Attempting to Solve the RUBIK'S MAGIC (With NO HELP)

At least you know I didn't lie.

FAVs (Frequently Asked Videos)

[halfaheartbongobongo]

I've only ever seen this puzzle in pictures and always wondered how it actually moved. After seeing it in I'm even more confused lol.

[joshgirndt]

As someone who's pretty well versed in this puzzle, I can say you were excruciatingly close to solving it a few times! When you first saw the 2x4 pattern with 2/3 of the linked rings, you were one "algorithm" or 6 panel folds away from the solution. Unfortunately, it kinda went downhill from there lol! But you also started to figure out how to change it into the L shape, but only when the puzzle was in an incorrect state.

Fun fact about the puzzle, there's two sides to it, and each side has their own set of ways how each side can be folded, but those sides also have the possibly of being reversed! So, when you were making it into a tube/bracelet, you were folding It to where the unlinked rings were on the inside. If you had tried it again with the unlinked rings facing out, it wouldn't work, and you could only create a "hole" the size of 1 panel. In that state, you can also only create the L shape on the linked rings side. However, in the middle of your solve, your managed to do a reversing move, which made it to where you could only perform the L making pattern on the unlinked rings side. That's actually when you found the L shape and tried to reverse engineer, but there was a single panel move that you couldn't quite figure out. Excellent attempt! Another hour or so of play, and I'm willing to bet you could solve it!

[Autoskip]

As someone who can solve these things (although one of the fishing line loops on mine broke, so I don't have one to solve at the moment) I can honestly say that this was quite fun to watch, except for those times when you were trying to force it to fold in a direction that it didn't want to fold in and I could almost feel the fishing line straining.

[Nolaris]

Goal: solving the puzzle
Reality: looking for what weird shapes it can make

[redkb]

I held the US National Record once upon a time. lol 😂

[MisterAleksandr]

3:35 "Help, I accidentally build a shelf"

[rempanda]

I feel like putting it on a shelf while in one of those bizarre shapes and using it to store cubes on would make a really cool display.

[sarahgreenberg]

Honestly, this is just a great 8 minutes of watching someone be delighted by a puzzle 😂 Definitely a cheerful video.

[chrislaws]

No lie, at some points I was laughing to hard I was literally crying. It was just when you'd come up with some random ass shape that didn't even seem possible and your reaction that got me so tickled. I love it.

[Saruman]

This is insane.. How have I never seen it before? Such a cool design, it really feels like magic the way it is able to move.

[TheMimiSard]

I got one of these back in the 80s, and yes, I eventually learned how to solve it. No, I wasn't weeping at you fiddling with it and finding all the odd shapes it can take, because I recognise so many of those shapes. I got a new one a couple of years ago, as well as a deluxe one (I had one of those back when as well). I think you did well getting to the V and eventually back to the flat rectangle again. Getting the linked rings and back is just finesse.

[cszmax]

This takes me back. There is a certain twist you can do that gets you there real quick. After weeks of trying the original back in 86 I linked the rings by complete accident. The fun part was unlinking them again

[PyroTG]

My parents had one of those when I was kid. Watching you make the shapes I used to make without solving it was actually more fun than a solve imo.
Nostalgic.

[Lokpique]

I still have (and still play with) the 1986 magic puzzle that I've had since I was a kid. Easy to solve once you figure it out, but it's more fun to just do what you did and explore a ton of different configurations! Love this!

[furrydreamer]

This entire video is massively entertaining, just from how utterly relateable your bafflement is. I have never been able to wrap my head around Rubiks cubes, and my attempts to usually amount to the same overal tone as you have in this video. Best of all however, is when all you want to do is get it back into the shape it and after the time runs out and you are foldnig it in frustration, it just suddenly is and you have no idea how XD

[alden]

This is fascinating! The very first thought I had was how useful objects with similar properties could be used in spacecraft and extraterrestrial rovers/robots/vehicles. "Origami" devices will likely be important to the future of space-travel and planetary exploration, as the ability to fit complex devices into small spaces is vitally important. Being able to not only to FOLD such devices, but possibly to CHANGE the shape and functionality of such devices, via use of geometry similar to/inspired by this puzzle could be revolutionary. Imagine being able to, say, convert a space telescope into a communications array, or a shelter into a vehicle, or one tool into another. You might be able to construct such devices a 3D printer (possibly using in situ material (like
space junk, asteroids, regolith, etc.) could further increase the variety and usefulness of such objects, as well as saving precious cargo space/weight, in a scenario in which every gram of extra weight you can eliminate might mean the difference between success and failure.

[fatboyslim]

i think they should bring it back to the WCA but it starts in a random state and you have to solve it from there

[RangerOfTheOrder]

I love Rubik. The way he combined basic engineering principles with his background in architecture to create these puzzles is wonderful

[.Ds]

His attitude is so much of a loving father sounds like, always imaginative and happy. With his content he sounds like such a cool guy

[gluuuuue]

Ahh, I had one o’ these things back when they first came out. I think the cube was both more iconic and combinatorially a more classic puzzle toy, but I do recall this experience a bit fondly now.