pandemic Puzzle - by Bad Astronaut.
Sputnik - Bits and Pieces	5 Keys - Bits and Pieces	Sunglasses - designed by Yoshiyuki Kotani Free the 4 glasses from the frame.
Arrows - Metallofactura

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This design is called Bilateral by Mad Cow; I made my own copy from some rings and nylon cord. Each ring has one cord permanently looped through it. Neither cord loop is big enough to fit around either ring. The trick, of course, is to unlink the two cords. The solution is a cool maneuver.	Handcuffs - from Teddy Sakamoto - is a version using rigid metal loops instead of string. Entered in the IPP 2008 Design Competition.		IPP31 - rings with red cord This version is half-string, half-rigid
There is also a design by Jan D. de Ruiter with two rings of different size, joined by three cord loops, called "Duplo." Here is a solution for Duplo. Duplo is produced by Eureka - they call it Double O**. Gemani also had it and called it "Bi-O."	I have seen (but haven't made or acquired) similar designs with three, four, and five rings, called "Trilateral," "Quadrilateral" or "Not So Quick," and "Pentalateral" respectively. The four-ring version called "Quattro" was invented by Erik Johansson of Sweden. Read Matthew Horak's analysis of the Quadrilateral puzzle using knot theory.

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