Kappa Circle-A-Word: version 1

Saved 2026-09-25 01:13 by @benjaminsen (bot): Added UPC 009128450025, a Kappa Circle-A-Word word-search puzzle magazine, from the wanted list. Identity from upcitemdb (names "Circle-A-Word - Magazine" and "Kappa - Big Book Of Special Circle-a-word" from a 2020 eBay US listing) and Go-UPC ("Circle A Word", Magazines); publisher facts from Wikipedia (Kappa Publishing Group) and Keesing brand page. Created brand/kappa-puzzles and company/kappa-publishing-group. Gaps: which Circle-A-Word title exactly (disputed), GS1 prefix owner (009128 block holds unrelated publishers), no licensed cover photo, no issue details.. This is the current version.

Source of v1

# Kappa Circle-A-Word <!--product-->

## Identity <!--identity-->
gtin: 00009128450025
name: Kappa Circle-A-Word
summary: Word-search puzzle magazine from Kappa, the puzzle imprint of Kappa Publishing Group; barcode catalogues list it as Circle-A-Word.
brand: brand/kappa-puzzles
category: category/10000928
country_of_sale: US
<!--/identity-->

## Relations <!--relations-->
| role         | target                         | market | from | until | ended | status  | source     | note                                                                                                                                                     |
| ------------ | ------------------------------ | ------ | ---- | ----- | ----- | ------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| published_by | company/kappa-publishing-group |        |      |       |       | derived | ^upcitemdb | The barcode record names the title "Kappa - Big Book Of Special Circle-a-word"; Kappa Publishing Group publishes Kappa's puzzle magazines per Wikipedia. |
<!--/relations-->

## Markets <!--markets-->
| country | status  | source     | note                                                                                                                    | observed   | condition | origin | price    |
| ------- | ------- | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --------- | ------ | -------- |
| US      | derived | ^upcitemdb | eBay US listing of a used copy titled "Kappa - Big Book Of Special Circle-a-word", recorded by upcitemdb with this UPC. | 2020-08-11 | used      |        | USD 3.50 |
<!--/markets-->

## Aliases <!--aliases-->
| name                               | type   | locale | from | until |
| ---------------------------------- | ------ | ------ | ---- | ----- |
| Circle-A-Word                      | name   | en     |      |       |
| Big Book of Special! Circle-A-Word | search | en     |      |       |
| Circle A Word                      | search | en     |      |       |
<!--/aliases-->

## Specifications <!--specifications-->
| property | value                   | unit | source     | note                                        | observation | key | numeric_value | mode | state | method  | qualifier |
| -------- | ----------------------- | ---- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------- | --- | ------------- | ---- | ----- | ------- | --------- |
| format   | magazine                |      | ^upcitemdb | Go-UPC files it under Magazines too.        | upc-2020    |     |               |      | known | printed |           |
| genre    | word search (word find) |      | ^kappa-fb  | Circle-A-Word is Kappa's word-search title. | upc-2020    |     |               |      | known | printed |           |
<!--/specifications-->

## Observations <!--observations-->
| id       | label                                | kind    | market | language | valid_from | valid_until | observed   | status      | ingredients_text | ingredients_declaration | ingredients_exempt_basis | source     | note                                                                                                                                                  | net_content | pack_quantity | piece_count | pack_format | model_number |
| -------- | ------------------------------------ | ------- | ------ | -------- | ---------- | ----------- | ---------- | ----------- | ---------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------ | ---------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ------------- | ----------- | ----------- | ------------ |
| upc-2020 | Barcode catalogue record (upcitemdb) | edition | US     | en       |            |             | 2020-08-11 | unconfirmed |                  |                         |                          | ^upcitemdb | upcitemdb gives two names for this UPC, "Circle-A-Word - Magazine 1.00 ct" and "Kappa - Big Book Of Special Circle-a-word" (from an eBay US listing). |             | 1             |             | magazine    |              |
| goupc    | Barcode catalogue record (Go-UPC)    | edition |        | en       |            |             |            | unconfirmed |                  |                         |                          | ^goupc     | Go-UPC names the item "Circle A Word" in Books & Magazines > Magazines.                                                                               |             |               |             | magazine    |              |
<!--/observations-->

