The Fever Dream That Was Rubik The Amazing Cube: The Biggest Stretch of All Time?

Rubik, the Amazing Cube was a 1983 half-hour Saturday morning animated series based on the Rubik's Cube, a puzzle created by Ernő Rubik.
It was produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises and broadcast as part of The Pac-Man/Rubik, the Amazing Cube Hour block on ABC from September 10 to December 10, 1983 and continued reruns until September 1, 1984.
Think of the weirdest subject you could possibly imagine inspiring an animated series for kids, something that makes you stop and say:
“No. That would never work. There’s no way. What would it even be about?”
Now stop thinking about that and GET OUT!
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[@JohnDoe-wq5eu]

I can't think of another decade a cartoon like this could have possibly been made. The '80s truly were a crazy time.

[@pooddescrewch8718]

Completely corrupt .

[@jonathantillian6528]

I'd love to see a Silly Putty cartoon. Like some weird alien that lives in his egg and gets released to solve problems by stretching, bouncing, and copying old newsprint.

[@TheDoomspeaker]

Yes please.

[@peterparker6584]

I'm pretty sure they did that. There was a cartoon based on chock I'm not joking there was this little boy with magic chock that allowed him to enter a Magic World of 2d cartoon ran for quite a while God if I could remember the name of it was on ABC or NBC back in the day.

[@Fondie1]

@@peterparker6584 Simon And The Land of Chalk Drawings

[@Fondie1]

And Nickelodeon with Chalkzone!

[@peterparker6584]

@@Fondie1 Nickelodeon with Chalkzone! and Simon And The Land of Chalk If I remember correctly were the exact same cartoon one was a continuation of the other and they basically renamed it when they did the updated version if I remember correctly was the same character and the same scenario however one cartoon was done like 15 years after the other. I think the Kool-Aid Man God forgive me for saying this had an animated movie or a couple of Fort cartoons, and there was also brace yourself for this Peter puck . I completely forgot about that series of books and there was at least one animated version of the character he was basically something to do with hockey and telling children about hockey it was a animated character based on a bloody hockey puck that has arms legs at a face you can't make something like that up it was from the 1960s originally if I remember correctly in a series of books and at one point they use the character in some sort of promotion for children's hockey I think he was a safety mascot or something like that in a safety video. I know it's not like he had a 13-episode animated series but still you got to admit that's what kind of drugs were they on territory. It's not much of a stretch for animated cars that concept has been around almost as long as cars but Rubik's Cube a glass full of soft drink and a hockey puck any of those have to have you scratching your head wondering what was involved the same as that cartoon about a world of Chalk. I'm sure if me and a few other people start scratching our heads we can probably come up with a few more even more absurd properties that were made into cartoon play in the 1960s and 1980 I think somewhere is in the late 80s Studio executive started getting better medications and that's why things got better. Or maybe it was the guys in white jackets with fishing nets rounded up all those people that escaped from institutions during the Reagan Administration and got jobs at Studios like NBC. Turbo teen when you think about it wasn't nearly as bizarre as Rubik laser tag was a little bit weird but if they had taken the show in a different directions it wouldn't have been at all weird and would have still probably made a 13 episode cartoon series they could have done a series of cartoons about bumping sports-related with laser tag where you at groups of teens that were in competitions like they did with mr. T and those kids on the bus with the Olympic team kind of thing where are the stories were a boat by gymnastics team on the bus and mr. T was the driver or whatever the heck you was on that show. Hanna Barbera did a cartoon called Speed Buggy where a group of hippies built a car and for absolutely no reason the car came to life after they were done building it this was A little over 10 years before Knight Rider LOL. Once again cartoon logic. I still think there is more bizarre cartoon based on inanimate objects brought to life then Rubik the amazing Cube and Peter puck. And I will not be putting Karate Kid the Animated Series on this list don't get me started about questioning what kind of drugs were involved in that one;) just go look up Karate Kid the Animated Series if this guy hasn't already done a video on it I'm pretty sure there was only a couple of colouring book or activity books there wasn't any other merchandise besides I think lunch boxes connected to that property. It was one of those Island of Misfit mistakes that I think they plan to do merchandise that never happened and yet it still May 13 episode just because. There were properties where they had a toy line fired up ready to go in stores and only two or three out of 13 episodes of Arrow aired and yet Karate Kid the Animated Series ran for 13 episodes without a toy line you go along with it. I still think turbo teen was supposed to have a toy line. They did a miniseries about Bigfoot and a orange truck and that particular thing had a phone connected boy line ironically and it was only like 3 or 4 episode was a movie basically broken up into pieces.

