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Pentangle (puzzle supplier)

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Pentangle's first product was a burr puzzle, the Woodchuck puzzle, whose object was to assemble 24 wooden pieces into an octahedral shape. It sold hundreds of thousands of these. Pentangle eventually made a total of 314 different burr puzzles, and from 1979 made and sold the "Chinese Cross", a
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By 1986, Pentangle Puzzles had manufactured over 200 different mechanical puzzles. In 1996 the Pentangle range included more than 40 lines, and the workshop in Over Wallop was producing 3000 puzzles a week, half of which were exported from the UK. Cook developed a sideline in producing branded
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In 2000, the name of the company was changed to "Payday Games Limited". In 2009 Cook sold the company to Timothy Dixon, who changed its name to "Pentangle Puzzles Limited". Pentangle Puzzles Limited ceased trading in 2018, and was liquidated in 2019.
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It was registered as a company in 1971, by Cook and his business partner James Dalgety, with the name Paradox Engineering Ltd. to avoid infringing the rights of the band Pentangle. It traded as Pentangle.
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In December 1977 a Hungarian puzzle collector, Tibor Szentivanyi, told Dalgety about a new puzzle: Buvos Kocka, initially know in English as the
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to offer in its catalogue was expected to sell no more than 3000 copies. But within three weeks of publication 16,000 orders had been received.
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in the US. Ideal Toys agreed that Pentangle could sell what it now renamed as "Rubik's Cube" in the UK as a gift, but not as a toy.
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Pentangle also made disentanglement puzzles, most famously the Double Treble Clef puzzle, and sliding block and other puzzles.
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However, later in 1979 another branch of the Hungarian government revoked the deal with Pentangle, and did a deal with
76:. It operated in the UK from 1971 until 2018. It was best known as the first company to distribute what became called " 158:
In 1982 public interest in Rubik's Cube, and in mechanical puzzles generally, plummeted. Dalgety then left Pentangle.
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praising and recommending the cube. Pentangle was now able to sell 20,000 Magic Cubes a year at about £5 each.
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in rural Hampshire, England, originally with seven employees including Cook's wife, daughter and son.
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compendium of 42 pieces including all the pieces required to assemble any of these puzzles.
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A Rubik's Cube (probably of more recent manufacture than those distributed by Pentangle)
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puzzles for large companies to give as Christmas gifts. One such puzzle, designed for
468: 130:. Pentangle obtained the exclusive right to distribute the Magic Cube within the UK. 88:
Pentangle was set up as a family business by Ron Cook. It operated from premises in
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Clement, Barrie (23 August 1981). "The Rubik Cube men got their own problems ...".
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David Singmaster (17 June 1979). "Six-sided magic". The Observer.
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This article is about the puzzle supplier. For other uses, see
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The premises of Pentangle Puzzles in Over Wallop, in 2007
