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DC puzzle company celebrates diversity, makes list of Oprah's Favorite Things

Puzzle Huddle was created by Matthew Goins in 2018 to reflect diverse children as characters in their products.

WASHINGTON — For frustrated parents who are looking to introduce their children of color to more products with characters who look like them, Puzzle Huddle has it covered.

The company was created by Matthew Goins in 2018, with the support of his wife, after the two struggled to find diverse images on puzzles for their three young children. 

"I was buying coloring books and crayons and markers and Play-Doh and of course, puzzles," Goins explained. "After we collected several dozen puzzles, I started to notice there were very few diverse characters. There weren't African American princesses, there weren't African American scientists. There weren't the kind of images I wanted to have and put in front of my kids."

Soon, he started to make them himself.

"I started cutting puzzles out of cardboard and that was sort of the first version of how I got started."

Today, Goins' company is making a difference with their own version of unique and diverse puzzles. Other products now include T-shirts, blankets, pillows and wall decorations all featuring their signature characters.

"We have kids who believe they are the characters in the puzzles," Goins shared with a smile. 

The creations have steadily grown in popularity. Now, the company boasts 115,000 Instagram followers and has even made it on Oprah's 2020 List of Favorite Things

"We certainly didn't know she was going to give us a full-page feature in the magazine," Goins said. "It's immeasurable the impact that has had and the audience that this puts our product in front of."

Learn more about the Puzzle Huddle and find their products by clicking here.

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