The Price of a 'Pigs in Clover' Puzzle
A Seattle mercantile house teases the latest nationwide fad—the 'Pigs in Clover' dexterity game—as the city's retail scene gears up for spring shopping.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To the ladies who care to purchase linens for the coming week, we would say that a little investigation will convince you our present prices are the best. We are now showing French and American sateens in all the most popular shades, hundreds of parasols, white goods in a thousand patterns from 5 cents upward, and hosiery, kid, and fabric gloves in all the new spring shades. We offer an excellent kid glove for 70 cents. Samples mailed free on application. Orders carefully executed. We are also expecting 10 gross of the 'Pigs in Clover' puzzles shortly. Watch our show window—the puzzle of the day. We are receiving new goods in crockery, furnishing goods, baseballs, and self-wringing mops.
“Watch our show window—the puzzle of the day.”
The 'Pigs in Clover' craze of 1889—an early, frustrating wooden marble-maze puzzle—is the direct ancestor of today's viral digital games. Much like the retail frenzy described in the Golden Rule Bazaar's advertisement, Seattle's current commercial district remains a site where global fads quickly land on local shelves, though the 'show window' has largely migrated from Front Street to the screen.
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