The 1980’s Rubik Cube Craze

May 28th 2025: The Rubik’s Cube wasn’t just a toy—it was a cultural phenomenon that defined the 1980s. From competitions to frustrated kids throwing it across the room, the puzzle cube became an icon of the decade.

🧩 The Birth of the Rubik’s Cube

Invented in 1974 by Hungarian professor Ernő Rubik as a teaching tool for geometry.
Originally called the “Magic Cube”, it was later rebranded as the Rubik’s Cube in 1980 when it was licensed to the Ideal Toy Corporation.
By 1981, it became a global sensation, selling millions of units.

🔥 The Early ‘80s Craze

By 1982, over 100 million Rubik’s Cubes had been sold worldwide.
Rubik’s Cube competitions became a thing, with the first-ever World Championship held in Budapest in 1982—solved in 22.95 seconds!
Pop culture embraced it – The cube appeared in movies, commercials, and even inspired cartoons, board games, and clothing.

🤯 The Frustration Factor

Many Gen X kids remember:
✅ Spending hours twisting and turning, only to mess it up worse.
✅ Peeling off the stickers just to “solve” it (a classic cheat move).
✅ Learning the secret algorithms to solve it properly.

📉 The Decline & Resurgence

By the mid-80s, the Rubik’s Cube craze faded, as kids moved on to video games like Nintendo and Atari.
It made a huge comeback in the 2000s thanks to the speedcubing community and YouTube tutorials.
Today, record-breaking solvers can complete it in under 3 seconds!