# Rubik's Cube - Source: Kiddle (kids.kiddle.co), CC BY-SA 3.0, Kiddle encyclopedia, adapted from Wikipedia - Reading level: Grade 5 - Subjects: Toys, Games - Topics: cube, rubik's, cubes, each, first, pieces - Length: 1214 words, about 9 min - Published: 2025-10-17 - Original: - Page: - Open in Sprouts: ![Rubiks cube solved.jpg](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-af34b06ea7.jpg) ![Rubik's cube](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-8aedc1abe5.png) An illustration of an unsolved Rubik's Cube The **Rubik's Cube** is a super popular 3D combination puzzle. It was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor Ernő Rubik. At first, it was called the **Magic Cube**. Rubik allowed it to be sold in the UK in 1978. Then, in 1980, it was released all over the world. The Rubik's Cube quickly became one of the most famous toys ever! In 1980, it even won a special award in Germany for Best Puzzle. By 2024, about 500 million cubes had been sold. This makes it the world's best-selling puzzle game and toy. The Rubik's Cube was added to the US National Toy Hall of Fame in 2014. On the classic Rubik's Cube, each of its six sides had nine stickers. Each side was a solid color: white, red, blue, orange, green, or yellow. Newer cubes use colored plastic instead of stickers. This means the colors won't peel off or fade! Since 1988, the colors have been set in a standard way. White is always opposite yellow, blue is opposite green, and orange is opposite red. Also, red, white, and blue are arranged in a clockwise order. On older cubes, the colors were sometimes in different spots. Inside the cube, a special turning system lets each side spin on its own. This mixes up the colors. To solve the puzzle, you must turn the sides until each face has only one color again. The Rubik's Cube has inspired many other puzzles with different shapes and sizes. Even though it was super popular in the 1980s, it's still well-known today. Many people called "speedcubers" still practice solving it super fast! They even compete to see who can solve it the quickest. Since 2003, the World Cube Association (WCA) has organized competitions and kept track of world records. ## History of the Rubik's Cube ### How the Rubik's Cube Started ![Patent US3655201](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-4fd93fea3f.png) Diagram from Nichols' patent showing a cube held together with magnets Before Rubik's Cube, other people had similar ideas. In 1970, a man named Larry D. Nichols invented a 2x2x2 cube puzzle. His cube used magnets to hold the pieces together. He got a patent for it in 1972, two years before Rubik made his cube. ### Rubik's Big Idea In the mid-1970s, Ernő Rubik was a professor in Budapest, Hungary. He wanted to solve a problem: how could parts of a 3D object move independently without falling apart? He built a cube to figure this out. He didn't even realize he had made a puzzle until he mixed it up and tried to fix it! Rubik applied for a patent in Hungary for his "Magic Cube" in 1975. The first test cubes were sold in toy shops in Budapest in late 1977. Unlike Nichols's cube, Rubik's Magic Cube used interlocking plastic pieces to stay together. In 1979, a businessman named Tibor Laczi showed the Magic Cube at a toy fair in Germany. Tom Kremer, who founded Seven Towns, saw it and loved it. They made a deal with Ideal Toys to sell the Magic Cube worldwide. Ideal Toys wanted a name people would remember. So, in 1980, the "Magic Cube" was renamed "Rubik's Cube" after its inventor! It was first shown internationally at toy fairs in London, Paris, Nuremberg, and New York in early 1980. ![Original Rubik's cube from 1980](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-f519819594.jpg) Original Rubik's Cube - Ideal Toy Corp., made in Hungary 1980 Before hitting stores, the cube was made lighter and packaged for Western markets. The first Rubik's Cubes were sent from Hungary in May 1980. The packaging varied, but a clear plastic cylinder was common. Some early cubes also had slightly different color arrangements. ### The Cube Craze of the 1980s ![Expo 82 Rubik's Cube](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-e0032d4bc0.jpg) The world's largest Rubik's Cube was constructed for the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. When the Rubik's Cube first came out in May 1980, sales were slow. But then Ideal Toys started advertising it on TV and in newspapers. By the end of 1980, the Rubik's Cube won awards in Germany, the UK, France, and the US. By 1981, it was a huge craze! Between 1980 and 1983, about 200 million Rubik's Cubes were sold worldwide. Many people could only solve one or two sides of the cube. So, lots of books were published to help, like *You Can Do The Cube* by Patrick Bossert. In 1981, three of the top ten best-selling books in the US were about solving the Rubik's Cube! The best-selling book of 1981, *The Simple Solution to Rubik's Cube*, sold over 6 million copies. The Rubik's Cube was even shown in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, a giant six-foot cube was on display. There was even a cartoon show called *Rubik, the Amazing Cube*! In June 1982, the first official Rubik's Cube World Championship was held in Budapest. By late 1982, sales started to slow down in some countries. But in places like China and the USSR, the craze was just starting! ### The Cube's Comeback in the 2000s The Rubik's Cube continued to be sold through the 1980s and 1990s. But in the early 2000s, interest in the cube grew again. In the US, sales doubled between 2001 and 2003. People started thinking it was "cool to own a Cube again." The 2003 World Rubik's Games Championship was the first big speedcubing event since 1982. It led to the creation of the World Cube Association in 2004. By 2008, 15 million Rubik's brand cubes were sold each year worldwide. Part of this new popularity came from websites like YouTube. People could share videos of how they solved the cube. After Rubik's patent expired in 2000, other companies, especially Chinese ones, started making their own cubes. Many of these new cubes were designed to be super fast, which speedcubers loved. In 2020, Spin Master bought the Rubik's Cube brand for $50 million. ## How the Rubik's Cube Works ![Komponen Rubik Kiub Yang Telah Dilabel](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-296bb227c3.jpg) Rubik's cube components with label ![Scrumbled Rubik's Cube](https://sprout.rootsofreason.org/media/kiddle-rubik-s-cube-7d1d1ebbb2.jpg) Rubik's Cube in scrambled state A standard Rubik's Cube is about 5.6 centimeters (2.2 inches) on each side. It's made of 26 small pieces, often called "cubies." Each cubie has a hidden part that connects with the others. This allows them to move around without the whole puzzle falling apart. The center piece of each of the six faces is just a single colored square. These six center pieces are attached to the core of the cube. They provide the structure for all the other pieces to fit into and spin around. So, there are 21 main parts: a core that holds the six center squares in place (but lets them rotate), and 20 smaller plastic pieces that fit around it. Each center piece spins on a fastener held by the core. A spring inside pushes each piece inward, keeping the cube tight but easy to turn. Older official cubes had screws you could tighten or loosen to change how the cube felt. Newer ones have rivets, so they can't be adjusted. Cheaper copies might just use plastic clips. You can actually take the cube apart pretty easily. Just turn the top layer 45 degrees and gently pull one of the edge pieces away. This means you could "solve" a cube by taking it apart and putting it back together in the solved state! ## Picture credits - Mike Gonzalez ( TheCoffee ), CC BY-SA 3.0 () - This image was created by me, Booyabazooka, CC BY-SA 3.0 () - Larry D. Nichols, Public domain () - Racomi, CC BY-SA 4.0 () - AppalachianCentrist, CC BY-SA 4.0 () - Encik Tekateki, CC BY-SA 4.0 () - Imk3nnyma, CC BY-SA 4.0 ()