Design Notes:Vintage Milton Bradley World Map Puzzle

I am a huge fan of good design.

I look for it everywhere, and I love all the different places I find it.

In an old car.

In an old sign.

In pots and pans.

In painted cuckoo clocks.

In books with great end papers.

In paint by numbers.

In Christmas ornaments.

An in far more things than I can continue to list here.

I pay attention to fonts.

I have favorite illustrators.  (her!)

I notice the lines of a piece of furniture or the shape of a roof line.

And when I see good design at a garage sale, thrift store or estate sale, I snap it up.

Like I did this old puzzle.

I have to admit, part of the reason I love this puzzle is for nostalgic reasons.
I remember doing this puzzle in the back of Mr. Walker's classroom in elementary school.
I loved it then.
I love it now.
The puzzle has 2 sides and I always liked the world map side much better than the United States side.
I liked the art better on the world map side.
Still do.


Just look at that sun.
Isn't it some great design?

I like the stylized water.
And I remember how much I loved those cute little Arctic animals.

This dragon is so cool.
Or is it a sea serpent?
And I like the font used for the names of the oceans.
I actually remember that font distinctly.  
I must have done this puzzle a number of times.
A large number.

I like the color choices for the map.
I really like the way this pink looks against the water and all that green of Canada.
Also, notice that big muscle car, front and center for America.
Really?  That's what we're about?
Oh yeah, this puzzle is from 1975.
Muscle cars were big then--especially in Detroit.
That little hula girl in the corner is pretty cute too.

I had forgotten all about this puzzle until I saw the box at a garage sale.
I gasped and scooped it up.
I clutched it to my breast and was flooded with good memories.
The bean bags at the back or Mr. Walker's classroom and all the hours I spent curled up there with books.
My classmates--I still remember many of them.
First names and last.
And how, even then I dreamed of exploring the world.
Things haven't changed.

I bought the puzzle for a quarter.

The boys and I put it together and discovered it was missing some pieces.

(can you tell what state that is that's missing over there on the right, by the Pacific Ocean?)

We kept it, and the kids still love to put it together.

They like the art just as much as I do.

But I would like to find a complete puzzle.

It would be fun to glue it together and hang it up.

I have a mild obsession with maps and globes.

Apparently I have since childhood.

I think these puzzles were pretty popular, but I only found 1 on Etsy.

What I'm thinking is that one of you must have one of these lying around in a closet somewhere.

You want to send it to me.

I'll pay for the shipping.

I'm just putting it out there to the blog universe.

It might work out for me.

Good design--it's everywhere.

Just don't forget to look for it.

Love from,

Greta