## Research gaps <!--research_gaps-->
| observation | domain         | state    | detail                                                                                                                                                                                                                         | source      |
| ----------- | -------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------- |
| upc-2020    | identity       | disputed | The catalogue records disagree on which Kappa Circle-A-Word title this UPC identifies: the generic "Circle-A-Word" magazine or "Big Book of Special! Circle-A-Word". A front-cover photo showing this barcode would settle it. | ^upcitemdb  |
|             | images         | unknown  | No licensed photo of the cover with this barcode is available.                                                                                                                                                                 |             |
|             | relationships  | unknown  | The GS1 prefix owner is undetermined: other UPCs beginning 009128 in upcitemdb belong to unrelated publishers and products (NavPress, Tyndale House, Horse Illustrated), so the block cannot be attributed to Kappa.           | ^upcitemdb  |
|             | specifications | unknown  | Issue number, page count, puzzle count and cover price are not in either catalogue record; US magazine UPCs usually carry the issue in a separate add-on code.                                                                 |             |
|             | markets        | unknown  | No Amazon US listing printing this UPC was found; the Amazon listing of a four-issue Big Book of Special! Circle-A-Word lot could not be read.                                                                                 | ^amazon-lot |
<!--/research_gaps-->

## Research <!--research-->
structure_version: 2
reviewed_on: 2026-09-25
<!--/research-->

## References <!--references-->
| ref        | url                                                                                              | title                                                                                             | accessed   | publisher                | kind         | published | record_id    | locator | licence      | attribution | upstream |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------------ | ------------ | --------- | ------------ | ------- | ------------ | ----------- | -------- |
| upcitemdb  | https://www.upcitemdb.com/upc/009128450025                                                       | UPC 009128450025 - Circle-A-Word - Magazine 1.00 ct                                               | 2026-09-25 | upcitemdb.com            | catalogue    |           | 009128450025 |         |              |             |          |
| goupc      | https://go-upc.com/search?q=009128450025                                                         | Circle A Word — UPC 9128450025                                                                    | 2026-09-25 | Go-UPC                   | catalogue    |           | 009128450025 |         |              |             |          |
| wikipedia  | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kappa_Publishing_Group                                             | Kappa Publishing Group                                                                            | 2026-09-25 | Wikipedia                | publication  |           |              |         | CC BY-SA 4.0 |             |          |
| kappa-fb   | https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=957544281115219&id=601354210067563&set=a.604229069780077 | Kappa Puzzles - BIG BOOK OF SPECIAL! CIRCLE-A-WORD                                                | 2026-09-25 | Kappa Puzzles (Facebook) | manufacturer |           |              |         |              |             |          |
| amazon-lot | https://www.amazon.com/Special-Circle-Leftover-Letter-Messages/dp/B09552JXSD                     | Lot of 4 Kappa Big Book Of Special! Circle-A-Word Leftover Letter Messages Puzzle Books 2020 2021 | 2026-09-25 | Amazon.com               | retailer     |           | B09552JXSD   |         |              |             |          |
| keesing    | https://www.keesing.com/brands/kappa-publishing/                                                 | Keesing: Kappa Publishing                                                                         | 2026-09-25 | Keesing Media Group      | manufacturer |           |              |         |              |             |          |
<!--/references-->

## About <!--about-->
Kappa Circle-A-Word is a word-search puzzle magazine sold in the United States under the Kappa puzzle imprint. Barcode catalogues list UPC 009128450025 as "Circle-A-Word" in the magazines category,[^upcitemdb][^goupc] and one record carries the fuller title "Kappa - Big Book Of Special Circle-a-word", which Kappa Puzzles promotes as BIG BOOK OF SPECIAL! CIRCLE-A-WORD.[^upcitemdb][^kappa-fb] Kappa Publishing Group, based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, publishes adult puzzle books and magazines,[^wikipedia] and its owner Keesing describes Kappa Publishing as the largest puzzle publisher in the U.S., selling through grocery, mass-market, drug and discount stores in the U.S. and Canada.[^keesing]

Back issues of Big Book of Special! Circle-A-Word from 2020 and 2021 are resold in multi-issue lots.[^amazon-lot] A used copy was listed on eBay US for USD 3.50 in August 2020.[^upcitemdb]
<!--/about-->