History of Kubb

Where does Kubb come from?

Good question. Because let's be honest: the origins of Kubb are as vague as they are intriguing.

Some people swear the game dates back to the Viking era. Hence nicknames like Viking Chess or Viking Schaken . Sounds rough, right?

But dig deeper and the story gets a little… macabre.

According to the strongest stories, Vikings used the skulls of their enemies as play blocks. And the throwing sticks? They were made of thigh bones. Yes, that's right. Not solid beech wood, but bones. So fun to play with the kids 😅

Fortunately, there are also some friendlier theories.

Kubb is said to have originated in France, where villages competed against each other on the village square. Or it is said to have been invented a thousand years ago by Swedish children while gathering firewood. Sounds a lot more fun, right?

There are even indications that a similar game was already played in ancient Egypt. Via Romans, Persians and Turks it would have been brought to the North - where the Vikings poured a 'slightly' more brutal sauce over it.

Whatever the truth is, Kubb only really became popular in the 90s. That's when the first commercial sets came on the market, and since then you see it everywhere - in parks, on campsites and at festivals.

And rightly so. Because once you play it, you're hooked. Addictive stuff, that Kubb.