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How Rubik’s Cube craze spawned rival’s Hong Kong puzzle career, and why, at 78, he’s out to finally crack the China toy market

Uwe Meffert made his first twisting puzzles for a research project. They stayed in a drawer until the Rubik’s Cube became a hit and he took them to Hong Kong toymakers; 35 years and 230 million cubes later, he’s turned to China

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Uwe Puzzles inventor Uwe Meffert. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

What’s red, blue, green, white, yellow and orange, and has frustrated and entertained minds in equal measure for more than four decades?

It’s the Rubik’s Cube. Invented in 1974 by Hungarian architecture professor Erno Rubik as a teaching tool, it wasn’t until six years later that it took the world by storm when it was sold as a toy.

Millions of the cubes were sold as the toy generated a worldwide interest in puzzles and games. As the cube’s success was growing, another European made his way to Hong Kong with a puzzle of his own. He’s been inventing, and selling, twisting puzzles ever since.

Meffert created his first puzzles in 1970. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Meffert created his first puzzles in 1970. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Like Rubik, when Uwe Meffert created his first puzzle in 1970, it was intended to be a research tool rather than a toy. Meffert, who hails from the picturesque central German town of Wernigerode, knew nothing of puzzles to start with and had no interest in them. He was looking at their effects on human health and brain stimulation.
The whole thing about puzzles is they should help you to become smarter ... We never give a complete solution
Uwe Meffert

“At that time, there was a big hype about pyramid power. Everything about pyramids was magic, and I thought it was a lot of nonsense. As a scientist, I wanted to prove that. I was doing some research on the energy flows of different shapes when we play with them, and how they affect our circulation, mental stimulation, etc,” says Meffert.

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