"Problem solving is a very basic activity of the human mind and if a problem is complex you need to divide the problem into smaller elements," says Ernő Rubik, who invented the cube in 1974.
Rubik has seen his color-matching puzzle go from a classroom teaching tool in Cold War-era Hungary to a worldwide phenomenon with over 450 million cubes sold and a mini-empire of related toys.
"For me, the cube represents what freedom means. Freedom is never endless," he said during a recent visit to New York. "It lets you do what is necessary to achieve your goal." The original 3x3 Rubik's has more than 43 quintillion that's more than 43,000,000,000,000,000,000 possible configurations, but the principles behind the cube have been refashioned for 2x2, 4x4 and 5x5 cubes, a board game called Rubik's Race, a pyramid, a tower and a Christmas tree, among others.
It even made the transition to electronic media with Rubik's Revolution and Rubik's Touch. Spin Master acquired the brand in 2021. Their latest brainteaser is called the Phantom, which takes the 3x3 original cube and adds a memory test: Using thermochromic technology, the multicolor tiles revert to black unless the heat of the user's hand keeps them visible.
"The principle of the cube is not limited," says Rubik. "The complexity of the task is to stimulate our mind and it makes it a much more enjoyable activity." The goal of all Rubik puzzles is to start with some randomized and shuffled messy configuration and, by rotating faces or parts, transform each side into a single color or a pattern of colors.
Practiced cube-solvers can complete the Rubik's Cube in a matter of seconds, with the current world-record holder solving a cube in 3.47 seconds. There are also records at the World Cube Association for fastest solving while wearing a blindfold or using one hand.
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