1WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Rubik’s Cube Marketing as Educational Tool
Sándor KissRubik Exhibition Co., Ltd.
2WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
“Gaming can be used as a form of teaching.”
“It was wonderful, to see how, after only a few turns, the colors became mixed … After a while I decided … let us put the cubes back in order. And it was at that moment that I came face to face with the Big Challenge: What is the way home?” – Ernő Rubik, 1974
3WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
19742x2x2
• As a young teacher, Ernő Rubik(29) was looking for novel, more exciting ways to explain spatial relationships
• He used eight interconnected wooden cubes first.
4WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
1974
5WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Target and ConstructionCutting a cube with various planes is a fairly standard exercise and leads to the well-known 23 and 33 arrays.
1. Let the pieces stay together!
2. Let the pieces move only in groups!
6WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Result
Hungarian Patent No.: HU170062Applied: 30 January, 1975Granted: 28 October, 1976
7WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Model and Product
3x3x3
8WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Magic Cube – Bűvös Kocka• It is not a toy – it is a puzzle for everyone.• Coloration makes the complexity.• Excellent tool for self teaching. A challenge
for one’s logic and patience. Cube has even many sub goals – e.g. one can get pleasure out of simply doing one or two sides or just the corners.
• Magic Cube gave birth to a new class of twisty puzzles.
See at Jaaps Puzzle Page
9WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Complexity• Twisty puzzles typically made up of regular
corner/edge/center piecescorner/edge/center pieces and can be solved using basic tools of abstract algebra.
• However, if a sufficient number of pieces are fused togetherfused together, a "bandaged puzzle" emerges, and the mathematics behind this is more complicated.
• Few variations of classic Rubik’s Cube are bandaged puzzlesbandaged puzzles!
10WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Solution
Ernő Rubik’s notes
11WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Rubik wasn’t a marketing savant in 1974, but a shy 29-year-old
teacher who did knew he has had created a
unique cube
12WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Hungarian Marketing• 1976-78 almost without concept, „just put on „just put on
exhibitory shelf…! Do not twist!” exhibitory shelf…! Do not twist!” Konsumex • December 1978 mathematician Dr. Tibor
Laczi, „Let me try!”„Let me try!”• Dr. Laczi showed it to
Tom Kremer • 1979 ContractContract
Production started in Hungaryin 1976
13WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Partner is Ideal Toy Co.
• Tom Kremer was key figure who helped to bring the first Cube to American International Toy Fair in New York in 1980.
• "I knew when I first saw Ernő's Cube Ernő's Cube creationcreation that it was going to have universal appeal, but it was hard to imagine just how popular it would become,"
14WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Marketing in USA• 1980 Toy Fair New York – Ideal Toy Co.• Hungarian connection was important
Zsazsa Gabor
Prof. Solomon W. Golomb
Source: KPCC
15WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Rymes and Robotics
Claude Shannon, the father of IT set about to build a device to solve the cube.
A Rubric on Rubik Cubics (1981)
Strange imports come from Hungary:Count Dracula, and ZsaZsa G.,Now Erno Rubik’s Magic CubeFor PhD or country rube.This fiendish clever engineerEntrapped the music of the sphere.It’s sphere on sphere in all 3D—A kinematic symphony!Ta! Ra! Ra! Boom De Ay!
Source: Scientific American Blog
16WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Cube Big Bang
17WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Cube Impact on Society• Media, TV, films…• Very popular among young ones, but also
many ordinary customers were frustrated • Mathematicians, scientists, engineers love it• Marketing community jumped for it• Fashion • … many more
18WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Recreational Mathematics• Prof. David Singmaster is most famous for his cube
notation to the Rubik's Cubenotation to the Rubik's Cube (i.e., what letters denote what face to turn on the Rubik's Cube) and his huge personal collection of mechanical puzzles and books of brain teasers. He met the Cube in 1978.
• Prof. Solomon Golomb has devised an analogy between Cube corners and quarksCube corners and quarks, which he has extended into a complete Cubic cosmology. – The mating habits of quarks mirror the twisting properties
of the `corner cubies'
19WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Two Puzzle Crazes
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
1880 1980
Samuel Loyd’s 15 puzzle Rubik’s Cube 3x3x3
Source: X EntertaimentSource: CTK Insights
20WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Puzzle Craze in 1880• U.S. in FebruaryFebruary • Canada in MarchMarch• Europe in AprilApril• Craze had dissipated by JulyJuly, same year• Puzzle was not introduced to Japan until
1889• The craze was fuelled by numerous cash
prizes up to $1000 were offered for anyone who could provide a solution for the swapped 15-14 situation.
See more Fifteen Puzzle
21WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Puzzle Craze in 1980• 1977 Magic Cube production 12,000 pcs for
domestic market• 1978 for export 2,100 pcs• 1979 contract was signed between Ideal Toys Co.,
Ltd. and KONSUMEX Foreign Trading Co. to deliver 1 million pcs1 million pcs within a year.
• 1980 February, New York Toy Fair.New name: Rubik’s Cube
• Craze had dissipated by 1983
22WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
23WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Intn’l Mathematicians Conference in Helsinki
New York Toy Fair
Production stopped
Production started
Strengthening the Brand
More Competitions
You CAN do the Rubik’s Cube
STEAM
World Competition
Collected from several sources 180~400 million pcs cubes were sold
Video gamesWorld Wide Web 2005 You Tube….
24WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Outreach 2010
25WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös
Outreach 2014: STEAM Project• SScience, TTechnlogy, EEngineering, AArt, MMathematics• Exhibition at Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, USA
26WPCF 2014, Gyöngyös 26
Ernő Rubik said• „When you are studying from a book, lots of
people go straight to the end to look for the answers. But that's not my style. For me, the most enjoyable part is the puzzle, the most enjoyable part is the puzzle, the process of solving, not the solution itselfprocess of solving, not the solution itself.”
• But remember: THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY…
27WPCF 2014, GyöngyösPhoto: Landon Nordeman Smithsonian.com
Invent, play and inspire! Thank you!