Heye – Entering The World of Zozoville
Heye is a established German brand known for its distinctive box shape and for transforming offbeat, original art.
*Originally published on MyPuzzleDay.com —January 9, 2024*
⚠️ Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Heye is a major European puzzle company. This review focuses on the whimsical Zozoville line, which transforms peculiar creatures and their fantastical adventures into captivating jigsaw puzzles. Heye puzzles are notable for their triangular box shape and for offering high-quality, distinctive artwork.
Just The Deets!
• Piece Cut: Grid & Random (Varies by manufacturing location)
• Piece Fit: Loose
• False Fits: No
• Piece Gauge: 2.0 mm
• Puzzle Finish: Matte (with an almost linen-like texture)
• Reference Poster: No
• Dust Level: Medium
• Puzzle Size 1000 Piece: 20” x 27”
• Artist Spotlight: Zozoville is the creation of artists Mateo Dineen and Johan Potma.
• Made in Germany & USA
Image Quality & Themes
The image quality of Heye puzzles is considered good, with high-quality printing processes that result in sharp and vivid colors. The Zozoville puzzles are delightfully weird, with subtle color shifts and whimsical details. The pieces are made from recycled cardboard and have an almost linen-like texture that helps cut down on glare.
Heye offers a very diverse selection of themes, catering to a wide range of interests, including:
Abstract Gradients
Animals
Art
Fairytale & Fantasy
Food & Drink
Seasonal
The Zozoville line is particularly original, offbeat, delightfully strange, and altogether amazing, featuring art by Mateo Dineen and Johan Potma.
✋ Hands On Experience
Laundry Day’s colors are a dreamy mix of vintage-y earth tones, and the artwork is just too good to pass up! Even with the downside of looser pieces and a lack of reference poster, the image quality and fun make this brand worth doing.
Heye’s Zozoville puzzles were on my radar for quite a while, and I was thrilled to find Laundry Day.
The pieces are on the thicker end of the scale at 2.0 mm, but they were not as snug fitting as I had expected. The interlock is quite loose, so working in sections is definitely not recommended. The puzzle had a few tricksy pieces—some appeared to be edges but were not, and I even had a piece that completely separated from the image and was in slices!
A fun fact about the brand: From what I am able to glean, puzzles by Heye made in Germany are Grid Cut, and those made in the USA are Random Cut. This difference in the cut style, along with the lack of a reference poster, definitely adds to the challenge, but the highly engaging artwork by the Zozoville artists makes up for these minor drawbacks.
Pros and Cons
✅ Pros (The Experience & Quality)
Unique Art: Features highly original and whimsical artwork (e.g., Zozoville).
Sturdy Pieces: Good 2.0 mm thickness.
Matte Finish: Low-glare due to the linen-like texture.
Unique Packaging: Distinctive triangular box.
Variety: Available in a huge range of piece counts (up to 6000).
❌ Cons (Minor Imperfections)
Loose Interlock: Pieces are not snug, making section movement difficult.
No Reference Poster.
Medium Dust Level.
Inconsistent Cut: Cut style varies depending on the manufacturing country (Grid vs. Random).
💡 Final Thoughts: The Verdict
Heye is a fantastic choice for puzzlers seeking unique, engaging art in a high-quality, low-glare package. While the loose interlock can be frustrating, the stunning visuals and 2.0mm thickness, combined with the fun challenge of the Zozoville designs, mean this brand is absolutely worth doing.
🧩 Ready to enter the delightfully weird world of Heye?
Explore the selection of available Heye puzzles on Amazon by clicking below.