The Rubik's Cube is a 3-D combination puzzle originally invented in 1974 [2] [3] by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Ernő Rubik. Originally called the Magic Cube, [4] the puzzle was licensed by Rubik to be sold by Pentangle Puzzles in the UK in 1978, [5] and then by Ideal Toy Corp in 1980 [6] via businessman Tibor Laczi and Seven Towns founder Tom Kremer. [7] The cube was released internationally in 1980 and became one of the most recognized icons in popular culture. It won the 1980 German Game of the Year special award for Best Puzzle. As of March2021 [update], over 450million cubes had been sold worldwide, [8] [9] [ needs update] making it the world's bestselling puzzle game [10] [11] and bestselling toy. [12] The Rubik's Cube was inducted into the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014. [13] Find sources: "Rubik's Cube"– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( January 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)

As a “cubing mom,” Kim began shuttling her son to cubing competitions — and became fascinated with the global popularity of the puzzle. Kim documents the way kids are mastering an analog tool using tools of the digital age — YouTube tutorials, articles, and more — and creating online communities around their love of the cube. "I actually think it's found a new niche in popular culture because of its immersion within the digital landscape," Kim said via video chat. An internal pivot mechanism enables each face to turn independently, thus mixing up the colours. For the puzzle to be solved, each face must be returned to have only one colour. It has inspired other designers to create a number of similar puzzles with various numbers of sides, dimensions, and mechanisms.This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Even while Rubik's patent application was being processed, Terutoshi Ishigi, a self-taught engineer and ironworks owner near Tokyo, filed for a Japanese patent for a nearly identical mechanism, which was granted in 1976 (Japanese patent publication JP55-008192). Until 1999, when an amended Japanese patent law was enforced, Japan's patent office granted Japanese patents for non-disclosed technology within Japan without requiring worldwide novelty. [42] [43] Hence, Ishigi's patent is generally accepted as an independent reinvention at that time. [44] [45] [46] Rubik applied for more patents in 1980, including another Hungarian patent on 28 October. In the United States, Rubik was granted U.S. Patent 4,378,116 on 29 March 1983 for the Cube. This patent expired in 2000. For all of its appeal to mathematical skill and logic, the broad popularity of the Cube may be rooted in the nearly limitless number of possible solutions. "That is one of its most mysterious qualities," Rubik writes. "The end turns into new beginnings.” His application to the Hungarian Patent Office in 1975 called the cube a “spatial logic toy.” At the time, Hungary was behind the Iron Curtain — it would remain a communist controlled Eastern bloc state until 1989 — and as Rubik writes, the country had “no particular affinity for toy production.”

Each of the six centre pieces pivots on a fastener held by the centre piece, a "3D cross". A spring between each fastner and its corresponding piece tensions the piece inward, so that collectively, the whole assembly remains compact but can still be easily manipulated. The older versions of the official Cube used a screw that can be tightened or loosened to change the "feel" of the Cube. Newer official Rubik's brand cubes have rivets instead of screws and cannot be adjusted. Inexpensive clones do not have screws or springs, all they have is a plastic clip to keep the centre piece in place and freely rotate. See also: Rubik's Cube in popular culture The world's largest Rubik's Cube was constructed for the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. In October 1982, The New York Times reported that sales had fallen and that "the craze has died", [34] and by 1983 it was clear that sales had plummeted. [24] However, in some countries such as China and the USSR, the craze had started later and demand was still high because of a shortage of Cubes. [35] [36] 21st-century revival Taking advantage of an initial shortage of cubes, many imitations and variations appeared, many of which may have violated one or more patents. In 2000 the patents expired, and since then, many Chinese companies have produced copies, modifications, and improvements upon the Rubik and V-Cube designs. [40] Patent history The Cube can be taken apart without much difficulty, typically by rotating the top layer by 45° and then prying one of its edge cubes away from the other two layers. Consequently, it is a simple process to "solve" a Cube by taking it apart and reassembling it in a solved state.

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Although the Rubik's Cube reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1980s, it is still widely known and used. Many speedcubers continue to practise it and similar puzzles, and compete for the fastest times in various categories. Since 2003, the World Cube Association (WCA), the international governing body of the Rubik's Cube, has organised competitions worldwide and recognises world records.