Neocube was created by economist Chris Red. In 2008, the toy first appeared on the Internet, from where it began its triumphant march around the world. She was admired. It has literally become a hit for families in which early development techniques are popular. Neocube has been touted as an all-age tool for promoting creative and spatial thinking in children and relieving stress in adults. A little time passed, and the enthusiasm diminished. There were reports that the sale of the constructor is prohibited in Australia and America. What's the matter?
What is a neocube?
An entertaining puzzle neocube appeared in Russia several years ago. This is a cube consisting of 216 magnetic balls, which are held in a certain position only by the magnetic field they create. Now there are various modifications of the constructor, consisting of 27, 125, 343 and a different number of elements and having a diameter of spheres from 3 to 10 mm. Many small companies, mainly Chinese, produce puzzles based on this principle under different names and more and more new colors, sizes and modifications.
Initially, the puzzle is folded in the form of a cube, the dimensions of which are 6x6x6 cm. Its design can be easily changed by means of layer-by-layer or line-by-line separation of the balls. The player's task is to return the disassembled cube to its previous state or add some new figure - there are many of them in the instructions attached to the toy. Ultimately, it all comes down to the user's imagination and play skills - you can endlessly create more and more new shapes. Play really helps to develop spatial imagination and relieve emotional stress.
Over time, many groups of neocuba lovers have appeared on the Internet. Users (mostly schoolchildren) post photos of their achievements on the Internet - new, invented figures. In a word, neokub is striding across the earth with a victorious gait.
Dangerous toy
But over time, the enthusiasm diminished. This was preceded by not at all comic events. The neocuba balls have caused misfortune and even tragedy for some families with small children. Small magnetic spheres of the puzzle are sometimes scattered and lost. They stick to the legs of beds, refrigerators, washing machines, radiators, etc. Lost items are very difficult to find. This, however, does not matter, as a rule, when buying a toy, you are offered spare spheres. But if you have a small child, be sure - he will find the scattered balls first. No mother is able to keep track of everything that her slider drags into her mouth - sooner or later, something will distract her. And then tragedy happens.
Small children swallow magnetic balls, and parents simply do not know about it. It doesn't matter if the child swallows one ball - sooner or later it will come out naturally, it happens that it does not come out. But in some cases, children swallowed more than a dozen balls. It's very scary. The magnets can clump together and form an obstruction, or worse, pinch intestinal tissue together. If the balls adhere to each other, they themselves will no longer disengage, an operation is necessary. Under the influence of the pressure exerted by the magnets, necrosis begins in the intestinal tissues. The child becomes very ill, and the doctors simply cannot guess what is the matter. Ultrasound does not "see" the cause of the disease. Only X-ray is able to "see" it. Then an urgent and difficult operation. The skill of the surgeons saved many babies. But even after that, they became disabled, tk. tissue necrosis required the removal of part of the child's intestines, sometimes quite a significant part of it. It will take more than one year to recover after the operation. But all this is considered happiness by the parents of those babies who could not be saved.
Subsequently, parents noted that the packaging of the toy is often marked with a 3+ mark. Sometimes it is 4+, 5+, 6+, 7+. And in the instructions in small print, what should actually be - 14+. The parents bought the child a safe toy appropriate for his age. And later it turned out: with the same success they could give their baby a grenade - sooner or later it would certainly work.
It was such difficult cases that led to the ban on the sale of neocuba in America and Australia, and in Europe it is sold only with the 14+ marking. In Russia, parents are sounding the alarm and are trying to get a ban on the sale of dangerous toys in the country. But so far in vain.
The toy is really wonderful. But it is not intended and is deadly for young children. Neokub is a toy for adults only!
