The year is 2000…
A time full of wonders and ideas! A time in which a game was born that would characterise the world of board games like no other. A time when a game piece was sought with the magical ability to combine several characteristics – depending on where and how it was placed on a landscape. A knight? A highwayman? A monk/a nun? Or perhaps a farmer/peasant woman?

It should also clearly be able to assume at least two states: Lying and standing.
So Bernd Brunnhofer’s (left) hand found a pencil with a few sheets of paper and began to draw. A few works of art later, a sketch was sent to the play figure maker Mr Seidenstücker, where it gained shape and colour. Both creators quickly (between you and me: a few patterns had already been exchanged) arrived at a result that delighted all onlookers. The first Meeple was born!

Called “henchman” at the time, the growing international community of modern board games in particular found it difficult to call the figures by that name. It wasn’t long before the term meeple appeared in the www.boardgamegeek.com forum in connection with the Carcassonne figures. Legend has it that the idea came up to summarise “My People” in one word. Quick and easy to say: Meeple (“Miepel”).There was also the theory of “Maple – People”, as a maple leaf somehow looked similar to the game piece.

However the exact naming took place, the term meeple has become established and has nowadays become a common word for playing pieces themselves (especially for the beautiful ones made of wood). However, it originated with the iconic figure from Carcassonne. We have gratefully adopted this and dedicate a separate appearance to the figure here.
A small note at the end of today’s lesson: For us, there is no plural of the word, as the origin “people” already refers to several people. So one meeple, several meeple.

We hope you enjoy the many different meeple and are delighted that this creation reaches so many people.