Jumbo Games - online puzzles

Online puzzle Jumbo Games

Jumbo Games is a Dutch founded jigsaw puzzle and games company which was established in 1853 and is owned by M&R de Monchy N.V. Jumbo Games produce and manufacture all of their jigsaw puzzles and cardboard based games in their own factory that is based in the Netherlands. The Jumbo head office is located in the Netherlands and there are also offices in the UK, Germany and Belgium.Previous to being known as Jumbo games in the UK, the company was called Falcon Games and this was the brand name given to its range of adult puzzles. Falcon was established in 1976 and Jumbo is often still referred to as by the Falcon brand name in the UK.

History

The origins of the firm can be traced to the Hausemann & Hotte partnership in the mid-nineteenth century between the Amsterdam department store owner Engelbert Hausemann, a German, and Wilhelm Hotte, who together imported games and puzzles into the Netherlands.

After the First World War, Hausemann & Hotte expanded their range of toys and games. This included the Meccano metal construction kits, Continental Caoutchouc rubber balls, dolls’ prams by Heinrichmaier & Wunsch, ‘Jutta’dolls by Dressel, Emata slates, Hohner mouth organs, cars and figurines by Lehmann and Spears games.

During the inter- war years, Hausemann & Hotte commissioned wooden toys by the Mauritz en Ball company of Zeist. These toys had to be made to be strong enough "that a wooden elephant could stand on them". These toys were sold under the Jumbo brand name. This was the birth of the elephant brand.

After the Second World War, production was difficult and imports had ceased.