[@Pharaoh025]

"Chuck Norris and the Cowboys of Moo Mesa". Sold!

[@Slayerthecrow]

"Chuck Norris and the Cowboys of Moo Mesa" Yes, I'll pay to see that.

[@jameslee7307]

Hmmmm, Walker Texas Ranger and the Cowboys of Moo Mesa??

[@matguy1000]

Initially thought to be pulverized when he was stampeded by the cowboys on moo Mesa, Chuck Norris, surprisingly, recovered as 3 more Chuck Norrises. Norriss? Norris's Norrisi -screw it.

[@leonardfabian8942]

Id buy that for a dollar.

[@unocarb]

Wot in tarnation?

[@OldManTheseDays]

I messed with a weird magical cube once and I ended up in hell. Still can’t figure out what happened.

[@mrgreatbigmoose]

Ha! Only a pinhead would mess with something like that

[@kafkasvulture]

That really cenobites.

[@peterparker6584]

Thank you for saving me the trouble of writing that. Especially given by the rules laid out by the creator of that particular intellectual property there are dozens of those cubes and different forms scattered all around the world I've always expected them to do a version of the movie where the lament puzzle is a Rubik's Cube that would be both horrifying and funny at the same time one of the movies if I remember correctly in the background has a display of all sorts of different versions of the Hellraiser Cube there might have even been a Hellraiser spear .

[@michaelwills1926]

That sounds legendary

[@shattaredentertainment4782]

Well you solved the box. And they answered. Simple

[@toyhappyutube]

My son and I have a long standing "game" going on. He has several different Rubik's cube styles in a number of places around the house and is very good at solving them all. When I come across one done, I mess it up. He eventually comes along and just resolves it again. We've been doing this going on 5 years now.

[@camcordernonsense5264]

my son spent 3 in the afternoon til 3am working on a cube. he scared the crap out of us in the middle of the night screaming i solved it. I solved it. he got into timing himself and one year later, he did not care. hasn't touched a cube in 5 years. keep that game up with your kid.

[@willmistretta]

Speaking of weird Ruby-Spears cartoons, I'd love to see you guys cover my favorite as a kid: Saturday Supercade!

[@kharilester]

I used to watch this show and it did inspire me to buy a Rubik's cube...but I didn't learn how to solve one, until KZbin was invented.

[@journ9er]

Thanks to the cartoon, our Rubik's Cube became my imaginary friend when I was a kid. I would bring it to school holding it on my shoulder to simulate Rubik sitting there. I would scramble the cube and my mom would have to solve it with a guidebook. It drove my parents mad.

[@justc215]

Sad

[@ZachSeineVideos]

"Hello! I am Rubik.... wE HaVE sUCh SiGHts To shOW YoU."

[@snukastyle]

I was about to comment if they used the Lament Configuration instead of Rubik's Cube...

[@jasonblalock4429]

@@snukastyle That definitely sounds like a Robot Chicken sketch.

[@everything80spodcast68]

They really had no choice but to make a cartoon; the Rubik's cube was hands-down the best selling toy of the 80s. With his powers like telekinesis, changing size, and time travel, Rubik probably should have been recruited by the Avengers. Rubik is like if Dr. Strange and Orko from He-Man had a baby...

[@Astronopolis]

Oh my god when I was a young boy visiting family in Greece in the 80s my grandparents found a VHS of this show for me and my sister to watch. My vague memory of this show has been heretofore passed off as a fever dream, thanks for unlocking this memory!

