Okay, we’ve not really been ones for jigsaws over the years. Not sure why, it seems like the type of thing we should enjoy (perhaps it’s a time thing?!). But this one is different!

It’s the beautiful Summer Day on the River by Yetch Studio, the small business run by inventor and all round genius type Simone Giertz. Many will recognise her as the self-described Queen of Shitty Robots, but you can also pick up this lovely invention from her awesome mind.

The Edge-Based Jigsaw Excellence of Summer Day on the River

Okay, the purpose of this jigsaw is to be bloody difficult. It’s a majority edges puzzle, making things as tricky as possible. But the payoff is that most striking water design. It’s pretty the first of its kind, which is very much in keeping with Giertz’s various innovations in her inventing career.

Upon arrival, you can see our cat Susan took to it happily with her seal of approval (note the beautiful artwork, which was produced by artist Elin Östberg).

It’s a 501 piece puzzle, with 438 of the pieces being edges.

In recent years we’ve been switched on to the world of jigsaws thanks to our enemies at Later Levels, whom regularly engage in live Twitch streams of jigsaw solving with their pet cat sleeping to one side (see Jigsaw With a Twist).

Thus, and lo, it seemed inevitable we’d get round to doing one ourselves and Summer Day on the River was a great place to start. Main takeaways so far:

• BAPTISM OF FIRE!!!!
  • Being edge-based, it’s a difficult one to start with
• Lovely, jubbly design
• Fun for introverts

Yeah, then, extrovert types after high-octane thrills won’t go mad for jigsaws. But for the introverts of the world, these are a blessing—put on some podcasts whilst sorting the pieces and enjoy yourself. We can dig this. We can dig Yetch. We can dig cats.

And a Few Notes on the Awesome Simone Giertz

Earlier in our Professional Moron run we used to do stupid inventions that made us snort with laughter. Giertz did the same thing, the difference is she actually went out and created the bloody things.

With her natural charisma, her range of deliberately awful inventions brought in a legion of fans and she was soon dubbed The Queen of Shitty Robots.

We’ve been drawn to all that side, but have also been very impressed with her take on the whole social media self-adoration selfie taking mania, which we find overbearing and idiotic. Instead of engaging in the usual stuff, Giertz turned to self-deprecation.

As she’s since pointed out, that stance was a way to cover up her imposter syndrome and lack of experience. But it remains a breath of fresh air in a world of desperate attention seeking. Attractive lady that she is, it’s far more endearing to see someone do her take on social media, as opposed to half-naked types draping and pouting themselves over the scenery. And she’s proven you can be a success and take the piss out of yourself simultaneously.

Giertz is also a powerhouse survivor having been diagnosed with a noncancerous brain tumour in early 2018. After surgery she’s since recovered and continues to post self-deprecating content about her appearance and abilities.

She did an interview with Red Bull in November 2023 (see The Creator) and said this:

“Why was that playfulness and intentional failure important?

Looking back, building things with a sense of humour definitely helped quell my perfectionism. Also, I just thought it was really funny; I was just trying to make myself laugh. But then, part of it was a defence mechanism. I wasn’t an expert, but now I’ve spent eight years building things, I feel more confident in my skill and I’m trying to shed some of that self-deprecation. I think in some way I was trying to be unthreatening as a woman with skills. Now I want to be threatening.”

Since the early days of terrible robots, she’s moved on. Literally, in many respects, shifting from Sweden to a new home in Los Angeles and adopted a pet dog.

Yetch Studio was born from that move and she’s selling various bits and bots of interesting, unique takes on lifestyle enhancers. And we thing it all fits (PUN ALERT!) gloriously together, all power to her. 🧩