`Sudoku Cube' hopes to frustrate a new generation

Jay Horowitz, owner of American Classic Toys, holds up a Sudoku Cube in Sebring, Ohio, on Feb. 5. PHOTO: AP

A warehouse in middle-of-nowhere northeast Ohio has become the final resting site for hundreds of large metal molds once used to make some long-forgotten toys.

From time to time, toy industry veteran Jay Horowitz uses the molds he has accumulated to resurrect a toy and reintroduces it to the collectibles market, cashing in on its nostalgic value.

But last year, in what he calls a moment of inspiration, Horowitz merged a classic 1980s toy with a recent puzzle fad.

He thinks he has got a major seller on his hands with the Sudoku Cube -- a blend of Sudoku and the Rubik's Cube.

Sudoku, the addictive puzzle craze that originated in Japan, is made up of number grids that require the numbers one through nine to be filled into squares arranged in rows of nine without repeating a number in any line. The Rubik's Cube is a block made of various colored, movable squares that the user tries to line up into solid colors on each side.

Horowitz was peddling his hybrid of Rubik's Cube and the popular puzzle Sudoku to a worldwide audience at the American International Toy Fair last week in New York City.

The Sudoku Cube sells for about US$10 and is more complicated than Rubik's Cube. Horowitz's cube challenges the player to align numbers one through nine on one or more sides or in rows.

The colorful cube is made in China by his newly formed company, American Classic Toy Inc. Retailers carrying the cube include Barnes & Noble, FAO Schwarz and backtobasicstoys.com.

Horowitz has already sold thousands, but he has some competition. There are several other Sudoku cubes on the market. A search on Amazon.com shows two other versions, named Sudokube.

Sudoku fans who feel like they have mastered the paper version -- the puzzle found in most daily newspapers -- have shown interest in the cubed versions, said Adrienne Citrin, spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association.

"We're seeing that Sudoku and the next phase of brain teasers are becoming increasingly popular," Citrin said. "These cubes are the next level."

Even in an age of video games, Citrin said puzzle games are experiencing a surge of popularity.

"People feel a sense of accomplishment when they've completed the puzzle or the game. We see this as an increasing trend," Citrin said.

The 60-year-old Horowitz has spent years reproducing classic toys like Gaylord the Pup, Howdy Doody and Evel Knievel stunt cycles.

Others still have play value, like American Classic Derby, an arcade-style game where up to four players shoot metal balls to advance a horse to the finish line.

"It's noisy. It's fun for boys," Horowitz said. "You've got to choose the ones appropriate for today's market. There's got to be a reason why it would sell."