The humble Rubik's Cube has come a long way since it's inception in 1974. The original version of the cube still remains cool in its simplicity but in the last 37 years we have seen its reincarnation and influence in everything from awesome merchandise and fashion influences through to variations on the actual toy itself that read like a hall of fame list of ill-received Christmas gifts.
Check out the top ten evolutions of the Rubik's Cube here.
The Advert
Last year, 'Drench' decided to carry on in their established theme of bizarre ads with this awesome version of the Rubiks cube taking form in a mans head! This ad does lead you to wonder what random objects it would actually be possible to give the Rubiks treatment to.
The Movie
Its debatable how likely it is that this film would have taken the simple Rubiks cube as its inspiration. If it didnt then there are still definite similarities to be drawn between the two. The Cubes storyline centres around a group of prisoners trapped inside, you guessed it, a cube. This cube, in turn, is built of smaller cubes, or in the prisoners cases, cells, which rotate and turn round each other. As it turns out, the film is actually pretty cool, but Ive heard the sequels are probably best avoided.
The Huge Cube
Ok, so youre one of the few who have read the books, spent countless hours tearing their hair out and have worked their way through a borderline medically dangerous amount of pro plus tablets required to complete the original. Where do you go from there? How do you fill that newly cube-shaped void in your life? Obviously with a much bigger cube! The 7x7x7 cube applies the tried and tested mantra of if its not broke, dont fix it, just make it much bigger
The Multicube
If the above example of making the puzzle bigger by simply increasing the dimensions is just too obvious then heres an alternative idea: take a load of separate cubes and ram then together to make this monstrosity; the multicube.
The Tiny Cube
The complete opposite of the huge cube, the tiny 2x2x2 cube is for those that refuse to give up, even when perseverance starts to come at the cost of a slight loss of dignity. If you buy one of these cubes, dont tell anyone youve done so, otherwise you will have to admit to failing to complete the easiest version of the puzzle if the new downsized efforts go awry.
The Keyboard Cube
For some reason, if you slap a load of keyboard keys on something, real or imitated, its cool. Im not sure why, it just is. This set in stone rule has been applied to all sorts of products from handbags to the Rubiks Cube. Did the person who sat up sticking computer keys onto the cube have a bit too much free time on their hands? Thats a given. Nonetheless, this works really well.
The Cube that isn’t a cube
How do completely think outside the box? Abandon the idea of a box and replace it with a ball! A great lesson in how to milk a product for all its got, perhaps to a slightly shameful level, this shows that all you have to do is change an element of the product that doesnt really make any difference to its main function and ship that bad boy out there to a whole new, if slightly naive, audience.
The Rubiks Cube that has nothing to do with a Rubik’s Cube
Geek Chic? Retro cool? Ironically cool? Whatever name you want to put on it, there is something about these garish trainers that is somehow cool. Like an ultimate guilty pleasure, if someone bought these shoes for you there would probably be a part of you that wouldnt be that gutted. (When I say you here I mean me. I want these shoes).
The Mug
Another piece of Rubiks inspired merch, I am making no excuses or pretenses of reluctance on this one. This mug is 100% cool, no guilt attached, no ironic purpose, no subtlety at all, this is awesome. Is there any other mug out there that better offsets a deliberately positioned half eaten biscuit? No.
The Original
Sneakily crammed in the final tenth place, the original version had to be included in the list. I thought I would leave you with the clip below which goes to show that if you can solve an original Rubiks cube then you can get through literally any situation, in this case a Princeton University interview.
by Chris Fiander
