I forced John Green to solve a jigsaw puzzle

[@KarenPuzzles]

Want more? I put up a bonus video of deleted scenes on Patreon FOR FREE (no account required to watch this one): patreon.com/karenpuzzles The Turtles All the Way Down movie is out now on Max. (I don't know if I made it clear enough in the video, but this video is not sponsored)

[@pilotrtc]

Can't find the free deleted scenes since I've never been on Patreon. It's prompting me to set up an account. 😞

[@KarenPuzzles]

@@pilotrtc Scroll down and you should see the free posts.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

the video is not sponsored, just that big of fans of the works of John and Hank Green; esp when they become awesome movies

[@megan_pinkerton]

​@@KarenPuzzles I'm not seeing the deleted scenes either 🤷‍♀️

[@achild4363]

@@KarenPuzzlesI love watching this video Karen

[@crazytooley]

I love when two creators meet up together for a collaboration and they both say each other "oh my God I'm a fan I have admired your work for years" to each other Genuinely makes me happy and brings me joy

[@KarenPuzzles]

The best perk of this job is any time I get to spend time with other creators I admire!

[@ElizabethNicoleSchwartz]

Whoa. This is a crossover I never would've expected.

[@NinaKeilin]

Same! I just listened to his interview on fresh air.

[@amberbydreamsart5467]

As stated in the video, Karen's been a nerdfighter for a long time! She hosted on John & Hank Green's yearly charity stream a bit over a year ago in 2023. I was more surprised that John was in California before I remembered he's doing the movie press tour thing

[@macicowata]

Karen was also mentioned in one of his books!

[@colettehenderson6108]

Karen was on the P4A last year and worked with the Green's several times in the past :)

[@ajsmellypiratehooker1019]

​@@macicowata Which one?

[@hilary3219]

John saying "The real pleasure in life is not necessarily being great at something it's the feeling of getting better" is a very healing sentiment for perfectionism in general but also resonates a lot with me personally as I'm focusing a lot on acknowledging small progress this year.

[@Fizzypopization]

What if you never get better?

[@FluffSWE]

LOVED when Valentina filmed all the puzzles in big piles all over the room when Karen said "i have no more puzzles to do" :D

[@KarenPuzzles]

Right after we finished filming, she was like, let me tell you what I did and also you HAVE to use it 😂

[@miriam4235]

That was brilliant. 😂

[@AnnaReed42]

22:11 for anyone who, like me, was not watching at the time and missed it 😂

[@songofshadow5043]

​@AnnaReed42 Thank you. I did, in fact, miss it. Because it happened while I was reading this comment...

[@MarkThePage]

@@songofshadow5043 KZbin seems to show comments left at around the same time that you're at when you scroll down and they load.

[@CircleThinker]

"I did two! I did three! I'm on fire" Max level wholesome

[@valentinavee]

This was the best day! As an OG Nerdfighter, I was so glad you asked me to shoot this video! Thanks Karen! It turned out great!

[@KarenPuzzles]

My studio has never looked better ❤️

[@Amycalledshooter]

The camera work was great! Loved the visual gag with the pan of all the puzzles.

[@karenneill9109]

@@Amycalledshooteryes, lots of little visual jokes! Lovely!

[@isacami25]

@@Amycalledshooter it was literally the best joke

[@rosianna]

loved meeting you!

[@inwalters]

Now that we've had a video of Karen teaching John how to puzzle, we need a follow up of John teaching Karen how to write an award winning, best-selling novel. 😁

[@KarenPuzzles]

Me writing fiction

[@hopegold883]

❤️ this comment!

[@jemimahgertrude590]

I second the motion!

[@billyalarie929]

@@KarenPuzzlesso far! Until you learn to do it!

[@hellformichelle]

The Green brothers are the Kevin Bacon of the internet. Six degrees of John and Hank

[@redheadfaerie]

John and Hank? Is it already 2028?! Hahahah

[@shirleycarvajal193]

22:08 I had to pause because I was laughing so much from Karen saying "no more puzzle to do" and then the camera panning to a literal ROOM full floor to ceiling of puzzles. This was genius!

