What Are Meeples?

Modern board games often have these little, er carved wooden pieces. If you carve those into wood and paintd them different colours, that's what they look like. There s there is a term of art for these things: meeples. But i reckon this whole kind of chess piece carving thing, it's basicly a conspiracy by big meple as there are cafes based on meeples clubs. I'll figure out who's behind it sooner or later.