M&S shoppers have been left baffled by a Christmas decoration that they saw when out shopping, wondering whether it had been designed wrongly on purpose or not…
You can’t have a Christmas tree without baubles – but everyone has different tastes when it comes to what they hang on their festive firs. While some like traditional ornaments, others opt for bright colours and quirky accessories.
But no matter if you’re fond of the classic or garish, this M&S trinket is likely to confuse you. Shoppers have been left baffled at the decoration, which resembles a maths puzzle. Taking to Reddit’s ‘Casual UK’ forum, one customer wrote: “I don’t think M&S know what sudoku is…”
A sudoku is a logic-based number-placement puzzle where the goal is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column, row, and 3×3 subgrid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9 exactly once. But people were left confused because the decoration had dabber marks on it, much like a game of bingo would have.
Another confusing detail is that the numbers went up much higher than 9, which you’d never see with a sudoku. Plus, the decoration had a pencil on it, so the pink marks didn’t make any sense.
On shopper expected more from M&S, complaining: “Surprising for M&S to okay these sorts of items. Would expect it from other shops.”
The M&S website reads: “Puzzle fans can add this hanging sudoku ornament to their Christmas tree to showcase their favourite pastime. It’s crafted from coloured glass in the shape of a puzzle grid with a pencil. Glitter detailing brings a magical touch”.
Thankfully, the inaccuracy hasn’t stopped customers from buying the festive item. It costs £5 and is already completely sold out online.
One fan gushed: “I definitely would buy this for my nan.”
Some believe the blunder may have even been intentional – as it’s proven to be great advertisement for the bauble!
One theorist said: “It’s hard to get seen, so I got some marketing advice, which basically consisted of ‘spell things wrong in your posts – ‘dessert’ for desert, ‘rouge’ for rogue, etc – and make obviously false claims, because people love correcting others on the internet.
“I really hate that, but I tried it with one post (dessert for desert) and the interaction was factors higher than my normal posts. It feels dirty, so I didn’t do it again. I know it’s harming my potential reach, but I don’t want to be part of that.”
Why do we have baubles, anyway?
The custom of decorating evergreen trees at Christmas began in Germany in the 16th century. Early decorations were edible items like apples, nuts, and sweets, as well as paper flowers and candles.
Then,in the mid-19th century, glassblowers in Lauscha, Germany, began crafting glass ornaments shaped like fruits and nuts, including the now-iconic glass balls.
These glass baubles (called “kugeln” in German) became popular and were exported across Europe and to America.
The tradition spread widely after Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s German husband) introduced the Christmas tree to the British Royal Family in the 1840s, inspiring many to decorate their own trees.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, glass baubles were being mass-produced and became a staple Christmas decoration worldwide.
