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Sudoku Cube

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A scrambled Sudokube puzzle

The Sudoku Cube or Sudokube is a variation on a Rubik's Cube in which the aim is to solve one or more Sudoku puzzles on the sides or rows. The toy was originally created in 2006 by Jay Horowitz in Sebring, Ohio,[1] and has since been the inspiration for several similar products and variations.

Production[edit]

The Sudoku Cube was invented by veteran toy maker Jay Horowitz. Horowitz first encountered the original Sudoku puzzle when a woman sitting next to him on a plane ride explained it to him. On the same plane ride, Horowitz had the idea of combining it with the Rubik's cube.[2][3][4] He worked for a month with help from toy buyer Ken Moe until he figured out how to combine them together, and then when he figured it out, he "did not sleep for three days" while he worked out how to best arrange the numbers to create 18 unique Sudoku puzzles within the cube.[2][3][4] Horowitz already owned molds to produce Rubik's Cubes, as he owned the Ideal Toy Company which had produced them in the past and he was able to use them to produce his new design.[2] Horowitz then patented the numerical design that he created.[5] Mass production was completed in China by American Classic Toy Inc, a company belonging to Horowitz. The product was sold in the United States in retailers such as Barnes & Noble and FAO Schwarz and sold for $9.87 each (a price chosen because each number appears once).[4][2]

Marketing[edit]

Horowitz promoted his new product online,[1][2][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] in magazines,[15][16][17] in newspapers,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24] and at toy fairs such as the 2007 American International Toy Fair and Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair,[2][4] and on TV with English and Spanish commercials and demo videos.[25][26][27][28][29] Adrienne Citrin, the spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association, mentioned that Sudoku fans who felt like they had mastered the original paper version of the puzzle were interested in the new product.[2] The product was originally launched in the US and then sold internationally, exporting to Spain, France, South Africa and the United Kingdom.[4] Shortly after release, there were several imitator products sold on Amazon under the name "Sudokube".[2][30]

Objectives[edit]

In a standard Rubik's Cube, the player must match up colours on each side of the cube. In the standard Sudoku, the player has to fill the grid with the digits 1-9 such that no digit is repeated in any of the rows, columns or squares. In the original Sudoku Cube, the player has several different objectives, some of which are borrowed from the original Sudoku puzzle, and one of which is borrowed from the original Rubik's Cube. The Sudoku objectives are mostly organized from levels 1-9, and are categorised into beginner (levels 1-3), intermediate (levels 4-6), advanced (levels 7-8) and master (level 9):[31][32]

Beginner[edit]

Levels 1-3 all involve solving a number of sides. A side is considered solved when it contains each one of the digits 1-9 in the correct orientation:

  • Level 1: Solve any one side
  • Level 2: Solve any two sides
  • Level 3: Solve any three sides

Intermediate[edit]

The intermediate levels are similar to the beginner levels, but involve solving more sides:

  • Level 4: Solve any four opposite sides
  • Level 5: Solve any five sides
  • Level 6: Solve all six sides

Advanced[edit]

The advanced levels also include solving vertical columns and horizontal rows. A vertical column is considered complete when the digits 1-9 are in a vertical column on three contiguous sides of the cube. Likewise, the horizontal row is considered complete when the digits 1-9 are in a horizontal row on three contiguous sides of the cube:

  • Level 7: Solve at least one vertical column and one horizontal row, which have a digit in common, and one side.
  • Level 8: Solve two vertical columns and two horizontal rows and, which all have at lease one digit in common, and two sides.

Master[edit]

The master level involves solving all 18 Sudoku in the cube:

  • Level 9: Solve all six vertical columns, six horizontal rows and six sides

Colour Cube[edit]

In addition to the objectives derived from the Sudoku puzzle that use the numbers inscribed onto each sticker of the cube, the stickers are also coloured such that the puzzle can also be solved like an original Rubik's Cube.

