Ernõ Rubik (left), creator of the Rubik’s Cube with new Rubik’s Brand CEO Christoph Bettin.

London-based Rubik’s Brand Ltd. (RBL), the company that owns the global rights to the Rubik’s Cube, sold a minority stake to Bancroft Investment, a European Private Equity firm. The new partnership includes the recruitment of new CEO, Christoph Bettin, effective immediately. Bettin founded toy distributor Marbel Ltd, which was sold to Hape Holdings AG in 2017 after 15 years.

Since it was founded in 2013, RBL expanded the scope of Rubik’s through global merchandising partnerships and relationships with companies such as Google and Red Bull for events such as the Rubik’s World Championship. Last fall, a collaboration with McDonald’s brought Rubik’s-branded toys to Happy Meal boxes in select countries, encouraging kids to “play smart.”

Winners of the 2018 Red Bull Rubik’s Cup (Photo: Rubik’s Brand Ltd.)

“The Cube’s impact on the world and humanity is even more interesting to me than the puzzle itself,” says Ernõ Rubik, inventor of the iconic Cube.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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