Kapla toy creator Tom Van der Bruggen dies in Nice
Tom Van der Bruggen, the Dutch creator of the wooden construction toy Kapla, has died in Nice at the age of 80.
Tom Van der Bruggen, the Dutch inventor behind the iconic wooden construction toy Kapla, has died aged 80 in Nice, his wife confirmed to AFP on Monday.
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Van der Bruggen, who founded Kapla in 1987, originally used the small pine planks—called kabouter plankjes (“elf planks”) in Dutch—to visualise architectural models before realising their potential as a creative construction toy.
Kapla sets, which can be stacked without glue or connectors, are now sold worldwide and designed to stimulate creativity and ingenuity in children from the age of two.
The inventor had settled in Monaco in the late 1960s after a visit to southern France and later opened the world’s first Kapla gallery in Nice in November.
He also previously owned the legendary sailing yacht Moonbeam IV, which was later acquired by watchmaker Richard Mille.
Van der Bruggen had been suffering from heart problems and diabetes for a year and passed away on 14 February 2026.
His contribution to creative play leaves a lasting legacy for generations of children worldwide.