Variations[edit]

Official variations[edit]

A Sudoku Cube key chain version was released, which was smaller and cheaper - selling for $3.97 + $3.49 shipping.[33]

Following the success of the Sudoku Cube, Horowitz created two more Sudoku products: The Sudoku Slide and The Sudoku Solitaire.

Unofficial variations[edit]

Variations of the Sudoku Cube are the Sudokube and Roxdoku, as well as cubes with 4×4×4 squares instead of the normal 3×3×3. This cube is very difficult compared to other cubes because as well as requiring basic knowledge of a Rubik's cube, the player must also know basic Sudoku concepts. Any wrong move could put the puzzle in jeopardy.

Computer simulations[edit]

3-D programming languages such as VPython can be used to create simulations of a Sudoku Cube.[34] Such simulations can offer features such as scaling the sudokube (to create 4×4×4 or 5×5×5 puzzles), saving, resetting, undoing, and the option to design one's own sudokube patterns.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "US toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube amid popularity of brain teasers". International Herald Tribune. 2007-02-17. Archived from the original on 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Veteran toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube". Canton Repository. 2007-02-10. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  3. ^ a b "Sudoku Cube Deluxe". American Classic Toy. Archived from the original on 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  4. ^ a b c d e Pawlyna, Andrea. "American Classic Toy, Inc". IT Figures. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2008-09-30.
  5. ^ US US2007267813A1, Horowitz, Jay, "Three dimensional sudoku cube puzzle and method", published 2007-11-22 
  6. ^ "American Classic Toy Home Page". web.archive.org. 2008-11-20. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube... - Collectibles Blog". web.archive.org. 2008-11-23. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ "Toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube... - Collectibles Blog". web.archive.org. 2008-11-23. Archived from the original on 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Sudoku Cube -Rubik's Cube Meets Sudoku". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ^ "=> Toy maker combines Sudoku, Rubik's Cube". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ^ "US toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube amid popularity of brain teasers - Pravda.Ru". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ "The-Review.com - Sebring toy maker sees Sudoku, Rubik's Cube as big winner". web.archive.org. 2008-12-06. Archived from the original on 2008-12-06. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Sudoku-Würfel auf Spielzeugmesse vorgestellt". paradisi.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  14. ^ "Sudoku Cube -Rubik's Cube Meets Sudoku". TrendHunter.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  15. ^ Miller, Lindsay (2024-06-05). "5 things we don't want you to miss" (PDF). Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  16. ^ "Techopolis". Techopolis. 2006. p. 69. Archived from the original on 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. ^ Pawlyna, Andrea (2007). "World Enterprise". World Enterprise. Vol. 4. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. ^ "The Telegraph - Calcutta : International". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ^ "Sudoku cube a brain-scrambler: News24: Entertainment: International". web.archive.org. 2010-03-28. Archived from the original on 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ^ "Sudoku Cube 2/11/07 | 13abc.com". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  21. ^ "New for your toy box". boston.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-01. American Classic Toys' Sudoku Cube may be a toy suitable for an older bunch. Company owner Jay Horowitz showed off his invention, which combines Rubik's Cube and one of today's hottest number games.
  22. ^ "Archived copy". taipeitimes.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090412002015/http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,466999,00.html
  24. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100327100503/http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/business/101671.html
  25. ^ "Sudoku Cube Information by American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2009-08-04. Archived from the original on 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  29. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-08. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  30. ^ "Sudoku Blog » Blog Archive » Sudokube - Rubiks Cube Meets Sudoku". web.archive.org. 2008-12-11. Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2024-06-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ^ "American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2006-12-13. Archived from the original on 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ^ "How to Play Sudoku Cube Game by American Classic Toy". americanclassictoy.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  33. ^ "Sudoku Deluxe Keychain by American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2008-11-20. Archived from the original on 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ^ "Scalable Sudokube Simulation". August 22, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016 – via YouTube.

See also[edit]

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