By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
STEPHENVILLE (March 7, 2017) – For about 10 months, Stephenville native David Stafford worked to piece together 33,600 puzzle pieces, assembling the largest commercial puzzle on the market.
At first glance, the finished product appears to be a 19-foot long mural, painted along a wall. The jungle scene includes fine, intricate details. Each inspection of the masterpiece offers something new – a tiny fish breathing its last breath inside of a hippopotamus’ mouth, scales across the back of a crocodile, ripples of water splashing around the weight of zebras, giraffes…
The puzzle, which was painstakingly pieced together inside a 10-foot by 20-foot room inside Stafford’s Stephenville home, now hangs inside Chamberlin Elementary School, where he was once a student.
Principal Jennifer Salyards said in selecting a location for the puzzle, she had to find an area that would accommodate the vast work of art, while at the same time place it in a location where the school’s first and second grade students would be given the opportunity to see it regularly.
“We decided this was the perfect spot,” Salyards said, referring to a long hallway just outside the cafeteria.
Stafford said he worked on the puzzle at least of portion of each day over the 10-month period, bringing together 10 sections of pieces – each about the size of a lady’s fingertip – before uniting them as one.
When asked about Stafford’s affinity to the task and time and effort it entails, Stafford’s wife of 41 years, Cindy, said he’s a “hobby guy.”
Stafford explained that it’s a hobby that dates back decades, to a time when he was about 10 years old, only taking a hiatus when he was about 15 or 16 years old to participate in sports.
“I would say I’ve completed 1000s of puzzles,” Stafford said. “At least.”
Once he completes a puzzle, he moves on the next, donating those he’s already conquered to nursing homes, assisted living centers and hospitals.
Cindy said the couple has a group of teacher friends who suggested the jungle scene be put on display for other people to enjoy, which led to its current location. Puzzle glue offered some reinforcement, and Stephenville ISD maintenance personnel constructed a frame for the puzzle before hanging it on the schoolhouse wall.
Seeing it there, a glimmer of pride shown in Stafford’s eye. He knows not everyone would have the patience, follow through or passion to work all the way through to the last piece.
“Really, the most surprising part is that I didn’t lose a single piece,” Stafford said while admitting he may have temporarily misplaced a piece or two along the way. “But, I found them and they’re all here.”
Like Stafford’s attention to detail and constant pursuit for a more challenging puzzle, the products of his passion have drastically evolved over the years. The puzzles of his youth could only be purchased at toy stores and offered little challenge. The pieces were uniform throughout each puzzle and almost always cut the same as the next puzzle. At that time, more fun could be found in interchanging pieces of various puzzles to create a new, unimaginable scene.
But, Stafford said the birth of the internet offered – and continues to offer – new things for a long-time puzzle builder, including access to creations from around the world and puzzles with tens of thousands of pieces that offer the challenge of intricate details.
“The crocodile scales were the most challenging part of this one,” he said.
Some have small pieces like the one at Chamberlin, others are a little larger and a little less mind bending, but each of them offer a new surprise.
“They are definitely brain work,” he said.
Salyards said the display isn’t just good Stafford’s brain, it’s also a great tool for engaging students who can sometimes get a little antsy while waiting in line. She said a passerby can oftentimes hear students being instructed to count the flamingos.
“But, it’s not just something to keep students occupied, it’s a beautiful display and we’re so happy to have it,” Salyards said.
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