Kiersten DeLorey
Dr. Newcomb
ENG 170: Writing and Rhetoric
15 Sep. 2022
The Expansion of the Rubik’s Cube
The Rubik’s cube has been a staple in households for decades. Some children love to solve them and have the satisfaction of fixing the scrambled mess of colors, while some just have them on their shelves as a novelty piece. Whether knowing how to solve the puzzle or not, everyone knows the look and how it works, showing the universality of the toy. The Rubik’s cube, though simple in nature, is an iconic toy that not only helps children think and build their skill in problem-solving, but has also expanded to solve the puzzle the “normal” way.
The Strong National Museum of Play and their National Toy Hall of Fame inducted the toy in 2014. Throughout their article on the cube, they explain the origins and how the creator made it. The Strong also draws in its audience by discussing how the Rubik’s cube has “the title of most popular puzzle in history”, showing why the toy should be in the hall of fame and how its “success fostered hundreds of spin-off products, from best-selling books on how to solve it to patent-infringing look-alikes by other manufacturers,” therefore showing its popularity and importance. They also show the fun side and different ways people solve them to make the puzzle more challenging. Using facts about the Rubik’s cube like its history and ways to play helps connect with the audience of both children and adults who are interested in learning about the cube or just like the toy in general.
In credibility, the article on the Rubik’s cube was created by the Strong National Museum of Play, showing its knowledge of the subject of toys. The article being in the section of the National Toy Hall of Fame shows that the museum has an abundance of knowledge on the subject of iconic toys from over the years. Even the word “national” holds some credibility to it and makes people trust it since the term shows the characterization of the whole nation. The Strong also mentions the “World Cube Association”, showing that the toy has its own international association, showing its importance.
The main appeal of the Rubik’s cube is solving it. People love the process of scrambling the cube and working to solve it. Even the Strong mentions this, discussing that “puzzlers all over the world wanted to solve the cube.” The Rubik’s cube is also a great way to get children into puzzles and get their minds thinking of how to solve problems. According to the Strong, a main part of the Rubik’s cube’s initial attractiveness was simplicity, and the people who do solve these puzzles learn to seek patterns to solve the toy more efficiently. Other than creating algorithms, solving the toy has expanded into how quickly and different ways it can be done, usually making it harder but more impressive to solve. The Strong explains these ways saying, “Since 2003, cube-solving speed records, held by “speedcubers,” have been governed by the World Cube Association. Devoted to fairness and fun, the Association maintains records for blindfolded, one-handed, and fewest moves to solve, among others.” Inducing these examples in the article shows the Rubik’s cube’s ability to still grow and modernize as a toy.
The main subject matter of the Strong’s article is the history and origin of the Rubik’s cube. In 1974, the Hungarian designer Erno Rubik created the “Magic Cube”, and after the two years it was put into stores the toy became one of the most popular puzzles, with over 100 million of them being sold (The Strong). Even the cube was a hassle to make with its problem being “figuring a way to allow the cubies to slide and rotate alongside one another while holding together as a unit.” (The Strong) Using these facts and the story of the toy gives the cube a deeper meaning and shows that though it might be simple in nature, the Rubik’s cube has a complicated and long history. Although the Rubik’s cube is a small, colorful puzzle that sometimes seems impossible to solve, the cube can show that even if a toy is simple, it can always expand its play to new generations.
Work Cited
The Strong National Museum of Play. “Rubik’s Cube.” The National Toy Hall of Fame, 2014, https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/rubiks-cube/. Accessed 7 September 2022.