Tiny Rubik’s Cube goes on sale in Japan to mark 40th anniversary
A tiny but playable Rubik’s Cube – so little it fits on your fingertip – has gone on sale in Japan to mark the 40th anniversary of when the original 3D puzzle was launched.
The cube measures just 9.9mm across and weighs 2g.
It is made of “ultra-precision metal” and comes with a display box, according to MegaHouse, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based toymaker Bandai.
It is available only by credit card order and costs 198,000 yen (£1,480) for delivery starting in December.
Rubik’s Cube was invented by Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik in the 1970s, and a US company turned it into a hit product in the 1980s.
More than 100 million cubes were sold worldwide in the first two years, and it was an instant hit in Japan, where more than four million were sold in the first eight months after it went on sale in July 1980.
The new tiny cube was shown this week at an exhibition in Tokyo organised by the Hungarian embassy, which also includes an artwork made with Rubik’s Cubes.
Norbert Palanovics, the Hungarian ambassador to Japan, said he tells anyone who will listen about the Rubik’s Cube because it embodies the small, simple but smart qualities of his country.
“The Rubik’s Cube is part of our everyday life here in Japan, too, and inspires everyone,” he said.