[@starnathanstar]

That gave me a good laugh too lol

[@bennydreamly]

Yeah that was too funny

[@radjago]

She was referring to the feeling of having completed a work and having no more to do on a work you are invested and engaged enough to complete (hence puzzle, not puzzles). You aren't guaranteed that feeling with the next puzzle, so you take all you can in the moment.

[@angelawilliams2072]

@@radjago you definitely get it ❤

[@LyuboRyuk]

I missed that! Thanks for letting me catch up ☺️😅

[@northstarjakobs]

I didn't realize that John Green has aphantasia, but it makes me feel better as an aspiring author with aphantasia (not complete aphantasia, but pretty damn close) that there is such an accomplished author who experiences the world in a similar way to me. It can be weird to explain it, especially to people who wonder how you can write descriptions of things when you can't "see" them mentally.

[@KarenPuzzles]

It's so interesting learning how different people's brains work.

[@sianmilne4879]

That's exactly the question I had, like I understand going from memories but how can you write novel experiences? No pressure to answer, I mean this rhetorically!

[@DeronMeranda]

@@KarenPuzzles This was so interesting seeing how somebody with aphantasia approaches puzzling, as like you I'm a strong visualizer, so it's hard for me to imagine what that must be like. I'm also super curious about a similar thing called subvocalization - when you read do you "hear" the words? I have this and always thought it was normal, until I learned that there are people who don't. And like aphantasia, people on different ends of those spectrums are often unaware that there are people who experience the world completely differently.

[@ah3968]

I’m so impressed by him. I have aphantasia level 5 but if I really concentrate I can get glimpses of level 4. I was always more into movies rather than books and I think it’s because of this. I never knew my mind worked differently until a few years ago but it made more sense once I did. I guess visualization and imagination are similar but distinct. It is so fascinating how minds work.

[@hopegold883]

I know. Even if you’ve never heard of John Green (just go with me) you’d be stuck in after that intro.

[@abbyblack]

People saying they haven't expected this crossover but Karen had been a nerdfighter since forever, right?

[@SwissAdelina]

Guess that’s what makes us old in internet years. These other folks commenting haven’t been around since forever.

[@ginny93en]

I literally heard a wizard rock song during the video which is very old nerdfighter

[@JasperJanssen]

I have no idea what nerdfighters are, let alone that John Green is one - never mind Karen.

[@loran1212]

@@JasperJanssen It is what people who follow John and Hank Green's channel Vlogbrothers are called. I think it has more meaning than many channel names, as there was a lot of real community building surrounding it in the aughts and early tens.

[@LaurenFairwx]

This brightened my whole day. “It’s like having a cat in here”! The 8/8/08 flashbacks!! Rosianna’s squeal over the vintage puzzles! What a delightful mood booster.

[@KarenPuzzles]

I was hoping you would watch! I miss those days ❤️

[@LaurenFairwx]

@@KarenPuzzles Me too! I hope we can all get together for an event again someday.

[@waffleweave]

9:00 Karen listening whilst casually plugging 5 pieces in back to back on this very hard puzzle

[@KarenPuzzles]

Honestly it was like having a really interesting podcast playing...that I just happen to get to participate in

[@paulasalazar2093]

​@@KarenPuzzles omg Karen please do a podcast where you do puzzles in real time while talking to people

[@LS-ux2bk]

​@@paulasalazar2093 Brilliant idea!

[@MinurielLai]

@@paulasalazar2093 ++

[@silentspeaker0156]

What a pleasant surprise! When you were teasing the guest, I never in a million years would have guessed this!

[@KarenPuzzles]

Honestly I'm as surprised as you are that we actually managed to make it happen 😭

[@GeorgeOLV67]

Awesome interview! My favorite quote "you can spend as long as you want on a puzzle and no one is going to judge you". That's my approach. I'll spend hours searching for that one piece!

[@mekko902]

Yeah, I don't sort my pieces because I want the puzzle to take longer! I'm not here to be efficient, I'm here to get my money's worth!

[@jacquelinebell6201]

That's going to be my mantra too when I start puzzling again. I won't be fast but it will be enjoyable. She's given me the desire to puzzle!