[@TearyEyesAnderson]

Rubik the Amazing Cube, always reminded me of the character Glomer from the animated show "It's Punky Brewster". Looking forward to a Toy Galaxy video about 'Punky Brewster' someday.

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

Agreed. I wanna know what the hell drove them to make Glomer.

[@YodaPagoda]

I watched this show every Saturday Morning without fail. Who cared if it was about a puzzle toy that all of us already had? I"m surprised that it only had 13 episodes, but time runs slow for 7 year olds in 1983. I loved it, and I don't care what anyone thinks.

[@garthdavis4320]

Someone actually remembered this.

[@raven4152001]

- I remember this. My mom used to draw the alien's face, and we'd stick it to a rubik's cube. 😄😄😄😄

[@JLvatron]

@@raven4152001 That's a clever idea!

[@Cobralalalala]

"Someone" remembers everything. :)

[@edrice2621]

Yes, I have seen this show when it aired back then.

[@bustyrandit]

I do... fondly.

[@RyanParreno]

The forgotten Hungarian - Spanish connection of your childhood

[@brianjl7477]

Okay, who else wants to watch "Chuck Norris and the Cowboys of Moo Mesa" as badly as I do?

[@luiszuniga2859]

plus "Larson the Amazing Cube"

[@TheDoomspeaker]

I immediately thought that! I would love to see a fan edit of them together!

[@peterparker6584]

@@TheDoomspeaker Would like to see that myself right up there with Chuck Norris doing a guest appearance on Brave sir. Citizens of new taxes cried out for a hundred lawmen and they got one. This is the story of Walker new Texas Ranger. The bad guys would probably be running before 30 30 even got his gun loaded LOL. They know what they're in for when they chalk.

[@thebenalvarez]

The Undertaker can be his sidekick.

[@Cyril29a]

That was a weird season, I believe Turbo Teen and Monchichi also aired the same year.

[@junrosamura645]

History of Monchichi sounds good.

[@Cyril29a]

@@junrosamura645 Monchichistory?

[@favoritemustard3542]

@@Cyril29a, c'mon now, be Cyrilous.

[@Toastedtasty42]

Don't tease me with Thundarr like that!!! I'd love to see you guys cover it!

[@CEOdawg]

I just bought the DVD of it about a month ago. 21 episodes of animated cheesy action.

[@Toastedtasty42]

@@CEOdawg It's so good! Not even in an ironic way, it's exactly what it needs to be.

[@Desslar]

@@Toastedtasty42 Exactly. A true classic.

[@chrisw6164]

He will never do Thundarr. It’s a meme at this point.

[@TryniaMerin]

I recall this show fondly in all its weirdness and creativity. He was one strange "companion cube"

[@geardog24]

I remember owning a rubik cube. It didn't have a troll face sticking out of it though.

[@SpencerWilliamsIV]

Did you solve it?

[@JungleMan777]

Oh! That show! I remember changing the channel when it came on...good times.

[@scottandrewhutchins]

I liked this show a lot when it aired, it was the only time I ever saw Latino culture on kids' shows that were not on PBS, where I watched Sesame Street and Via Allegre. That made it different. The family was really likeable, and and I later thought Rubik was more or less what a Trollan looked like under the hat.

[@brettmastema7056]

I loved Via Allegre i have the theme stuck in my head now, LOL

[@darktoylord]

Michael Bell is my hero. A bucket list moment for me was when I met him at Rhode Island Comic Con :)

[@JLvatron]

Yups! I've met Michael at BotCon 2001 & 2 TFcons. Great guy!

[@MrBoyYankee]

AKA THA DUKE HOUSER

[@Desslar]

He is the voice of the 80s to my mind.

[@davidmreyes77]

It’s pretty cool that the family on the show was portrayed as Hispanic. You didn’t see that a lot back then.

[@NatetheNerdy]

Call me pessimistic, but I think that might have been done just because it was rare. Whether it causes a controversy or gets people praising it, that's free publicity for a show that needs all the crutches it can hold, what with it lacking any legs to stand on.

