Paul Gallant

Paul Gallant, born on July seventeenth, nineteen forty-four, in Edmundston, New Brunswick, was a pioneering Canadian entrepreneur renowned for his innovative contributions to the toy industry. Initially, he spent nearly two decades in the music sector, working with notable companies such as Trans Canada Musique, Columbia Records, and the CBC. However, in the late nineteen eighties, Gallant transitioned to the toy industry, where he would leave an indelible mark.

In his quest to revolutionize traditional puzzles, Gallant developed the concept of Puzz 3D, a unique three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle inspired by commercial design. After a year of dedicated design work, he created his first prototype. In nineteen eighty-nine, he ingeniously laminated polyethylene foam with paper to construct his first 3D puzzle, a miniature wall, right on his kitchen table.

Gallant founded Wrebbit Inc. in partnership with Rene Binette, launching the Puzz 3D product line at the Canadian Toy & Hobby Fair in nineteen ninety-two. His innovative puzzles, which could be displayed indefinitely after assembly, gained significant traction, particularly after he successfully introduced them to the U.S. market by convincing FAO Schwarz to place an order for seventy-two puzzles in September nineteen ninety-one.

Under Gallant's leadership, Wrebbit expanded its reach, with Puzz 3D puzzles being sold in over forty countries and achieving sales of approximately thirty million units by the year two thousand. After a series of ownership changes, including a purchase by Irwin Toys in two thousand one, Gallant regained ownership in two thousand two and eventually sold Wrebbit to Hasbro in two thousand five. His contributions to the industry were recognized with several awards, including the Canada Export Achievement Award in nineteen ninety-five and induction into the Canadian Toy Industry Hall of Fame in two thousand eight.

Gallant's life came to a close on September thirteenth, two thousand eleven, in Laval, Quebec, at the age of sixty-seven due to brain cancer. He is remembered fondly by his three children, ten grandchildren, and two sisters, as well as by the legacy of creativity and innovation he left behind.