[@CodeOmega0]

Note to your videographer: The sudden pan to *all of the other puzzles* when Karen said 'there's no more puzzle to do' was just perfect. xD

[@CoriLeigh]

First time I met Hank, I was wearing a Pizza John shirt. I was not expecting to see him that day and was alone at Vidcon. I needed other weirdos to say hi to me and then ended up meeting Hank. He was like “Hi! I’m Hank!” and I laughed and said “Hi! I’m aware. I’m Cori and I am awkwardly wearing your brother’s face on my chest.” He was, of course, lovely about it. Then I spent like… 6+ hours unboxing Orabrushes to go into swag bags. I have a photo somewhere of Hank and I next to a mountain of Orabrushes and me in a Pizza John shirt. Good times. 😂

[@aksez2u]

This is a great illustration of how people can be amazing and intelligent in different ways. Never discount someone because they don't happen to be good at one specific thing.

[@melimsah]

Fun fact, I'm also an OG Karen fan. Remember when you did designs for them and they turned me on to your old DIY channel ^_^ Nerdfighter since 2009 let's gooooo

[@KarenPuzzles]

These comments are like a big nerdfighter family reunion 🥰

[@melimsah]

I'm wearing one of my pizza John shirts today in celebration ^_^

[@CodexPotter]

That's how I found Karen too! From her designs for vlog brothers back in the day. I remember when she worked for KZbin too and thinking of these I'm like IM SO OLD haha

[@OrigamiMarie]

Speed puzzling, but you make John Green feel fully included in your team. He finds and places pieces himself! Now if those pieces just happen to land near him and they fit in fully-surrounded spaces in the puzzle, well that's just coincidence, right?

[@anna-graceschumann8869]

"The cacophony of herself." John, your way with words is one of my favorite things.

[@betsylindsay8480]

So relatable when you gave him the right piece and there was a little struggle putting it in. ❤

[@KarenPuzzles]

Honestly you give me any skill that's not puzzling and I'd be the exact same way.

[@betsylindsay8480]

@@KarenPuzzles I find that hard to believe! Your modesty is one of your endearing qualities. I really thought it was going to be Alejandro. John Greene was indeed a great surprise.

[@ruths_youth]

holy shit! the crossover I never expected. Edit: "and then I have no more puzzle to do." Valentina: "Are you kidding me!"

[@bonniesmith7277]

Perfection on Valentina's end 😆😆

[@syrefayne8922]

Lol I came into the comments just bc of that part

[@abbaclimb9317]

I laughed so hard when Valentina filmed all the puzzles in the room. Like, " What do you mean there is no puzzle left" 😂 great camera work

[@SkullSkelleton]

Fr tho

[@MichelleK.B.]

The camera work! When she panned around the room showing all the “more puzzle to do” after Karen said she feels sad near the end of the puzzle made me laugh so hard!

[@ewbstudio]

I first found Karen back when she was making design videos through Hank and John like 12 years ago- this is such a fun collab!

[@kimberlywebb2218]

Seeing Karen get to gush over the solid color puzzles with her friend who is genuinely interested is so wholesome. 🥰

[@Nino-xp5df]

Yes, this! It's just pure nerdfighter joy, seeing the unapologetic excitement and the friend enjoying it!

[@swightfoof]

John purposefully mixing up the sorted pieces was really shocking

[@junohawthorne7658]

I’ll be doing a puzzle and find myself idly doing the same thing with my own sorted pieces and my jaw drops

[@melimsah]

OG nerdfighters are not surprised. I had a feeling it was one of the two! DFTBA

[@KarenPuzzles]

Maybe I need to get both John and Hank here for a puzzle race one day 🤔

[@melimsah]

I wonder where Hank is on that mental imagery scale

[@kf10147]

@@melimsahiirc Hank can picture things fine

[@CodexPotter]

​@@KarenPuzzlesokay but I would pay $10 for this as a p4a perk

[@mrsslibby6857]

This is one of my favorite KZbin collabs! I also genuinely appreciate John being so willing to so enthusiastically take part in something he knew he wouldn't be very good at. It was truly such a great reminder that even the most brilliant minds have their strengths and weaknesses; and that it is not only okay to do things you're not good at but it should be encouraged and celebrated.

[@Ghost_Queen_39]

I did not expect the dude who teaches my class history to be collaborating with a puzzler, but honestly I like it.

