Explaining the LEGO goat’s long journey to its 2024 return

The LEGO goat piece is finally back after 13 years off of shelves, but its journey to this grand homecoming is more interesting than the return itself.

In what has become one of the biggest and lengthiest LEGO stories of the past decade, the LEGO goat is coming back in a familiar form in 2024. This comes after claims that it couldn’t return, teases in huge sets and several other LEGO goats that differed from the original in various ways.

This goat-driven journey is worth exploring, but we’ve shortened the 13-year trip into one report while you wait for the release of 71045 Series 25 on January 1, 2024.

2011 – The first LEGO goat

Launched in June 2011, 7819 Mill Village Raid featured the two only LEGO System goats for over a decade. After it was retired six months later, the demand for these LEGO animals continued, spiralling into one of the most highly sought-after elements in LEGO history. For instance, it can cost an average of £61 on BrickLink, though this may change soon.

2013 – DUPLO’s goat debuts

LEGO DUPLO debuted its goat element in 2013 and it has been used throughout the theme frequently since. Unfortunately, this isn’t quite a true replacement for the original LEGO goat.

2018 – LEGO Ideas’ first attempted goat return

It turns out that one of the first attempts to bring back the LEGO goat was in LEGO Ideas’ 21315 Pop-Up Book. LEGO Designer Manager Samuel Johnson shared in a now-deleted post in 2021 that the team tried to bring the piece back in the 2018 set, but it was not possible at the time. Prophetically, the designer also mentioned in the post that it ‘may come back’, three years before it would.

2021 – Second LEGO Ideas goat attempt and a holiday tease

Another LEGO Ideas model could have been the return of the LEGO goat. An interview with designers Wes Talbott and Austin Carlson in 2021 revealed that 21325 Medieval Blacksmith was the next attempted comeback of the goat.

“We all know the goat is coveted, because of how quick it ran and how limited it was,” Austin explained. “The problem was that, with all the moulds that we have in the company, some of them have to be given up so we can make way for the new moulds. And [we had] such a big drought of not having any place to use a goat, so we’d lost the mould for that.

“We actually went to the Vice President of Design to talk about the goats,” Austin continued. “So we really did try to do the best we can with that, but even we have limitations with what we can and can’t do. Because we have these limitations, we find ourselves having to choose between things like expensive animals – whether it’s a couple of chickens, or even one chicken or one horse. Sometimes the smaller stuff takes more than you would think to produce,” he elaborated.

In the end, the LEGO Ideas design team opted for a horse and carriage in 21325 Medieval Blacksmith instead, which may fit the concept of the model better – used to transport weapons and armour.

“So in this case, we felt like the horse was really the strongest addition to the set because it draws the carriage, we could make it a new colour, and it’s a larger animal overall. So yeah, I would have loved to have some chickens, but we have to make some cuts somewhere.”

Coincidentally, 21325 Medieval Blacksmith is retiring in just a couple of weeks and will be off shelves as the LEGO goat returns in 71045 Series 25.

The holiday campaign advertisement for 2021 also teased a LEGO goat, though it wasn’t welcome in the attempt to cross the water. Whether this was all part of an elaborate three-year plan to tease the LEGO goat ahead of the new minifigures is another question.

2022 – Minecraft, Marvel and a missing mould

As well as the release of a new LEGO goat in LEGO Minecraft and LEGO Marvel in 21187 The Red Barn and 76208 The Goat Boat respectively, 2022 saw the most promising sign of the LEGO goat’s return yet.

It came up when discussing the new LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog minifigure in 21331 Sonic the Hedgehog – Green Hill Zone, of which the head element is based on a ‘deleted’ mould. As evidenced by the fact that you can pick this minifigure up now, that didn’t stop it from coming back.

“We were able to recut the mould,” LEGO Ideas Design Manager Sam Johnson explains, “so the mould is made again for the set. We recut it and optimised it a little bit, and then looked at revamping it with brand new decorations and colours as well.”

At the time, it was presumed after comments that the LEGO goat mould was no more. Sonic the Hedgehog was another glimmer of hope for the animal element’s eventual comeback though. A mould being deleted seems likely to be the worst-case scenario for wanting to revive a LEGO piece, but that didn’t stop the LEGO Ideas design team.

2023 – Missing poster, Disney Wish and a podcast episode

This year’s massive 71799 NINJAGO City Markets includes a missing poster for the beloved LEGO goat, with two slips removed from the poster. Whoever took those slips is unknown but we now know for certain that was a teaser of the goat’s grand return to the LEGO animal kingdom next year. It’s also worth noting that an episode of the LEGO Bits N’ Bricks podcast released earlier this year was dedicated to the mystery of the missing LEGO goat too. The episode is worth a listen for another element of this journey that was previously unknown involving a massive T. Rex model.

While we didn’t get a LEGO System goat in 2023, another mini-doll compatible goat was introduced as part of the Disney Wish sets, depicting Valentino. Thankfully, this tease would be the last of them.

2024 – The return

The original LEGO goat is back in 2024. Official images have confirmed that 71045 Series 25 includes a herder with what appears to be an identical LEGO goat piece, just without the brown colouring of the original animal. After 13 years though, it’s a worthwhile sacrifice to have the LEGO animal back.

As exciting as 71045 Series 25‘s upcoming launch on January 1, 2024, for £3.49 / $4.99 / €3.99 is, we’ll note that LEGO Friends is getting a new LEGO goat too in both 42617 Farm Animal Sanctuary and 42632 Farm Animal Vet Clinic

It’s been a long road for the LEGO goat but the end of this mystery is finally in sight. With two more weeks to go, we only need to wait a bit longer for this journey to be over. In the meantime, plan accordingly as the herder seems likely to be a popular minifigure.

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