Jigsaw Puzzle Industry Warns of a Shortage of Jigsaw Puzzles

The jigsaw puzzle industry warned today they will likely not be able to keep up with the surge in demand they expect as a result of the expanding Coronavirus pandemic.

Joining numerous other hard-hit industries struggling to keep pace with abruptly shifting realities triggered by COVID-19, jigsaw makers say they're not currently equipped to maintain a steady supply of puzzles for the millions of Americans being forced to stay home.

"We understand the need. People need puzzles, and they need them now. Unfortunately, our cutting machines running at full capacity can only produce so many," Stockton Puzzles Owner Paul Stockton said.

"You simply can't go from 1 to 100 on a turn of a dime," added Stockton. "And it's scary, because people will not only be needing more puzzles, but bigger puzzles with more pieces. Puzzles that can keep them occupied for months at a time while uplifting their spirits with pictures of kittens and puppy dogs."

Stockton went on to admonish what the near future could hold if the jigsaw industry doesn't receive emergency aid from the government.

"Studies show that the average American household has only 1.2 puzzles, well short of what will be needed to wait out a prolonged pandemic. This means people will either soon be out of puzzles or resigned to repeating the same puzzle - likely of hot air balloons or the Eiffel Tower - over and over again," he said.

A spokesperson for those observing lockdown orders around the country disagreed, however.

"Think we'll stick to Netflix," he said.