As you know, a few weeks ago I was at Muju Ski Resort carving through mass amounts of artificial snow. My school director wouldn't let me open my wallet for anything. Rentals, food, accommodation... all gratis. How do you repay such overwhelming generosity?With a cake of course!
I asked my Korean colleagues what was an appropriate gift and cake was the answer. I picked up a beautiful chocolate number at a bakery here called Paris Baguette. I also had it in my mind to get his family wine and a toy for their 10 year old son, Eric, who acted as my translator for that weekend. The wine and toy were to be obtained at Lotte Mart.
Lotte Mart is a multi-leveled Wal-Mart, offering everything from clothes to electronics. On the 1st floor, groceries are sold and free food samples are offered every few feet by model-esque Korean girls in shorts, stockings and ankle high boots. I stopped at every one. I was hungry.
After procuring the wine, I made my way to the 3rd floor and wandered up and down the toy aisles. I soon found myself in the pre-school section. There, nestled amongst the 0-6 month old toys, was a Rubik's Cube.
A Rubik's Cube?!?
And not just one. There were several behind it in case a slew of Korean mothers came into the store, in a Cabbage-Patch-Kid-like frenzy, seeking higher education for their newborn offspring. Erno Rubik, the inventor of the cube, would be proud. He would also be pissed. For the name on this 0-6 month old toy was "Edison's Cube". Come to think of it, Edison's descendants would be pissed too.
It's lawsuits all around.
A video of my nephew after 6 months revealed him in a jumper, bungee jumping with glee and his tiny hands in apple-like fists. How these could clench the cube, let alone solve it, is mind-boggling. There's also the added dimension of the cube becoming slick with six month old saliva, making the sucker slippery to hold or turn the tumblers.
Being a former marketer, I figure this is just a point-of-sale toy. A mother purchasing a 0-6 month old squeeze-toy for her newborn must not forget the much-older child who may become jealous. Purchase the cube and all will be well in the household.
But if this is not the case, then as Justin Timberlake says, "Go Baby Go!"
Dan
P.S. I ended up getting Jenga for Eric. I hope his intelligence isn't insulted.
2 comments:
Erno Rubik, the inventor of the cube, would be proud. He would also be pissed.
This is one of the greatest aboutfaces in modern literature.
It's interesting, for as much as the oriental man is thought of as an electronics master, why are none of their inventors' names as recognizable as "Edison" to us? I know the company names come from guys' names, but I don't associate any personalities with those names. Edison evokes for me messy hair and a leering/sneering morose face.
Hey, I just found your site by googling Edison Cube. I got one in Kyobo Bookstore and was similarly repulsed by the name. Edison's been dead over 70 years and he's still stealing from inventors greater than him.
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