Teenagers are turning to Rubik’s Cubes to help boost their mental agility amid concerns they spend too much time online.
The puzzle firm said it shipped a record 18 million units last year, three million more than in 2017.
It comes as a new generation of teen “Speedcubers” are solving the puzzle in increasingly faster times.
Unlike their predecessor in the Eighties Rubik’s craze, modern cubes have no coloured stickers, which were replaced by plastic tiles, and the connectors inside are designed to turn more slickly for quicker solving.
Seventeen-year-old speedcubing national champion George Scholey has memorised huge numbers of algorithms to help him crack the puzzle in under eight seconds, and its smaller version in a quarter of that time.
He said: “I definitely use it as a way to replace being on YouTube or playing video games.
“We definitely need stuff like this as a hobby to progress us intellectually.
“Being on your phone all the time, even if it’s a puzzle game, just won’t do the same thing. When it’s something real, you’re using your dexterity and mental agility to get fast at something and progress, that’s really special.”
George holds the British speedcubing record, meaning he can solve the 2x2 cube, with four squares on each face, in 1.69 seconds, which he said has about three trillion combinations.
His best time for solving the more common 3x3 cube is 7.59 seconds, which has some 42 quintillion combinations. Under two minutes is considered a respectable time.
George, who practises for up to four hours daily, credits his skills to learning vast numbers of algorithms and then applying these combinations at high speeds. He is now set on the world record — 3.47 seconds for a regular cube.
The national record-holder for the larger 7x7 cube, Eli Jay, 16, of Muswell Hill, can crack it in two minutes 19 seconds and practises for up to 90 minutes a day.
The sixth-former said: “It keeps my brain engaged whilst relaxing. The physical aspect of the puzzle is very satisfying to complete, seeing the colours all aligned, maybe more so than getting to the end of a video game and seeing the title screen.”
Christoph Bettin, chief executive of Notting Hill-based Rubik’s Brand, said: “People love having something tactile in their hands and we’re now on to our third generation of Rubik’s cubers.”