[@juliusmaloney]

@@NatetheNerdy yeah, no. Growing up in the era, kids TV was not courting controversy. There was no click bait or hoping to incense either side of politics. Saturday morning cartoon had an audience of exclusively kids where the hook would’ve have been the Rubik’s cube, not the nationality of the family.

[@mikeborsum8881]

@@juliusmaloney The only time you saw that on cartoon saturday was Justice League or Superfriends! When they added Black Vulcan, Samurai and Apache Chief, which were completely added to make the cast more diverse.

[@qdllc]

Pandering...that’s all it was. Only lowered the intelligence of the show because the gimmick was all the show had to offer.

[@dbzfan30]

Plus, the theme song was sung by Menudo, a Latino boy band.

[@janhrubin4595]

I watched some episodes of Rubik recently on youtube. One nice detail is that Reynaldo had a strong Mexican accent, Carlos had a weaker one, and Lisa didn't have any, which would indicate the family immigrating to the U.S. when the brothers already spent much of their lives in Mexico while Lisa was still a baby or wasn't even born yet.

[@wstine79]

I don't feel comfortable jumbling up Rubik's bits.

[@GenericProtagonist118]

Jumble at your own risk.

[@Timewalkerauthor1]

I was honestly sure that no one outside my family remembered this show. Not sure how old I would have been, but I had Rubik as an imaginary friend as a child. Used to walk around with my hand in the position of how you would hold it if it was real. I'm sure we had real cubes around the house that I could have used, but they wouldn't have had the face, and I had a vivid imagination. Aaaaand now, nearly four decades later, my mother likes to bring this up in social situations to make things awkward. Oh well, can't win 'em all, I guess.

[@brandonjones2041]

What the hell guys I was just watching bootleg eps of this on youtube this week ... Get outta my head. No I'm not going to answer why I was watching them!

[@ageis]

I loved this show. It was so hard to catch an episode on TV. Aired very late in the Saturday morning cartoon tier and very random from what I remember.

[@nerdbot37]

5:42 Let's start an internet rumor: Ray from Menudo grew up to be Nick Kroll.

[@mattleuty5285]

Remember the episode where they accidentally released the Cenobites?!!!!

[@superpaul79]

Up next; Tetris: The Animated Series, followed by The Adventures of Dice, and Paddleball.

[@peterparker6584]

Didn't they do a series based on battleship? Or was it a movie? Nah it couldn't have been a movie who would spend a couple billion dollars making a movie based on the game Battleship that'd be silly.

[@peterparker6584]

@@Kaijuman900 i was joking .sad thing is it was mant too be a franchise. rockm sokm robots had a movie too

[@JLvatron]

I watched this and appreciated its ethnic groundbreaking for an american cartoon. And I love asking the 80's trivia question: "What 80's boy band sang the theme song for Rubik the Amazing Cube?" I think NBC tried to cash in on ABC's Menudo popularity, by having them guest on an episode of Silver Spoons. It was good!

[@ihuang0922]

I was thinking of that episode, too.

[@ABoyNamedArt]

I never thought of this as a potential horror show premise but now you've made it crystal clear

[@AntoineJenkins80sChild]

I remember liking this cartoon as a child.... not as much as the more popular ones but I liked it never the less.

[@LastBastian]

I was just trying to explain this show to my wife the other day. ...she didn't believe that it could be a real thing. Lol

[@WMxSmith]

I can’t hear Feliz Navidad without thinking of this show.

[@raycearcher5794]

"Kids, you need my magic! Wrench my body agonizingly into a new configuration!"

[@Titleknown]

Genuinely shocked and disappointed at the lack of Hellraiser references here...

[@raycearcher5794]

Because the show was not well remembered I guess EVEN IN HELL

[@AloisWeimar]

Jesus wept

[@dmrogers7713]

This was one of those shows I saw as a kid but then as an adult convinced myself never happened.

[@sainrub]

Happy feelings time! Thanks Toy Galaxy, Merry Christmas!

[@megagrey]

The intro/outro theme is damn catchy too.

