Wikipedia

Sudoku Cube

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.

A scrambled Sudokube puzzle

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] in magazines,[8] in newspapers,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15] 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.[16][17][18][19][20] 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]

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):[21][22]

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

The Rubik's 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.[23]

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.[24] 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. 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. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  7. ^ "Toy maker combines Sudoku and Rubik's Cube... - Collectibles Blog". web.archive.org. 2008-11-23. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  8. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20061213010820/http://www.sudokucube.net/readersdigest.pdf
  9. ^ "The Telegraph - Calcutta : International". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  10. ^ "Sudoku cube a brain-scrambler: News24: Entertainment: International". web.archive.org. 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  11. ^ "Sudoku Cube 2/11/07 | 13abc.com". web.archive.org. 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  12. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090901003131/http://www.boston.com/business/technology/gallery/international_toy_fair_2007?pg=8
  13. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100327144957/http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2007/02/20/2003349666/print
  14. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20090412002015/http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,466999,00.html
  15. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20100327100503/http://www.gzt.ru/topnews/business/101671.html
  16. ^ "Sudoku Cube Information by American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  17. ^ https://americanclassictoy.com/downloads/engdemo.mov
  18. ^ https://americanclassictoy.com/downloads/engtvc30.mov
  19. ^ https://americanclassictoy.com/downloads/spanishdemo.mov
  20. ^ https://americanclassictoy.com/downloads/spanishtvc30.mov
  21. ^ "American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2006-12-13. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  22. ^ "How to Play Sudoku Cube Game by American Classic Toy". americanclassictoy.com. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  23. ^ "Sudoku Deluxe Keychain by American Classic Toy". web.archive.org. 2008-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-04.
  24. ^ Scalable Sudokube Simulation – YouTube

See also edit

 

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