Kiersten DeLorey
Dr. Newcomb
ENG 170: Writing and Rhetoric
16 Oct. 2022
The Rubik’s Cube: Community and Acceptance
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 skills in problem-solving and socialization.
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.
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.” This adds to both its pathos and proud feeling of solving it and its ethos, giving the people who can solve it bragging rights. 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. 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 being in stores for two years, it became one of the most popular puzzles, with over 100 million of them being sold (The Strong). Even though the cube was a hassle to make, with its problem being “figuring [out] 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.
In terms of credibility and ethos, 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” has 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. This association also adds to how you can change and change the Rubik’s Cube, making it fun and adding to its emotional appeal. The Strong explains this by 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.” This shows how the cube even now has its own subculture with people eager to solve it. 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.
Is a kid’s toy important enough to have an entire organization devoted to its type of play? The World Cube Association, or the WCA, creates and regulates competitions for the toy all over the world. The WCA’s mission statement is “to have more competitions in more countries with more people and more fun, under fair and equal conditions” (“About the WCA”). Because of this organization’s standardization of play, the playing of the Rubik’s cube is universal and for everyone, since it is easy for one to join, making it fun both in childhood and adulthood. Therefore, Rubik’s cubes define childhood and adulthood as a time to connect with others, accept everyone, and learn how to have healthy competition.
Even though not everyone can solve the Rubik’s cube at record speed or even at all, the World Cube Association is a great way for children to get involved in a community and meet new people who have similar interests. On their website, the WCA states, “The World Cube Association wants to bring opportunities for community membership and leadership to young people around the world through increasing the accessibility of our ‘twisty puzzle’ competitions” (“About the WCA”). Having a community is very important for children to help with their social skills, and connecting with people through the WCA can be a great way to make friends with people all over the world. Leadership is also a great skill for children to have and put to use later in life. The WCA also states, “We believe that experiences at competitions and within our community create growth opportunities for the young people involved, and that introducing puzzle events to new groups of people allows for our overall community to strengthen” (“About the WCA”). Growing up in a community helps everyone have support and support others, but a part of growing up in this community is competing. People might be deterred from participating in the competition if they think they are going to lose. However, losing a competition can help people advance their skills and teach them that losing is one of the only ways to learn and improve. Both children and adults can learn and grow in a community like the WCA, showing that both childhood and adulthood are times to expand and change.
Even though some might see competition as seeing others competing as the enemy, the World Cube Association shows that there is support within the community and healthy competition is good. This competitive style especially helps children and adults alike, who sometimes grow up to be sore losers, and teaches them that sometimes it’s okay to lose. The WCA also helps children accept everyone. In their regulations, they state, “Any person may compete in a WCA competition if they. comply with WCA Regulations….” (“WCA Regulations”) This shows anyone can sign up for a competition and join. The World Cube Association letting everyone who follows the rules join shows that the people in the community should also accept everyone, even if it’s not just for the competitions but for life. It also helps show the meaning of following the rules, which is a good standard for children to have.
Fairness is also an important concept in the WCA and the Rubik’s cube. The toy is very easy to find everywhere and is relatively cheap. During competitions, even though the competitor has to bring their own, “Modifications that enhance the basic concept of a puzzle are not permitted” (WCA Regulations). Making modifications not only helps skill be the reason a person wins, not the money on the toy itself, but also teaches children the concept of fairness. Also, since the organization is worldwide and occurs in many countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India, it can help children find others and be friends with people who are different by means of appearance or culture (“About the WCA”).
The World Cube Association’s main focus is fairness and fun, demonstrating that childhood and adulthood do not have to be serious. The WCA states that “Our spirit is that people from all over the world have fun together in a friendly atmosphere, help each other and behave sportsmanlike.” (“About the WCA”) Childhood is for fun, fairness, acceptance, and community. But, these morals should transfer to our adulthood. Just like the Rubik’s cube is for anybody and any age, the fun and community we have should be at any time of our lives.
Max Park is a 20-year old Guiness World Record holder for multiple speed records on different Rubik’s cubes. Park also has autism, but that has never put him at a disadvantage. One of Park’s opponents, Patrick Ponce, explains, “I think the most amazing thing in cubing is that everyone is accepted. Like, Max Park has autism and that doesn’t deter him from being so good at what he does and I don’t think other communities are as good of facilitating that as cubing is” (Guinness World Record). Not only does this show the community and acceptance cubing has no matter the person, it also shows how much sportsmanship the competitors have towards each other. Max’s father, Schwan Park, says, “The cubing committee did more than just accept Max. I’ve never met a group of people than the cubing community that is just a perfect representation of the utopian society… it’s so hard to explain how genuine and how honest and disciplined and just good people in general this cubing community is” (Guinness World Record). This brings back the importance and emphasis on acceptance and growing as a community, it also reinstates the idea of how the Rubik’s cube and its community show that fairness and fun define childhood.
Including having to overcome the challenges of speedcubing, but Max Park had to overcome the challenges of having autism, which includes struggling with socialization. However, the cubing community was able to help him with socializing with others. This is stated by his father, Schwan Park, saying, “The biggest thing we noticed about Max before he started cubing and after was wanting to speak with somebody else. When he comes to these competitions, of course, he knows instinctively everybody’s there because they all have the same interest. That has tremendously increased his awareness and his ability to speak with other people” (Guinness World Record). This shows how the community can help with a child’s socialization since Max couldn’t even look directly at someone before he started competing (Guinness World Record). Being in a community can help with one’s social skills, which is great since childhood is a time to socialize.
Childhood and adulthood are a time for community, acceptance, and learning things like healthy competition and how to socialize. The Rubik’s cube and therefore its own subculture, including the World Cube Association, helps people with these important skills. Audiences can now see how a simple toy like a Rubik’s cube can be bigger than what they usually see and create a large community. Children can learn these important skills like acceptance and grow within a community and carry these skills into adulthood because of a simple puzzle toy.
Work Cited
“About the WCA.” The World Cube Association, www.worldcubeassociation.org/about. Accessed 22 Sep. 2022.
Guinness World Records. Max Park: Rubik’s Cube World Champion – Guinness World Records, YouTube, 1 Apr. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Su2kiNIX5g. Accessed 6 Oct. 2022.
The Strong National Museum of Play. “Rubik’s Cube.” The National Toy Hall of Fame, 2014, www.museumofplay.org/toys/rubiks-cube/. Accessed 7 Sep. 2022.
“WCA Regulations” The World Cube Association, 1 June 2022, www.worldcubeassociation.org/regulations/. Accessed 22 Sep. 2022.