In November 2024, Philadelphia-based publisher Running Press released the CATAN Screaming Sheep, an officially licensed miniature figure that bridges the gap between tabletop roleplaying games, board games, and novelty gifts. While not a brand new release, the three-inch pasture-based model and its accompanying mini-book by Matt Klise remain an active, quirky piece of merchandise for fans of the settlement-building game. I know because I’ve just encountered one.
The release acts as a direct successor to the publisher’s highly successful 2016 The Screaming Goat kit. That original viral hit established a format for Running Press, proving that small, noise-making animal desk toys could generate high sales outside traditional book or gaming markets. The CATAN iteration adopts exactly the same mechanics: pressing the hex-shaped base triggers a bleating sound, creating an interactive, albeit noisy, tabletop accessory.
Unlike standard expansions that add to a board game’s rules or story/plot, the CATAN Screaming Sheep serves purely as a gag gift. Matt Klise provides a 32-page illustrated guide with the package, featuring humorous odes to the frequently traded wool resource.
Running Press, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, leans heavily into this novelty format. Their catalogue includes other pop-culture crossover miniatures, such as a 16-inch Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. For players sharing a flat, giving a housemate an audio-enabled sheep toy to place on their desk might test the limits of patience, but it remains an authentic, licensed piece of CATAN memorabilia.
All this and we have the question: who else remembers the screaming goat?
