History

History of Bingo, Playing Cards and Jigsaw Puzzles

Bingo

Bingo originated in Italy and is descended from Lo Giuoco del Lotto d'Italia, the Italian national lottery, which has been played since 1530. Bingo was popularized by a New York toy salesman, Edwin S Lowe, who, back in December 1929 came across the game being played at a fair in Jacksonville Georgia.

Texas Party Bingo and Beach bingo have reinvented this 100-year-old game of chance.  Each of the 48 calling cards feature a Texas icon and fun facts about the Lone Star State.  The Beach bingo calling cards highlights information about the  fish, mammals, shells, plants, animals and more that live in and around the ocean.

Playing Cards

Traditional playing cards have been used in households, casinos, and various social gatherings for centuries. They come in various types and designs, each serving different purposes and preferences.  The most common type of playing cards is the standard 52-card deck. This deck consists of four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit has 13 cards: Ace, numbers 2 through 10, and the three face cards—Jack, Queen, and King. 

Texas and Beach Playing Cards have taken the simple deck of playing cards to the next level. Now not only can you play various card games you can also learn fun facts about Texas and Beach creatures.  Instead of the traditional four suits, the Texas playing cards uses iconic Texas symbols including a cowboy hat, a Texas star, the state of Texas, and a horseshoe.  The items in the Beach cards include an anchor, starfish, fish and a ring buoy.

Jigsaw Puzzle

The first jigsaw puzzles were created in 1760 by John Spilsbury, a London engraver and cartographer. He glued a map to wood and cut it into pieces along the country borders. These early puzzles were called "dissections" and were used to teach geography. The term "jigsaw" comes from the jigsaw saw, which was invented in 1855 and used to cut the puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles became popular in the early 1900s and were a cheap and reusable form of entertainment during the Great Depression.