It's vital that children are able to see people who look like them – and people who don't look like them – in the toys and books that they interact with, but parents can find it difficult to find products that represent the diverse society in which we live. Patrick Adom, founder of Very Puzzled, wants to help change that.
Patrick always wanted to start his own business, and as a proud Ghanaian who was born in Ghana and brought up in London, he also wanted to share his Ghanian roots with his daughter. He wanted to provide her with toys, games, books, films and television shows that were entertaining, but which also reflected both her heritage and the multi-cultural society she lived in. When he struggled to find toys that fit the bill, he decided to create his own.
Patrick says: “My aim was to find a fun way to engage with her whilst allowing her to learn about her heritage, and came up with the idea of a jigsaw puzzle. I started working on it at the end of 2017, and by April 2018 had my first batch of puzzles.
His company, Very Puzzled, started with a map of Ghana before going on to add more to the range, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Jamaica and the continent of Africa. The puzzles each have 100 pieces and bright, colourful drawings that showcase the unique culture of each country.
The range now includes 20 puzzles, plus t-shirts and posters. Very Puzzled has also obtained the licence to create puzzles for four premiership football clubs and for Airbnb, and been selected to participate in the Amazon Black Owned Small Business program.
Buy Very Puzzled's jigsaws at John Lewis or shop online here.
Visit WebsitePublished: 02 June 2021