[@silentspeaker0156]

His excitement makes me so happy! My mom and I would do puzzles together quite frequently, and every year for my birthday I’d get a new thousand piece puzzle that we’d do together on that day. His giddiness reminds me of when we’d rope my sister in and she’d complain about how bad she is at puzzles until she found a piece and would be so happy. I live half a country away from them now, but we have video chatted doing the same puzzles to keep the tradition going, and watching your videos makes me feel the same comfort as when I’d puzzle with my family.

[@rubyfoxall1656]

it's like watching my mom trying to do a puzzle lol! but seriously, i love how casual and conversational this way, and karen is so supportive while john works on the puzzle. what a wholesome video

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Karen’s Puzzling Studio is a cultural landmark.

[@EmilyMGin]

THE WAY MY JAW DROPPED SEEING THE THUMBNAIL AND TITLE OF THIS VIDEO

[@thehecticglow_]

2012 nerdfighters we are SO back

[@darafeth]

My inner 13 year old is just so ecstatic over this, I genuinely do miss old needfighteria it's not been the same since your pants and the ning went down

[@valeriepark9444]

This is like a gentle version of "Hot Ones" interviews

[@xilebat]

My son has OCD, it is a THING, and people genuinely suffer. He's getting help and doing well. THANK YOU John and Karen for bringing some light to OCD (and the fact that not everybody is Rain Main). ... and Karen, you still have a future. A bright one.

[@AldoOjeda]

This is the greatest crossover ever.

[@alisonsmith376]

Absolutely it is! ❤

[@Enn-]

I love John. Him being real about struggles in life has helped more people than he will ever know.

[@gracelessnesss]

This is the strangest, most unexpected and most wholesome collab I've ever seen hahaha!

[@jacquelinebell6201]

"Its like having a cat in here" lol.

[@DNory]

John Green in your studio, saying he's been watching your videos for years, was not on my bingo card

[@freshsmilely]

"Puzzling is sorting chaos into beauty"

[@H2G24life]

This colaberation is amazing, I also love the display of depth a hobby can go and peoples feeling of skill with that depth. the levels you dive into as you learn how much deeper the skill and passion can go. most people would say they are good at puzzles yet have NO CLUE worlds even exsits and comprehend the level Karen and Alejandro are at. but once you know you feel less good at puzzles when for the average person your still amazing. Thank you John for reminding us the many layers of a being preseved as good at a skill cause when your always looking at who is better then you you often forget where those skills can start at.

[@paulinexong]

As a Nerdfighter since 2013 this makes me so incredibly happy 😭😭😭

[@Lilee177]

This is such an enjoyable, refreshing collab. The mutual respect and admiration for each other literally gave me goosebumps.

[@elsap9412]

Omg when you announced a mystery guest, this was my first thought!! I think John mentioned in a vlogbrothers video a while ago that he liked your videos

[@AntjedePantje]

My guess was right! I actually learned about this channel through John, so this is basically full circle ☺️ Edit: I laughed a lot during this video 😂😂 Love the chaos John brings with him

[@KarenPuzzles]

I love that!

[@houdin654jeff]

Aphantasia is one of those fascinating things that I literally cannot imagine living with. I wonder if people who have it can play games like Tetris or chess in a fundamentally different way than I do… anyway, loved seeing both of you on the same video, love John’s simultaneous self deprecating attitude and celebration whenever he gets a piece in, all the best to you guys, thank you for this video.

[@Antinomiste]

I'm not entirely aphantastic (funny word), but close to John's level I think. I'm not Great at Tetris but I'm not sure it makes a big difference. It's like Tetris is almost haptic, you can feel the way things must be moved. But I am intimidated by chess, I get so easily spatially confused and rotations perplex me, I don't know how much of it is the aphantasia or just some personal nevrosis 😅 I'd like to know more of how other people experience this

[@redheadfaerie]

I have no idea about a different way or not, but John has often spoken on his love of tetris and how he even watches tournaments and that complexly has sponsored a tetris player.

[@CorwynCelesil]

Am I the only person who has not the slightest idea in the world who this man is and would love for there to be an actual introduction of him? Six minutes in, and I still have no frame of reference for him. Edit: Hmm, reading through a truly large number of comments, I see I'm one of about five people who have never heard of him (or at least who commented about wishing for an introduction). I did a bit of a google search and soon found out quite a lot about him and am a bit surprised I've never heard of him, but I also don't do any reading in the precise genre he writes in. I suppose it is possible to be a reader and a lover of puzzles and enjoyer of Karen's videos and not to have heard of every possible popular writer and KZbinr. But he seems like a very lovely person.

