Let’s build a castle!

Let's build a castle!

It was during a trip to the south of France in the late 1960s that Tom van der Bruggen, a Dutch antique dealer, fell in love with a ruined farm and decided to transform it into a castle.

To visualise his project, he tried to make a scale model using wooden cubes. However the cubes were too bulky to make a precise and realistic model, so instead Tom created his own construction pieces.

... And that’s how KAPLA® was born: the magic plank that can build anything!

Let’s build a castle!

Let's build a castle!

It was during a trip to the south of France in the late 1960s that Tom van der Bruggen, a Dutch antique dealer, fell in love with a ruined farm and decided to transform it into a castle.

To visualise his project, he tried to make a scale model using wooden cubes. However the cubes were too bulky to make a precise and realistic model, so instead Tom created his own construction pieces.

... And that’s how KAPLA® was born: the magic plank that can build anything!

Kabouter Plankje

KAbouter PLAnkje

After finishing his castle, Tom set out on a new adventure and decided to share his little wooden plank with builders worldwide. Tom called it KAPLA®, from the phrase ‘KAbouter PLAnkje’, which means ‘gnome plank’ in Dutch.

Kabouter Plankje

KAbouter PLAnkje

After finishing his castle, Tom set out on a new adventure and decided to share his little wooden plank with builders worldwide. Tom called it KAPLA®, from the phrase ‘KAbouter PLAnkje’, which means ‘gnome plank’ in Dutch.

KAPLA today

KAPLA® remains a family company, based near Bordeaux in France. While the company has grown, it has maintained its original commitment to the flawless quality of its planks, and continues to share ‘the spirit of KAPLA’ with those who value simplicity and believe in the power of the imagination.