a.k.a. Dad's Puzzle, Moving Puzzle, Tit-Bits Teaser No. 1,
Penant Puzzle, Box of Nine, Nine Block Puzzle
Patents and copyrights include L. W. Hardy 1909, J. W. Hayward 1926,
Frederic E. Aaron 1927, and C. O. Luce 1953, these two are not dated.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
presented on pages 78-79 and plate 6 of Hordern's book)

Slide the 2x2 piece from the upper left to the lower left (without picking up pieces); the positions of the other pieces don't matter:

Perhaps the most produced mechanical puzzle of the first half of the 20th century, after the Fifteen puzzle. Many were made with the same 4 x 3.25 x 1/2 inch box, the same size and shaped pieces (sometimes plastic in later years), but with additional text or different cover art to promote products (laundry detergent, glue, etc.). See also the Humdinger version.

Here is a solution of 62 straight-line moves; it can be converted to 59 rectilinear moves by combining steps 6/7, 27/28, and 58/59:



(one move = sliding one piece any number of units in one direction)

The diagonal version of Dad's Puzzler is to move the 2x2 piece diagonally to the lower right corner; it is described on page 5 of the 1942 Filipiak book (which gives a solution of 59 moves).


(Move the 2x2 to the lower right; the positions of the other pieces do not matter.)

One might think that it would be a harder to move the 2x2 piece diagonally to the lower right corner since it is farther away than the lower left. However, here is a solution of only 31 straight-line moves; it can be converted to 29 rectilinear moves by combining steps 6/7 and 18/19:



(one move = sliding one piece any number of units in one direction)

Note: For harder versions of Dad's Puzzler where there are additional constraints on the final position, see Dad's Puzzler Exchange.

Pennant Puzzle, circa 1910.
(cardboard box, 9 cardboard pieces, 4.1 by 3.3 by 1/4 inches)

Often credited as the first version made of Dad's puzzler. A slightly different manufacture of this puzzle has the same box top except at the bottom it says "PATENT ALLOWED DIRECTIONS ON BOTTOM OF BOX" and does not credit Hardy 1909, the same directions except the address for O. K. Novelty of Chicago is listed as "225 North Sangamon St.", and the same baseball teams on the pieces, which are more of an off-white color.

Tit-Bits Teaser, George Newnes, London, Made in the U.S.A., 1927.
(cardboard box, 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
page 78 of Hordern's book list this as "Tit-Bits Teaser No. 1, 1927")

Moving Puzzle, Copyright Frederick E. Aaron 1927.
(cardboard box, 9 wood pieces, and solution sheet, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
left: blank near the bottom where promotion text usually goes;
right: vendor sample version)

Eskimo Pie Co., "ELGIN ICE CREAM", circa 1940's?
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
directions on inside of box top and solution sheet included;
different versions different Ice Cream distributor on the box top)

Copyright J. W. Hayward 1926,
manufactured by the Standard Trailer Company, Cambridge Springs, PA,
distributed by S-M News Co., Inc., 229 Fourth Ave., New York, NY.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches)

Here are the top / bottom (left below) and left / right (right below) box edges:




Here are the directions:

Copyright Standard Trailer Co. 1953.
(cardboard box and 9 plastic pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches)

"Pilgrim's Progress Puzzle", Cross Publishing, Copyright 1957.
(cardboard box and 9 plastic pieces, 3.25 by 4 by 5/16 inches)

C. O. Luce 1953, purchased by J.A. Storer as a child circa 1962.
(cardboard box and 10 plastic pieces, 4 x 3.25 x 1/2 inches)

"Stranded in Space", made in England, circa 1970's?
(cardboard card and 10 plastic pieces, puzzle is 4 x 3.25 x 1/2 inches)

Adams "Moving Day Puzzle", circa 1930.
metal tray and lid with nine metal pieces, 3.8" x 3.1" x 5/16";
along the top is shown a packaged puzzle that came with bottom nested inside the cover,
with folded solution sheet and directions summary between them;
the package back instructs one to move the piano and also has adds for other products;
on the upper right is a second one of these puzzles with a white piano square;
the solution first presents Dads Puzzler Diagonal and then the standard puzzle,
where the solutions allow one to push two or three blocks together)

Adams Company, circa 1940's.
(heavy metal tray and lid with nine metal pieces, 4" x 3.25" x 1/4",
pieces slide well with a nice fit;
directions on the box bottom, solution sheet included;
these versions the same except for case cover color;
the next page shows a newer version that is shown on page 62 of the Adams Co. History book)