[@tinag4262]

I said the same thing as a response to another post making the same comment/observation as you

[@jlilley73]

The only reason I have heard of him and Hank is because KZbin keeps recommending their videos to me (none of which I've ever watched) for some reason. Maybe it's because I watch so many Karen videos?

[@dees3179]

I don’t know either. I guess the algorithm will fix that now.

[@TheCouncil-zg4vp]

The crossover I never knew i needed! Been a nerdfighter since 2009 myself, early enough that a determined high schooler could binge the early videos. Never knew John had aphantasia, but it makes so much sense why I love his books, because I too have aphantasia. Character always mattered more than visual descriptions for me. Though I can do 3D shapes much better, as I can kinda "feel" them mentally. There's no image, but it's like if you closed your eyes and felt the shapes around you and made a model out of clay without looking. And I can mentally turn the model like you'd turn it in your hand. But it's also completely non-visual, no color, no lighting, just a empty shape in an empty void

[@ChicagoJon2016]

Ahhhhhh, the crossover I didn't know I needed, but am thrilled to get!

[@ZimVader-0017]

Saw the thumbnail, saw the duration of the video, and took out one of my smaller puzzles (500 pieces) to make while watching/listening to this 😂

[@ThePandaNamedAmanda]

i got a lil high be4 watching this and i was just crying at how wholesome you guys were the whole time

[@SilverFlame819]

I am SO EXCITED about this crossover!!! Yayyyyyy, nerds!!!

[@Jar0Jess]

I'm so happy when I saw this I almost cried

[@sonjanaugler244]

Two of the coolest people on KZbin together in one video. 🎉 Congratulations Karen. Keep on puzzling and taking names. It will be a must watch when I get home from work.

[@CatherineLu]

Such a throwback 😍 glad to see another Karen/vlogbrothers collab after all these years!!

[@justanthy]

This brought me so much joy and nostalgia as a Nerdfighter since 2008 and a continued fan of you both. I'm so happy to see you guys together!

[@paulawegman8567]

you could do a series like this but inviting different celebrities to do their own face or related puzzle and interviewing them. I would totally watch it

[@lizziejean1218]

I'm maybe 2 minutes in and this is my favorite crossover ever!

[@whitney32592]

John getting excited about every piece was so cute. I think this is my new favorite video of yours. My love of Karen and puzzles and John and books coming together. My heart is happy.

[@sarahgrumbine4327]

This video was great. I wasn’t familiar with John before he seems really nice. I’m excited to watch the movie tomorrow.

[@graemebloodworth8991]

this video is going to become the most complete collection of pizzamas lore in perpetuity

[@thebro9054]

Many become one, different shapes. Different pictures, faces, landscapes.

[@RoseHathaway12]

The two of you admiring each other's work is the coolest thing ever!

[@rosianna]

omg the 888 footage!!

[@KarenPuzzles]

It's such a throwback 😂

[@sandrachauvin6697]

My nerd worlds have collided!!! Mind is blown! I am a Nerdfighter puzzling librarian.

[@KarenPuzzles]

You are my exact target audience for this video 😂

[@Jaclyn_Lizzi]

I love "It's a fact to you; it's more of a riddle to me"

[@cameronmueller-harder3916]

This is an absolute dream pairing, thank you so much for making a video together! I love how absolutely rubbish John is at the puzzle, but he's still having fun... some absolutely beautiful moments in this video. And I love that you've known each other for so long, since *OG* nerdfighteria! DFTBA

[@twalton]

Complete the sentence: "I fell in love the way John does a puzzle..."

[@nancymandle5215]

this was SOOOOOO much fun!!!!!!! Fellow nerdfighter here - i had no idea that john watches your channel. What a rush that will be now - every time i watch your newest video i can wonder whether john is watching with us!!!!!!!! Maybe do a poll to see how many karen puzzle fans are nerdfighters - i think lots of us are!!!

