Holiday Gift Guide (No Speedcubing Required)

You don't have to solve a Rubik's Cube in 10 seconds to love one. Plenty of people have a cube on their desk that they twist while they think, a stack of board games in the cupboard, or a crossword habit they won't give up. Ahem, Wordle freaks. They're puzzle people, and puzzle people are some of the easiest to shop for during the holiday season, as long as you skip the socks.

At PH+ Cubing we design T-shirts for cubers, but four of our designs have turned out to be favorites with people who have never timed a solve in their life. They're bright, colorful, a little bit nerdy, and each one says something. Here they are.

1. The History of Cubes: for the person who loves a good story

Woman wearing dark blue t-shirt with "The History of Cubes" written in white, colorful cubes and their names

The Rubik's Cube was invented in 1974, and in the fifty-odd years since, it has turned into a whole family of puzzles: pyramids, megaminxes, small 2x2s and huge 7x7s. The History of Cubes T-shirt shows that family tree, and it's the only shirt we print on both the front and the back, because there was too muchhistory to fit on one side - and this isn't even everything!

It's a great gift for anyone who likes trivia, design history, or the retro toys they grew up with. Expect it to start conversations: people will stop the wearer to point out the cube they had as a kid.

2. 43 Quintillion Scrambles: for the math fan and the trivia champion

Boy on swing wearing a dark blue t-shirt that says 43 Quintillion Scrambles

A standard 3x3 cube can be mixed up in about 43 quintillion different ways. That's 43,252,003,274,489,856,000, more than the number of grains of sand on Earth. And yet any one of these scrambles can be solved in 20 moves or fewer.

The 43 Quintillion Scrambles shirt is for anyone who enjoys a mind-boggling number: the friend who loves a fun fact, the math teacher, the quiz-night regular, or the kid who asks "but how many?" about everything. It comes in sizes for the whole family, so it also makes a sweet matching set.

3. Ho Ho Ho: the festive shirt that isn't a novelty sweater

Picture of a man with muscles and a tattoo on his left arm wearing a bright blue tank top that says HO HO HO written out in Rubik's cubes.

Each letter on the Ho Ho Ho shirt is a picture of a real 7x7 cube, twisted into shape and photographed. They're not drawn on a computer (yes, we did touch up some scrapes). Six bright green, red, white and yellow cube faces spell out "HO HO HO", so it's cheerful and seasonal without being a cheesy holiday sweater.

It's perfect for office parties, family photos, a gift-exchange swap, or anyone who likes to dress the part all month. And as we like to point out, the T-shirt costs a lot less than a real 7x7 cube.

4. LGBTQ+: a gift with a message worth wearing

Picture of a non-binary black person wearing a dark green hoodie that spells out LGBTW+ in colorful cubes across the front.

Our LGBTQ+ shirt spells out L-G-B-T-Q-+ in six cube faces, one for each color of the cube, so the design is a rainbow in itself. The cubing community has always been a welcoming place for people who think and learn differently, and this shirt celebrates the colorful, creative people of the LGBTQ+ community.

It's a meaningful gift for a friend, a family member or an ally, puzzle fan or not. It says "you belong" in the boldest colors we could find.

Quick gift guide 

All our T-shirts are 100% cotton and come in sizes for adults, and many designs also come in kids' sizes. Not sure what size to pick? Our sizing guide explains how to measure a shirt they already own.

Order early so your gift arrives in time for the holidays, and browse all our cubing T-shirts for more ideas. We ship almost everywhere in the world, so don't worry about that. Happy holidays from all of us at PH+ Cubing!

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