Adams Company, circa 1950's.
(heavy metal tray and lid with nine plastic pieces, 3.8" x 3.1" x 5/16";
solution taped into inside of top cover;
shown on page 62 of the Adams Co. History book)

Adams Company, 1961.
(metal tray and nine plastic pieces, 3.75 x 3 x 5/16 inches;
shown on page 108 of the Adams Co. History book)

Came with solutions to both Dad's Puzzler and Dads Puzzler Diagonal:

Dads Move A Block, unknown date.
(5.5 by 4 by 1.125 inch high wood box with wood pieces)

Aangeboden door: N. V. Sigareniabriek GEBRs. GARVELINK EINDHOVEN "Offered by: N. V. Sigareniabriek GEBRs. GARVELINK EINDHOVEN" Leg de blokjes zooals op de bovenstaande fig. is aangegeven in de doos. Breng nu uitsluitend door schui- ven hut groote blok AIDA op de plaats van de blokjes B. en C. "Place the cubes just as the fig. above indicated in the box. Now apply exclusively large sliding cabin block AIDA on the position of the blocks B and C."

N. V. Sigareniabriek, Eindhoven, the Netherlands, circa 1940's?
(wood box with 9 wood pieces, 4.1" x 3.32" x 5/8")

Central Specialty Co., Hutchinson, Kansas, unknown age.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4.1" x 3.3" x 7/16""; directions inside of box top)

Leech Products Co., Hutchinson, Kansas, unknown age.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 3.5" x 2.8" x 5/16"; directions inside of box top)

Piedmont Premium Beer., undated.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 9/16 inches)

Frigidaire Jumble Puzzle, undated.
(cardboard box and 9 cardboard pieces, 3 by 2.5 by 5/16 inches)

Dad's Puzzle, Drueke Blue Chip Game Company, 1972.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 6" x 4+7/8" x 9/16")

Magnetic Square Puzzle,
WM. F. Drueke & Sons, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI, copyright 1961.
(plastic pieces with magnetic backs in cardboard box with metal bottom,
7.8 by 7.8 by 5/8 inches)



Kasko Puzzler, "REG US PAT OFF".
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches)

Crane Packing Co., Chicago, Copyright J. W. Hayward 1926.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4" x 3.25" x 1/2"; directions inside box top)

Nevers Crafts Shop, Ossipee, N. H., 1950's?
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 5+5/16" x 4+5/16" x 1/2")

MOVING Puzzle, Copyright Frederick E. Aaron 1941,
"Hasley Bros. MOVING AND STORAGE", Pittsburgh, PA.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4" x 3.25" x 1/2"; directions inside box top)

Moving Puzzle, Copyright Frederick E. Aaron 1927,
"GREYVAN STORAGE, INC. 1665 Main St., Buffalo 8, N.Y.".
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, with solution sheet, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches)

Motor Grinding Co., copyright J. W. Hayward 1926.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
directions on inside of the box top)

F. C. Bellis Independent Oil, patent applied for, copyright J. W. Hayward 1926.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 1/2 inches;
2x2 piece has paper label; directions on inside of the box top)

Ohio Table Pad Co., copyright J. W. Hayward 1926.
(cardboard box and 9 wood pieces, 4 by 3.25 by 7/16 inches)

Some More Examples Of Dad's Puzzles

Walton Patent,, from: www.uspto.gov - patent no. 516,035

Filed Mar. 14, 1893; granted Mar. 6, 1894.
Block puzzle with 1x2 size blocks.

Moss Patent,, from: www.uspto.gov - patent no. 668,386

Filed June 8, 1900; Feb. 19, 1901.
Colored sliding blocks.

Hardy Patent, from: www.uspto.gov - patent no. 1,017,752

Filed Dec. 14, 1907; granted Feb. 20, 1912.
Shows as its preferred embodiment (Figure 1) a 4x4 tray with ten pieces
(one 2x2, three 1x2, two 2x1, and four 1x1).
Claims 8 and 9 addresses a general class of sliding block puzzles with three sizes of pieces,
and Claim 10 addresses puzzles with one 2x2 piece,
some number of 1x2 and 2x1 pieces, and some number of 1x1 pieces.

Kuczynski Patent, from: www.uspto.gov - patent no. 6,039,318

Filed Mar. 4, 1998; granted Mar. 21, 2000.
Figures show Dad's Puzzler and specifications describe a frame for holding it.