Now You See It, Now You Don't!
TellZall's object for February is the Rubik's Cube
Have you ever wondered what toys your parents enjoyed playing with when they were children? Well, if they grew up during the 1980s, your parents probably played with a "Rubik's Cube." This toy is the best-selling toy in the history of the world, with more than 300 million Rubik's Cubes or similar toys having been sold since 1974.
A Hungarian sculptor, Erno Rubik, invented the Rubik's Cube in 1974. It was made from plastic and was a square block in shape. Each side of the block was also a different color. Each side of the block had three rows of three blocks each. Each row could be turned only vertically or only horizontally, allowing the user to mix the colors up on each side of the block. The goal of Rubik's Cube was to mix the colors up on each side of the block and then try to return the six sides of the cube back to their original single color.
Rubik named his toy the "Magic Cube" and first sold it in Hungary. In 1980, Ideal Toys sold the cube in the United States of America under the name "Rubik's Cube." Between 1980 and 1982, more than 100 million cubes sold across the world. The toy became so popular that a cartoon show based on Rubik's Cube was shown for a single season in 1983. The show was called Rubik, the Amazing Cube.
Eventually, more complicated versions of the Rubik's Cube emerged, including ones that had four rows of four squares, five rows of five squares, six rows of six squares, and seven rows of seven squares per side. Many users became so frustrated with being unable to solve the three rows of three squares cube that Ideal Toys began to sell replacement stickers, so that people could place new stickers on the cube and start over again.
Rubik's Cubes are still manufactured today, but the toy is not nearly as popular as it was just thirty years ago.
