It proved a useful tool for teaching algebraic group theory, and in late 1977 Konsumex, Hungary's state trading company, began marketing it.

His father, who was also named Ernő Rubik, was a flight engineer at the Esztergom aircraft factory, and his mother, Magdolna Szántó, was a poet.

Ernő Rubik has stated that:[5] Beside him I learned a lot about work in the sense of a value-creating process which has a target, and a positive result too.

Rubik stated, "Schools offered me the opportunity to acquire knowledge of subjects or rather crafts that need a lot of practice, persistence, and diligence with the direction of a mentor.

Rubik made the original prototypes of his cube by hand, cutting the wood, boring the holes and using elastic bands to hold the contraption together.

Rubik realized that because of the cube's simple structure, it could be manufactured relatively easily and might have appeal to a larger audience.

[6] The Rubik's Cube became an instant success worldwide, won several Toy of the Year awards, and became a staple of 1980s popular culture.

At the academy, he created the International Rubik Foundation to support especially talented young engineers and industrial designers.

These include Leonardo da Vinci, whom Rubik regards as the Renaissance man; Michelangelo, whom he respects as a polymath, painter, and sculptor; and artist M. C. Escher, who drew impossible constructions and grappled with explorations of infinity.

As regards to philosophers and writers, Rubik admires Voltaire, Stendhal, Thomas Mann, Jean-Paul Sartre, Hungarian poet Attila József, Jules Verne, and Isaac Asimov.

[5] Rubik describes himself as a lifelong bibliophile, saying "books offered me the possibility of gaining knowledge of the world, nature and people."

As well, he is fond of nature walks, sports, sailing on Lake Balaton — and gardening, saying "collecting succulents is my favourite pastime.