Business of Detroit native makes its way on list of Oprah’s Favorite Things Puzzle Huddle focused on embracing diversity Tags: DETROIT – In two short years a father went from launching inclusive puzzles to making it on the list of Oprah’s Favorite Things. “It’s a priceless galactic level explosion,” said Matthew Goins, owner of Puzzle Huddle and a Detroit native. Goins, a gather of three, was making breakfast for his kids when he found out Puzzle Huddle had caught the media tycoon’s attention. “There is no way to conceptualize how many people now know the thing that you’re associated with,” he said.
Photo by Michael Edwards, courtesy of Matthew Goins An idea that came to Matthew Goins as a new parent has now grown into a full-time career even landing a spot in one of the most famous annual holiday gift roundups, Oprah’s Favorite Things. Jigsaw-puzzle company Puzzle Huddle was created by two Howard University alums, Matthew and his wife Marnel, after they felt there was a the lack of diverse representation of children in toys particularly puzzles. Photo by Matthew Goins “Puzzles are a fairly timeless educational tool and almost every child plays with one,” says Matthew. He says that when they bought their own kids their first puzzle, they were disappointed in the diversity in the choices. “I could not find what I thought was a good representation of what should be reflected towards my children.” So Matthew, who already had a passion for arts and crafts and had studied pottery, began making puzzles for his own children, using cardboard, printed high-res images, glue, and scissors.