The Making of: Happy Birthday

22.10.24 — Le Puzz World

Happy Birthday transports us back to a an 8-year-old’s birthday party in the 1970s! It’s fun, bold, and full of color.

We knew we wanted to create a dessert-themed puzzle to complement our other food-tableau puzzles (e.g., Wakey Wakey and The Diner). Initially, we envisioned a Marie Antoinette inspired scene—something pink, girly, lacy and overindulgent. “Let them eat cake,” if you will. But after chatting with Lulu of Bodega Cakes, we were inspired to make it more playful, more Le Puzz …like a kids’ birthday party. We instantaneously started sourcing fun props for the shoot.

Above: one of eight cakes made by Lulu for this shoot

Above: BTS images of our set up, lulu, and the 70s themed cakes that brought this shoot to life!

On the day of the shoot (like always) we didn’t know what to expect. We gave Lulu a color palette and a mood board, and let her work her magic! She brought not one, not two, but EIGHT cakes!

Shop Happy Birthday

We found some fun 70s party favors on eBay, like the ‘WHOOPIE’ gift box—chef’s kiss! We also got the tablecloth and some silly table decorations. We sourced props from our favorite local prop house, Prop Haus, and picked up some greasy NY pizza and orange soda. Additionally, we commissioned two hilarious ‘clown cones’ reminiscent of the classic Baskin Robbins ones, made our friend Beth Salvini of Greenwich Letterpress and Big Fun which really rounded out that 70s feel.

On the day of the shoot (like always) we didn’t know what to expect. We gave Lulu a color palette and a mood board, and let her work her magic! She brought not one, not two, but EIGHT cakes! Okay, five of them were small, but still! Plus, they featured handmade sugar animals. Needless to say, we were totally blown away.

The birthday party scene really took over the studio and we needed more space than our usual 4'x4' table. We pulled out two folding tables, giving us more room to arrange everything for the photo. We played around, adding and rearranging elements until the image felt busy enough to make a fun 1,000-piece puzzle.

After the shoot, we each took home a mini cake, and Lulu brought the three large cakes to Honeymoon Coffee to share with customers. Happy Birthday to them! We love this puzzle and the joy it radiates. Now, every day can be your birthday – celebrate yourself.

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