Rubik, the Amazing Cube: Rubik’s First Christmas

We’re mysteriously floating back to 1983 on an unseasonably warm Christmas adventure through Mexico on a Saturday morning cartoon that lasted a shorter amount of time than the fad it tried to cash in on.

Full show notes with links at: https://adventcalendar.house/rubik-the-amazing-cube-christmas

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🎙 On This Episode:

• Mike Westfall (@fallwestmike), surprisingly energetic village granny.

• Gerry Davila (@RadChristmas), hiding out in the spacious trunk of my station wagon and scaring the family dog, from Totally Rad Christmas.

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💬 Topics & Tangents:

• The History of Rubik’s Cube.

• The theme song by pre-Ricky Martin Menudo.

• Ángela Moya, the voice of the kids’ mother, played a small but grim part in Gleaming the Cube.

• An ode to the family station wagon.

• An archived, early-Internet Rubik fan site.

• Rubik has more powers than Superman.

• Las Posadas.

• Date a TV show by adding a CB radio.

• Rubik ending up in an eagle’s nest reminded me of The Polar Express.

• Reynoldo’s speed cubing skills compared to the real-life Rubik’s Cube world records in 1983 and today.

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📼 Retro Commercial Break:

• Cap’n O.G. Readmore (1985).

• Cap’n Crunch Cereal, Crunch vs. Taste (1985).

• An Alpha Bits Cereal commercial that’s clearly still trying to ride the Pac-Man wave, but I’m not complaining (1985).

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“Rubik, the Amazing Cube” and “Rubik’s First Christmas” © 1983 Ruby-Spears Enterprises, Inc.

The Advent Calendar House can also be found dangling from the side of a cliff above an eagle’s nest on Twitter (@adventcalhouse) and Instagram (@adventcalendarhouse).

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