[@alexrightnow2531]

Best crossover episode in history

[@dancerb249]

I wish I could like this 100 times Always crazy to me when 2 unrelated channels that I love come together

[@OrigamiMarie]

Strong "are you going to finish those fries? No? Alright I'll eat them then" vibes at 18:47

[@bwerto2423]

‘In through the out-window’

[@tammyhicks8699]

He was so positive about all the people in his life.I want to be more like that!So uplifting.I want to read the book!Great video!

[@itsvondell]

the people in the comments that are like "that's a crossover I didn't see coming!" and "I never expected Karen to know John!" ... making me feel old lol

[@KarenPuzzles]

Me too 😂

[@buffienguyen]

this is so satisfying for me because i found karen through vlogbrothers when she was doing graphic design, after a while i came back to the channel and i was like omg! karen is doing puzzles now?! that's so cool!! and thanks to karen i finally understood the puzzle hype haha

[@ccgirl5055]

It was actually really fun watching you show someone how to feel the joy of doing jigsaw puzzles. 🙂

[@sarahloomis2034]

I low-key forgot Karen is a nerdfighter, even though I'm pretty sure that's why I started following her in the first place. Great video!

[@PuzzledInspiration]

I really enjoyed hearing the back stories. Tough puzzle but the shapes look good. ENjoyed.

[@teresalikescheese]

love the puzzle + interviewing format! so satisfying!

[@Serenity_Dee]

5:40 I'm like -1 on this scale, my spouse is -3 or so. When I learned about aphantasia I was as thoroughly unable to understand it as when I met someone who was fully hearing but told me that he "just wasn't into music." Funnily enough, I work in a STEM field, and while math comes easy to me in general, I can at least understand struggling with it even though I play around with numbers in my head just for fun.

[@KarenPuzzles]

It's so interesting what people's brains are able to do or not do. I was always great at math and have 0 ability to learn other languages 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@zoew_]

the way I was like "cool he has a movie" then I was like oh wait that it literally John Green hahah

[@NayeC_]

Ok but the quality of this, incredible. It feels like the special episode of a series

[@KarenPuzzles]

I had to call in Valentina to film it since it was a special occasion. She made me move all of my equipment out of the room and brought in all of her fancy stuff 😂

[@kae_iron]

Fun fact: I found Karen’s channel through John Green. He did a video years ago highlighting smaller creators and Karen’s channel was a feature. Been a subscriber ever since

[@mimi_wandering]

Love this video! I can't believe 2008 was so long ago. This is so classic nerdfighteria 🤗 Thank you for asking about the other plotlines because I saw the trailer and was like I don't remember that being what it's about I thought it was a mystery??? I also listened to the audiobook to prepare for the movie and was like I knew there was more plotlines haha! This was so funny to watch!

[@eugeniafantazerka]

What a sweet person. Thanks for the special guest ❤

[@proceduraldad2578]

He got totally addicted by the end, love that

[@shannonlanghart346]

Every time John put a piece in it was so sweet how excited he got!

[@vanessapegg]

Oh my God! This is the collab I didn't know I needed or wanted!

[@dyllibar777]

This is like me trying to get my granny to lay all her puzzle pieces out flat instead of having them sorted by colour in tiny bowls.

[@Maddibitts]

Second comment, because I had not reached this part in my initial comment; when Karen says "and then I have no more puzzle to do" and then the camera pans to all of the puzzles throughout the room... fantastically funny, I spat out my coffee! XD

[@duuuumb]

"[thats] what its like not how it is" its just bubbling out of him, lord banger after banger

[@CodeOmega0]

I just knew it would be a Green! I found your videos through them so many years ago, and have been waiting for this crossover ever since!

[@feuilletoniste]

Oh, yay! I’ve been hoping for this video ever since you showed your copy of the Pizza John puzzle ages ago. I’m so glad you were able to make it happen!

[@janetharradine4330]

No one says just do all the white.....except Karen!! Love how different everyone who puzzles is!

[@_Claire_Louise_]

I've watched both of your channels for years, vlog brothers was one of the first channels I found back in probably 2007 so this makes me very happy! I have aphantasia but love puzzles which I know is unusual from other people I've spoken to. Also in the process of being assessed to see if I have OCD and reading turtles all the way down was the first time I've ever felt like a book fully got my brain so I'm very excited to see the movie when I can in the UK