Abstract: A child play puzzle includes a set of pieces each defining a non-circular aperture therethrough. The child play puzzle also includes a base and a pole extending from the base along a pole axis. The pole sequentially receives each piece of the set of pieces with the pole extending through the aperture of each piece to form a stack of the pieces along the pole. The pole has multiple sections spaced along its length. Each section is of non-circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the pole axis. At least one of the sections is rotatable about the pole axis with respect to an adjacent one of the sections, such that moving a piece from about the rotatable section to about the adjacent section requires rotationally aligning the rotatable section with the adjacent section.

Abstract: A child play puzzle includes a set of pieces each defining a non-circular aperture therethrough. The child play puzzle also includes a base and a pole extending from the base along a pole axis. The pole sequentially receives each piece of the set of pieces with the pole extending through the aperture of each piece to form a stack of the pieces along the pole. The pole has multiple sections spaced along its length. Each section is of non-circular cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the pole axis. At least one of the sections is rotatable about the pole axis with respect to an adjacent one of the sections, such that moving a piece from about the rotatable section to about the adjacent section requires rotationally aligning the rotatable section with the adjacent section.

Abstract: A children’s puzzle including a rigid frame and a set of removable, rigid, non-interlocking pieces. The rigid frame has two opposite broad sides defining a thickness with multiple recesses which are sized to simultaneously accommodate all of the pieces of the set. Each recess is surrounded by one or more elevated surfaces of the rigid frame. At least one of the recesses on at least one broad side of the rigid frame loosely contains multiple pieces of the set. The recesses of the two opposite broad sides of the rigid frame are arranged differently, so as to form respective arrangements of the pieces of the set when accommodated in the recesses. The pieces each have a flat bottom surface. At least three of the pieces have different perimeter shapes. The pieces are retained in the recesses only by gravity.