- FIRST TO COMPLETE IN SINGAPORE.
- FIRST FAMILY IN SINGAPORE.
March 17, 2009
The Thio Family - Jurong, Singapore.
Assembled between January 22, 2009 and March 17, 2009.
Total 55 days (including sorting & 'resting' in between Sections)
Click Images To Enlarge
 
The Thio Family:
Andrew (Daddy), Joyce (Mummy), Solskjaer (Son 6+ yrs old), Seraphina (daughter - she's just 1 year old - so she doesn't do anything much except try to mess up everything. Just kidding ... mainly just sits and watches)
The Facts:
-
Assembled in sections on compressed foam panels
- Section 1 took 17 days
- Section 2 took 12 days
- Section 3 took 11 days
- Section 4 took 8 days.
- Actual working days are about 48 days, averaging about 5 hours each day.
- The puzzle was assembled by our boy Solskjaer (6 years old), my wife Joyce and myself.
- Solskjaer does all the Edges, Hot Air Balloons, Yachts, Rocks, Moon & Planets, sea (waves) etc.
- 'Mummy' does all of the Corals, Fishes etc... - all those below sea level.
- 'Daddy' does the Animals, Skies, Birds etc... But of course, we still help up each other in certain areas.
The Interview:
Why did you decide to take up the challenge of assembling this puzzle?
Assembling puzzles had always been one of our family hobbies. We have numerous smaller pieces starting from 2000 pieces. For our 6 years Solskjaer, he had started building puzzles when he was 3 years old ... assembling 100+ piece puzzles.
Is this your first big puzzle?
Yes
How did you go about assembling the puzzle? ... Did you use any special strategies?
The first most important thing is to have a PROPER SORTING SYSTEM. Depending on section, sorting could be by colours, by animals, etc
  
For my wife, she has an eye for details - and thus fixing the corals, marine fishes, clown fishes, dolphins was very easy for her. So basically her concentration was everything below sea level.
For my son, his specialty was on the edges, hot air balloons, yachts, rocks, moon, planets, sea (waves), mountains.
For myself, I concentrated on the animals, skies, birds etc ...
  
Do you have any tips you'd like to share?
Apart from the PROPER SORTING SYSTEM as mentioned above, do have lots of clear plastic bags to store the separated colours etc .., & boxes to put the same shape category type.
Puzzles are then fitted OUTSIDE the compressed foam panel. Eg, a Yacht or animal or any big obvious 'entity' was fitted on a magazine covered with blank A4 paper. Upon completion, it is then 'transferred' onto the compressed foam panel.
For Solskjaer & myself, we would fix the puzzles according to shape of each piece. If you note carefully, shapes are separated into several types.
We have our own names for easier identification - eg, "Male Toilet Piece", "H-shaped piece", "Pointing to the Right piece", "Pointing to the Left piece", etc ... By looking at the preceding piece that had been fixed, you can know what's the next piece that is to be fixed.
Also, each piece at the adjoining portion has a certain 'shape' or 'hook' that should compliment the next piece.
Did you enjoy the puzzle?
A definite 200% yes !!! Every single minute of it. Every section & every part has a good memory 'attached' to it. We now look back and recall the time when we were working on that section. For Section 2, majority of it was done by Solskjaer & Joyce - as I fell quite sick during that time, probably from working too hard from Section 1!
Did you find it ..easy? ...hard?...interesting? What did you like or dislike etc?
Basically, its hard to conclude which part was easy or which part was difficult. Each of us has our own 'specialty' areas. For me, I could not do any clown fish or coral ! But to my wife, it was a 'piece of cake'.
On the other hand, she cannot do the sky but for me, its easy.
Also, finding the proper backing for the puzzle was quite a task. Finally, I found compressed foam at an art shop. But each compressed foam measured only 0.9 metres x 1.6 metres. As the length of each section was 1.07 metres, an "additional" piece of compressed foam was 'connected' to the original piece, so that the whole section can sit perfectly on it.
Three interesting things happened in the assembling of the puzzle. In section 3, one piece of dolphin was missing. Upon near completion, it was miraculously found in a book.
In section 4, one piece of the yacht was missing. Upon near completion, it was miraculously found at the corner of the home.
The biggest miracle was that during section 4, my wife, Seraphina & myself left home to pick up our son from school. From school, we went to have our lunch. At the end of lunch, a piece of the puzzle was spotted by me - it was 'stuck' to my wife's lower leg.
Apparently, while sitting cross legged doing the puzzle on the floor, her leg must have pressed against one of the piece. Imagine that piece 'travelled all the way from home to the car park, all the way to school and to the restaurant, - without dropping off !!!!
What are you going to do with the puzzle now it's done... sell it, hang it on your wall, donate it so it can be hung in a more public place and enjoyed by others? Other?
As we are moving to our new home in June 2009, we will be hanging it up on our wall in the new home. At this moment, we are sourcing some interior designers to renovate our new home, & we have asked them to make a frame + mounting / installation onto the wall.
We are considering to do a SECOND set .... and that to be put up for sale.
Did you write a blog or create a website on the experience?
Yes, here it is: http://andrew-worldslargestpuzzle24000pieces.blogspot.com/
For any one who wants to contact me, please email : andrewwlp@yahoo.com.sg
Update: "I have finally moved into my new home and the World's Largest Puzzle is finally mounted on my living room wall.
The mounting to the wall took 5 men to do it." - Andrew. See video below:
Click images to enlarge:
 
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