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In 1976, a wooden puzzle designed by Pentangle for the
447:"Final Gazette Dissolved via Voluntary Strike-off" 309:Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays, vol. 2 197: 195: 193: 191: 189: 187: 185: 183: 68:, was a British manufacturer and distributor of 8: 441: 439: 423:find-and-update.company-information.service 413: 411: 331: 329: 240: 238: 236: 234: 232: 230: 271:"Solid and Holey Six-Piece Burr Puzzles" 179: 475:British companies established in 1971 312:. Academic Press. pp. 742, 744. 207:"Challenging chips off the old block" 7: 25: 43: 27:A puzzle distribution company 1: 419:"Pentangle Puzzles Limited" 501: 29: 485:Defunct toy manufacturers 449:. companiesintheuk.co.uk 133:In June 1979 Professor 18:Draft:Pentangle puzzles 123: 341:Sliding Piece Puzzles 205:(21 September 1996). 121: 480:Puzzle manufacturers 402:The Sunday Telegraph 296:Berlekamp, Elwyn R. 212:The Daily Telegraph 108:World Wildlife Fund 80:" outside Hungary. 124: 74:mechanical puzzles 369:puzzlemuseum.com/ 66:Pentangle Puzzles 16:(Redirected from 492: 459: 458: 456: 454: 443: 434: 433: 431: 429: 415: 406: 405: 397: 391: 390: 386: 380: 379: 377: 375: 361: 355: 354: 333: 324: 323: 292: 286: 285: 283: 281: 267: 261: 260: 258: 256: 242: 225: 224: 222: 220: 199: 135:David Singmaster 47: 21: 500: 499: 495: 494: 493: 491: 490: 489: 465: 464: 463: 462: 452: 450: 445: 444: 437: 427: 425: 417: 416: 409: 399: 398: 394: 388: 387: 383: 373: 371: 363: 362: 358: 351: 337:Hordern, Edward 335: 334: 327: 320: 304:Guy, Richard K. 300:Conway, John H. 294: 293: 289: 279: 277: 269: 268: 264: 254: 252: 244: 243: 228: 218: 216: 201: 200: 181: 176: 156: 116: 86: 59: 58: 57: 55: 50: 49: 48: 35: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 498: 496: 488: 487: 482: 477: 467: 466: 461: 460: 435: 407: 392: 381: 356: 349: 325: 318: 287: 262: 226: 203:Jackson, Steve 178: 177: 175: 172: 155: 152: 115: 114:The Magic Cube 112: 85: 82: 52: 51: 42: 41: 40: 39: 38: 26: 24: 14: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 497: 486: 483: 481: 478: 476: 473: 472: 470: 448: 442: 440: 436: 424: 420: 414: 412: 408: 404:. p. 19. 403: 396: 393: 385: 382: 370: 366: 360: 357: 352: 350:0-19-853204-0 346: 342: 338: 332: 330: 326: 321: 319:0-12-091102-7 315: 311: 310: 305: 301: 297: 291: 288: 276: 275:Puzzle Museum 272: 266: 263: 251: 250:Puzzle Museum 247: 241: 239: 237: 235: 233: 231: 227: 214: 213: 208: 204: 198: 196: 194: 192: 190: 188: 186: 184: 180: 173: 171: 167: 165: 159: 154:Later history 153: 151: 149: 144: 142: 141: 136: 131: 129: 120: 113: 111: 109: 104: 101: 97: 93: 91: 84:Early history 83: 81: 79: 75: 71: 67: 63: 54: 46: 37: 33: 19: 451:. Retrieved 426:. Retrieved 422: 401: 395: 384: 372:. Retrieved 368: 359: 340: 307: 290: 278:. Retrieved 274: 265: 253:. Retrieved 249: 217:. Retrieved 215:. p. 63 210: 168: 160: 157: 145: 140:The Observer 138: 132: 125: 105: 102: 98: 94: 87: 78:Rubik's Cube 70:burr puzzles 65: 61: 60: 36: 428:24 November 374:29 November 280:24 November 255:29 November 90:Over Wallop 469:Categories 174:References 148:Ideal Toys 128:Magic Cube 72:and other 62:Pentangle 32:Pentangle 339:(1986). 306:(1982). 64:, later 343:. OUP. 219:14 July 347:  316:  453:7 May 455:2019 430:2022 376:2020 345:ISBN 314:ISBN 282:2022 257:2020 221:2023 164:ICI 471:: 438:^ 421:. 410:^ 367:. 328:^ 302:; 298:; 273:. 248:. 229:^ 209:. 182:^ 457:. 432:. 378:. 353:. 322:. 284:. 259:. 223:. 34:. 20:)

Index

Draft:Pentangle puzzles
Pentangle
The premises of Pentangle Puzzles in Over Wallop, in 2007

burr puzzles
mechanical puzzles
Rubik's Cube
Over Wallop
World Wildlife Fund

Magic Cube
David Singmaster
The Observer
Ideal Toys
ICI








Jackson, Steve
"Challenging chips off the old block"
The Daily Telegraph



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