The origin of the phrase is unclear. "Think beyond the boundary"-metaphors, that is, metaphors that allude to think differently or with less constraints, seem to have an old history. For example, in 1888,
The Annual Register records the phrase
think outside the lines. Since at least 1954, the
nine dots puzzle has been used as a metaphor of the type "think beyond the boundary". Early phrasings include
go outside the dots (1954),
breakthrough thinking that gets outside the nine-dot square (1959), and
what are the actual boundaries of the problem? (1963).
Norman Vincent Peale writes about this puzzle in a 1969 article for the
Chicago Tribune, quote: In 1970, the phrase
think outside the dots appears without mentioning the nine dots puzzle. Finally, in 1971, the specific phrase
think outside the box is attested, again appearing together with the nine dots puzzle. In 1976, the phrase is used in England and 1978 in the USA, both without mentioning the nine dots puzzle. Beyond the above attestations, there are several unconfirmed accounts of how the phrase got introduced. According to
Martin Kihn, it goes back to management consultants in the 1970s and 1980s challenging their clients to solve the "nine dots" puzzle. According to
John Adair, he introduced the nine dots puzzle in 1969, from which the saying comes. It is claimed that the use of the nine-dot puzzle in consultancy circles stems from the
corporate culture of the
Walt Disney Company, where the puzzle was used in-house. ==See also==