[@GregorySesma]

My only frame of reference was a Robot Chicken sketch. Thanks for filling in those missing pieces Toy Galaxy. #knowledge

[@AaronLitz]

I still get that damn theme song in my head sometimes. "Ruuuubiiik... "

[@crowningchristopher8273]

For some reason that theme song really stuck with me. Every time I see a Rubik's cube the song plays on my head.

[@ihuang0922]

I remember watching this cartoon as a kid. If I remember, Carlos was the one who could solve the puzzle the fastest, especially in a crunch. Back then, I did not realize how ahead of its time it was for having creating a Latin family, but, as I got older, I was able to appreciate it.

[@gtexodus]

Thanks for making me relive this nightmare!

[@benjaminolson7206]

Truly there is no piece of 80's chlidren's media so obscure that it will not eventually get a Robot Chicken sketch and a Toy Galaxy video.

[@Eventwow]

I was born in 82. I only remember the Little’s from this episode Saturday preview.

[@marinosgoat9208]

born in 77 i loved this cartoon, my name is Reginald & my grandmother would tell me Reynaldo was my name in spanish. also remember reminding ppl in early mid 90s about this & Pacman cartoons & no1 remembering

[@steprockmedia]

You know what this show needs? A throwback TV commercial section! Oh, wait. There it is. You may carry on now. My life is complete.

[@greenlanternhg5141]

I remember waking up to The Littles, Pac-Man and Rubix...menudo is where Great video Mr Larson, Producer Greg MP 👍🏽✌🏽

[@mariogarcia5973]

Menudo also had action figures, they came with a mini poster and cassingle if I remember correctly. Three Hispanic kids that have to share the same toy that was found and not bought is relatable to me.

[@MatthewTheWolf2029]

Man I remember that show. In fact, it was one of the first shows I saw in the 80s along with many others.

[@doctorhandsome]

I feel like it might behoove you to make a running gag out of something like, "and of course Robot Chicken referenced it."

[@seibervideo]

I remember watching this when staying at a motel for my aunt’s wedding. It’s one of the few times I actually saw the show.

[@sk1ppman]

Love those bubble lights!

[@kiruppert]

There are a few shows I remember vaguely from my early childhood that I describe as remember “as a fever dream” and this is definitely one of them

[@keithmaxon9510]

So happy for the return of "Look . . . . "

[@mechtech220]

nice profile pic!

[@bradyoung74]

Just gotta say - I can’t believe you unearthed this one to review, complete with the Menudo interstitial details! Well played Mr. Larsen...well played.

[@EastsideShowSCP]

never thought I would ever hear the phrase "Speed Cubing" but now I have.

[@ChrisS-fh7zt]

My dad has an old early 80's key chain off brand cube where it is all yellow on all sides. Talk about never having to worry about mixing it up.

[@skurgeI]

My goodness. I forgot all about this. I haven't seen this since I was a 5 years old.

[@bngjessie666]

I’m sorry but Dan’s face on the Rubik’s Cube is somehow even more nightmare fuelish.🤣

[@GenerationExorcist]

I kept waiting for the episode where the kids solved the puzzle box and released the Cenobites. Maybe that was coming in Season 2.

[@garfjaconsen1161]

This really makes me wish for a hellraiaer kids show...

[@michaelwilson5114]

Pet Rock: The Adventure Begins

[@tonyc.6205]

Better than "Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins"...

[@michaelwilson5114]

@@tonyc.6205 Hey! I liked that movie.

[@binbalebardac4156]

I also suffer from the weakness of having my bits jumbled, lol.

[@tommoore4128]

I loved this cartoon when I was little.

[@Wayo.]

For the reboot let's get Ricky Martin to do the theme song!

[@GMSpada]

oh the littles.. loved that show..

[@phillyvoodoo]

I was just thinking yesterday that some nostalgia KZbinr should do this series..... And Bam!!!!

[@SecretGalaxyTV]

BAM!

[@timlawrence7204]

For some reason when Dan said “magical sentient puzzle cube” I couldn’t help but imagine some Hollywood type trying to make a kids show out of Pinhead and his “magical puzzle box”.

