It was an era of nuclear brinkmanship, trade wars and decidedly iffy hairstyles. But in Japan the early 1980s is also remembered as the heyday of a chunky plastic puzzle that drove millions of children to distraction.
A quarter of a century on the Rubik’s cube is being snapped up again, this time by nostalgic Japanese in their 30s and children who are apparently growing tired of complicated video games.
The cube, invented by the Hungarian sculptor and architect Erno Rubik, was an instant hit when it first appeared in Japan, in 1980.
More than four million were sold in the first eight months, with people queuing outside stores for hours to get their hands on one. A total of more than 8,5-million puzzles have been sold in Japan, with worldwide sales reaching a staggering 300-million.
”Unlike normal boom goods, the cube has survived, even after the first boom ended,” Kazuhiro Ishimoto of Megahouse, which markets the puzzle in Japan, told the Kyodo news agency.
Sales this year already stand at 150 000 — five times as much as last year — and Megahouse says it expects to have sold half a million by the end of the year.
The Rubik’s cube has also benefited from a recent fad for mental workouts, which, some experts claim, improve IQ and ward off dementia.
Aside from the original three-by-three cube, Japanese enthusiasts are getting to grips with bigger versions, including Rubik’s Revenge, which has 16 squares on each face, and keep fellow addicts informed of their best times via ”speedcubing” weblogs.
The world record for completing the original Rubik’s Cube is held by Shotaro Makisumi, a 15-year-old Japanese boy living in the US, who last year matched up all six faces in 12,11 seconds.
Japan will send a team of puzzlers to the world championships in Florida in November led by Yuki Hayashi, who saw off more than 70 other competitors at the Japanese national championships in Tokyo at the weekend with a best time of 15,89 seconds. – Guardian Unlimited Â