PibblyFree printable mystery puzzles · Ages 3–8+
Color the squares. Reveal the surprise.
Every square has a code, and the key tells you its color — but nobody knows what the picture is until the last square is colored. Practice numbers and colors, guess together as it appears, and share the big reveal. Pick a ready-made mystery below, or hide an idea of your own.
Tap a square to color it in. What do you think the picture will be?
Grown-ups only
Press and hold to peek at the answer. Let go and it hides again — no peeking, young detectives!
Ready-made mystery pages are free to print for personal and classroom use. Page 1 is the puzzle; page 2 is the answer key — keep it aside until the reveal!
Make your own mystery — with Pibbly!
Tell me what to hide! I’ll paint the picture, scramble it into coded squares, and keep the answer tucked away for the grown-ups — your child only gets the surprise. Pick a level. Each custom mystery uses 2 of your monthly custom creations, shared with Color-by-Number (free: 3 a month, so 1 mystery + 1 custom page). If a picture doesn’t come out clearly, it doesn’t count.
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How mystery works
Pick a mystery
Choose a numbered puzzle — no names, no pictures, no clues. Or type an idea and we hide it for you.
Color the codes
Find each code, check the key, color the square. On screen, just tap. Watch the progress bar and guess as you go!
Reveal & compare
Finish the last square and the surprise appears. Grown-ups can check the separate answer page together.
Three levels of mystery
Start little and work up. Every level uses numbers first (1–9); only Super Explorer adds A, B, C — and the key is always right beside the grid.
Little Explorer
Ages 3–5
- 16×24 = 384 squares
- Up to 6 colors
- About 10–15 minutes
Explorer
Ages 6–8
- 30×45 = 1,350 squares
- Up to 9 colors
- About 30–45 minutes
Super Explorer
Ages 8+ / family
- 40×60 = 2,400 squares
- Up to 12 colors
- A longer, multi-sitting puzzle
Ready-made mysteries
Eight hidden pictures, checked square by square. The cards show the coded puzzle only — what each one becomes is the surprise. (Grown-ups: the answer for each lives on its own page, never here.)
Ideas to hide
Type one of these into the maker above — or invent your own. The idea text never appears on your child’s puzzle page.
Color-by-number vs Mystery — which will your child love?
In regular color by number, your child sees the picture first and follows the key to color it in — satisfying and confidence-building. In Mystery color by number, the picture is the prize: only coded squares, guesses along the way, and a big reveal at the end. They share the same monthly custom allowance, so trying both costs nothing extra.
Questions from parents
Is mystery color by number free?
The ready-made mystery puzzles on this page are free to print and color as often as you like, for personal and classroom use. Making a custom mystery from your own idea uses 2 creations from the Color-by-Number monthly allowance (a custom color-by-number page uses 1): 3 free creations a month (one mystery plus one custom page), 30 on Starter, 80 on Family and 100 on Classroom. A picture that doesn't come out clearly never counts.
How many squares and colors are there for each age?
Little Explorer (ages 3–5) has 384 squares and up to 6 colors with big, easy codes. Explorer (ages 6–8) has 1,350 squares and up to 9 colors. Super Explorer (ages 8+ and family) has 2,400 squares and up to 12 colors for a longer challenge.
Where is the answer key?
On the grown-ups’ page: page 2 of the printable PDF, the separate Solution PNG, or behind the press-and-hold 'Parent: reveal answer' button on screen. The puzzle page itself never shows the finished picture.
Can I print just the puzzle, without the answer?
Yes. Untick “Add the answer key as page 2” before you download, and the PDF has the puzzle only. Left on, page 2 is the answer key: keep it aside until your child has finished, then compare together.
Do my own custom mysteries get an answer key too?
Yes. When Pibbly hides your idea, the printable PDF has the puzzle on page 1 and the finished picture as an answer key on page 2, clearly marked so you can keep it hidden for the surprise. It’s on by default and you can switch it off. Printing again doesn’t use a creation.
What ages is mystery color by number for?
Ages 3 to 8 and beyond. Little Explorer is a gentle first mystery for 3–5-year-olds (about 10–15 minutes), Explorer suits 6–8-year-olds (about 30–45 minutes), and Super Explorer is a multi-sitting project for older children and the whole family.
How is this different from regular color by number?
In regular color by number your child can see the picture and follows the key to color it. In Mystery, the picture is hidden: the page is only coded squares, and the picture is the prize that appears as they finish. Pibbly has both — see the link below.
Can I make a mystery from a photo?
Not yet. Custom mysteries start from a typed idea for now. A mystery made from a photo is an idea for the future, and we will only add it when we can do it safely and privately.
Will my child ever see the answer by accident?
Not in the child flow: there is no finished-picture thumbnail, no picture name, and no outline on the puzzle page, on screen or in the file names. The answer only appears when a grown-up downloads the answer page or presses and holds the parent reveal button.
Is it something we can do together?
Yes — that is half the fun. Sit side by side and take turns finding a code, call out the colors, and swap guesses about what is hiding as the picture appears. Younger children can color while you read out the codes; older ones can race you to the reveal.
Can teachers print a class set?
Yes — the ready-made mysteries are free for classroom use. Print page 1 for the class and keep page 2 (the answer) for yourself.