Abstract
The iconic Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. So far, over 350 million cubes have been sold worldwide, making it the world's top-selling puzzle game and it is widely considered to be the world's best-selling toy.
Rubik was born in Budapest, Hungary, 13 July 1944, during World War II, and has lived all his life in Hungary. His father worked at an aircraft factory, and his mother was a poet. He has regularly stated in interviews that he got his inspiration from his father, who was a highly respected engineer.
In the mid-1970s, Ernő worked at the Department of Interior Design at the Academy of Applied Arts and Crafts in Budapest, during which time he constructed his first cube. His initial purpose for the invention was solving the structural problem of moving the parts independently without the entire mechanism falling apart and he did not realise that he had created a puzzle until he scrambled his new Cube and then tried to restore it. Rubik applied for a patent in Hungary for his "Magic Cube" on 30 January 1975 and it was granted later that year.
The first test batches of the Magic Cube were produced in late 1977 and released in Budapest toy shops. With its inventor’s permission, businessman Tibor Laczi took a Cube to Germany's Nuremberg Toy Fair in February 1979 to try and popularise it. Whilst there, it was noticed by Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer and they signed a deal to release the Magic Cube worldwide.
The company wanted a recognisable name to trademark; an arrangement that put Rubik in the spotlight because the “Magic Cube” was renamed “Rubik’s Cube” after its inventor in 1980. The puzzle made its international debut at the toy fairs of London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York in January and February 1980.
Within a year, the Rubik's Cube had become widely popular and it is estimated that in the period from 1980 to 1983, over 200 million Rubik's Cubes were sold worldwide. In the March of 1981, an inaugural speed cubing championship organised by the Guinness Book of World Records was held in Munich. The humble combination puzzle had gone viral, in what was to become known as the “Cube craze”.
Sales dropped off a little by the end of the 80s, but the legacy of the puzzle was assured. Annual sales are still in the millions and the advent of the internet has spawned a new fanbase for the Rubik’s Cube. There are now hundreds of variants upon the original design and the cube has appeared in films, television shows, comic books, novels, exhibitions, music and art. It is an iconic invention which continues to entertain and inspire people worldwide.
Some images and video content sourced from Wikicommons (commons.wikimedia.org).