[@mr.vidjagamez9896]

True Fact: Shigeru Miyamoto's mortal foe is the creator of the Rubik's Cube. He invented Mario as a super-weapon to destroy "The Cube" and its creator once and for all.

[@thachocolategod]

I would totally watch Larson The Amazing Cube and his bombastic sidekick Greg.

[@AverageDrafter]

I remember watching one of those New Saturday Morning Cartoon Lineup Preview shows they did in prime time where they first introduced the idea, the corporeal concept that is Rubik The Amazing Cube. It may have been the first time I experienced the conscience sensation of "What an incredibly stupid thing I can't wait to see..." in my young life.

[@sabastianrager6884]

I want a dvd set of all these weird cartoons that a lot of people have forgotten

[@thebadgamer1967]

I liked this show back in the day

[@FirstNameLastName-oo1zm]

My favorite KZbin channel

[@shoreknightseer3152]

i remember actually liking that show

[@laranaarana]

I remember this cartoon and thought that it was a pretty weird and ridiculous way to make children get into the game. I guess it worked!

[@CaptainRufus]

I saw it as a kid. But we only had a Rubiks Revenge which was a 4 by 4 cube? Gift to the family.

[@nibiruliberaldemon2125]

there were no toys from this show,..just the cube which i still can't solve!!

[@KyaniMosaic_Crone]

Oh the irony of watching this since Toys R Us has gone the way of the Dodo years ago & Rubiks cube is still such a beloved & timeless toy/puzzle that there are still world championships & new Guinness Book of World Records being set with it all the time

[@freakshowfilmfestival3591]

Move over Tim Robins. Dan spouting out ALL the possibilities

[@bleeneo101]

Omg lol I would have never remembered this if it wasn't for that thumbnail lmao

[@TheNerdyGeekLife]

Menudo, aghhh we use to have " I hate Menudo buttons" during that craze. lol

[@benjaminhayward5921]

Imagine how different Saturday mornings would have been if the Rodriguez kids solved a magical puzzle cube and surrendered their souls to the exquisite pleasures of ultimate suffering.

[@paulguthrie4857]

🤣🤣🤣 Massively under-rated comment!!!

[@torquetheprisoner]

i wonder if there is a cartoon out there about centiant stationery that come to life.

[@Titleknown]

I mean, Paper Mario The Origami King sorta has that, tho thats executive meddling of a different; worse type...

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

I watched this as a kid. I suppose it was because it was attached to the Pac-Man cartoon. I honestly don't remember a thing about it except every week Rubik got mixed up and the kid has to solve him. Robot Chicken had the right idea, they should have worked the other Rubik puzzle toys into the show. He made several of them, though none were as popular as the cube.

[@theunknownunpopularuser8319]

They could also reference cubix.

[@MarioCaez]

Menudo!!! ..... Man that takes me back.

[@earlchatterton9133]

Still got my Rubik Cube AND Magic Puzzle!

[@michaelshelton6025]

At age 4 this was certainly my favorite show...well into my teens I’d rent the video tape in secret lol

[@panzer622]

Rubik was one of the weirdest cartoons. I had a Merlin as a kid. That could make for a bizarre cartoon.

[@andyking894]

OMG, it WAS real!! I had really bad ear infections when I was young; probably had one around this time, and I vaguely remember that evil looking cube troll thing. Never saw it again until today. Scared the Hell out of me. Like, David S. Pumpkins scared.😲

[@eladiocofresi5202]

Fascinating. And I do agree with you on Latin American history. I never heard of the show. Then again, I did not know I had the same surname as a famous boxer until later on in junior high school.

[@jonlowrey]

"Rubik we need you to blow up the raft" Rubik explodes the raft. "No, not blow it up" That joke from the show still in there after 36 years😭

[@volcanicash4893]

Is it BAD that your opening credits score makes me dance in my chair?

[@plaztik767]

Early “80’s” flashback. I remember watching this on the living room floor with my sister when we were both small tykes.. great trip to the past 👍🏻