Rubik

After being trapped inside his own cube, unsolved for 30 years, Rubik has a lot of living to do. He loves to eat, play, dance, laugh, and drink large amounts of caffeinated soda pop. He's also partial to roller coasters and knock, knock jokes. More than anything he wants true friendship and he makes every effort to be good. His tendency toward tricks and silliness causes him to make a few mistakes, but when it really counts, Rubik is brave, very protective, and fiercely loyal. He's pretty sensitive about being overlooked or left out or treated differently just because he's a very small cube with no arms. He's got a temperamental side which often shows when he is left in a helpless scrambled state too long, or when his nap is interrupted. He loves people, especially kids, and gets very lonely when left by himself.

Rubik speaks fluent Hungarian, and he finds English, his second language, a bit more difficult because he learned it mostly from listening to people and watching TV. Rubik can defy gravity and has telekenetic powers over objects. He can also temporarily bestow the gift of flight to anyone he loves. His powers take up a lot of energy, so he eats a lot of food that is easily processed, mostly sugar and carbohydrates, though he has nothing against fruits and vegetables and other "good-for-you" foods. Rubik can also convert energy directly to light and warmth and he gets the very best energy from the love of his friends. His greatest power is his compassion and perception of people's feelings. Rubik usually underestimates his own abilities, often forgetting what he is capable of. He's sometimes reluctant to use his powers because he wants so much to be valued for who he is. More Rubik facts

Carlos

Carlos Rodriguez is a thoughtful middle child, a natural problem solver. He's always trying to think of a way to make things better for his family. Sometimes he thinks too much and forgets to have fun. He's very bright but is a little distracted by things outside of school. He's a little bit of a loner and, like a lot of 7th-graders, he'd rather be playing video games than almost anything else. At age 12 Carlos is starting to be interested in being cool, and he'd rather be friends with a girl than take her out on a date. Carlos's practical side often gets between him and Rubik, who is given to mischief. The two of them have a slightly antagonistic relationship, but deep down Carlos likes Rubik very much and feels a great sense of responsibility for him.

Lisa

Lisa Rodriguez is the youngest of the three Rodriguez kids. But even though she's only 8, she has a very sensitive outlook on life. She's also very faithful. She believes in her papa and her older brothers, as well as magical places and things. She has no problem accepting Rubik at first sight. She's his self-appointed advocate and soft place to land. Lisa likes to imagine she's a superhero or a character in some fantiastic story like The Chronicles of Narnia or Peter Pan. Very outgoing and plain spoken, Lisa is not too good at keeping secrets. Even though Lisa is a pretty tough from having brothers, she's all girl, very gentle and motherly. She also enjoys school, birthday parties, outings with girlfriends, and her gymnastics classes.

Reynaldo

Reynaldo Rodriguez is a lighthearted guy who takes family and friends seriously. He loves sports, especially football, but he enjoys the high school games from his seat in the stands as a trombonist in the school marching band. He's an average student who spends much of his time thinking of ways to have fun. Reynaldo is only 17 and still young enough to be fairly uncertain about who he is yet, but he's genuine, generous and usually puts other people first. He's in charge when Papa is away and puts guardianship of Carlos, Lisa and Rubik at highest priority, though sometimes he gets irritated when Rubik tries to tag along on a date or get him to play when he's trying to practice his music.

Rudy

Rudy Rodriguez is a conscientous, hard-wokring dad. He's generally easy-going, but can be stern when he needs to. He often regrets that he has to be at work so much in order to take care of his family. He has a hard time with feeling guilty for not getting to spend enough time with the kids, though he realizes that they understand. Born in Mexico, Rudy is very well educated and holds the kids to high standards in their school work. Rudy loves any family activity with his kids and faithfully tucks Lisa in with a bedtime story each night.

Sally

Sally is Carlos's cube-solving buddy. They are both members of the cubing club at school. Sally works hard for good grades and can hold her own with any smart guy in the 7th - or the 8th - grade. And don't let her sweet Texas accent fool you. Sally has a sarcastic side and a quick tongue that gets away from her sometimes. She's a little skeptical of people and their motives, but she instantly likes Carlos as soon as she relaizes they have Rubik's Cubes in common.

Jennifer

Jennifer is not only Reynaldo's girlfriend and fellow trombonist, she's also Sally's older sister. Jennifer is very serious about almost everything, often worrying about being responsible enough. With a boyfirend as goofy and unsure of himself as Reynaldo, she has to fight the temptation to take charge of everything. Jennifer - though very pretty and feminine - likes to do unusual things like work on old cars. Her prize posession is her car which she has resotred herself. She finds Sally's intellectual pursuits, including cubing to be "weird."

Eric

Eric is Carlos's self-proclaimed arch-rival. He's a smart, good-looking 8th grader who is a little jealous that Sally has befriended a newbie like Carlos. He's a fiercly competitive cube enthusiast who hopes to compete in the world championship by the time he's in high school. He's already one of the best in he USA at the tender age of 13. When Carlos turns out to be a natural and to have such a "sweet" cube, Eric is naturally suspicious of him and antagonistic toward him.

The Magician

The Magician is a dark figure from Rubik's past, the cube's old master. He is a cruel man who is bent on his own gain, as well as finding and recovering the little cube which he feels is rightfully his, since he found and solved it, unlocking it's secret so many years ago. He is a mediocre illusionist and not much better at theft and trickery, which is why he so greatly prizes Rubik's powers, which he once used to catapult himself to some degree of fame. He used his dark art form as a front for his real business of stealing treasures and great works of art all across Europe. Now The Magician is little more than a shell of a man, obsessed with finding Rubik and reclaiming him as a slave.

Erno Rubik

Erno Rubik, or as Rubik calls him in proper Hungarian form, "Rubik Erno," is the creator of Rubik's Cube. His brilliance as an engineer and inventor was discovered in 1980 when his cube went on the worldwide market for the first time. In this fairy tale version of the story, Erno Rubik's inspiration for his Cube is "Little Magic Cube" - his name for Rubik - whom he once rescued from the evil Magician. Erno is passionate and compassionate, gentle and soft-spoken. He loves beautiful things and finds the beauty in things easily. His fascination with the multicolored cube led him to figure out its mechanics but also led him to an unlikely friendship which he has dearly treasured for over 30 years.

Grandma Ria

Grandma Ria is Rudy's mother, an eccentric Mexican immigrant who travels everywhere in her old biplane. Grandma Ria was born to fly. She's about 65, but is more active than most people half her age. Her positive outlook is infectious, and most people quickly get caught up in her antics and activity. Grandma's sanguine temperament often hides her perceptiveness, especially concerning what's going on with the kids and Rubik. In addition to flying, Grandma Ria also enjoys amateur radio, cooking, and any kind of charitable work.