After the LEGO Batman Movie collectible minifigures, it was good to get back to another series of original designed collectible minifigures. Series 17 was released on 1 May 2017. Oddly enough on the first day of the release, you could only purchase 5 at a time. The next day you could purchase up to 32. The price has held at $3.99 for a while now (I believe Simpsons Series 1 was the last set at the $2.99 price point). This series contains 16 minfigures like the previous series versus 20 from Batman and 18 from Disney. So let's get into the review of the minifigures.
I believe the last male surfer minifigure was from series 2. This one has a wet suit, some facial hair, and a good blond hair piece for his head. To me what stands out for this figure is the board. The shark mouth on the board is an awesome design in my opinion. It's a lot better than a lot of the plain boards of the past. For reference, the Series 2 minifigure had a board with a palm tree and sunset on it.
Oddly enough, the Circus Strongman has an equivalent in series 2 as well, a weightlifter. To be fair this one has a circus theme versus the sole lifting focus as the one in series 2. The mustache in this one is a nice touch and the weight has a 100 label on it versus the weight lifter's plain weights.
The Gourmet Chef is different from most LEGO minifigure chefs. The hat does not rest dead center on the head as it is crooked to the side and shows the woman's hair. Also the whisk is new (I think) and the pie has strawberries printed on top. This one could go well with the bakery in Assembly Square or the Parisian Restaurant.
From my NLS, the Corn Cob guy is "made by his mustache." Without it, this one would be rather plain. While there has been numerous minifigures dressed as animals, this is the second as a fruit/vegetable. The first was banana guy in series 16. I'm looking forward to seeing what other types of foods LEGO comes up with next for minifigures of the future.
The Veterinarian contains a rabbit at the smaller scale of pets. Originally dogs were much larger and have since shrunk similar to the one with the dog show judge in series 16. The minifigure comes with blue hands (presumably wearing gloves, a name tag on her pants, and with a stethoscope around her neck.
The Hot Dog Man is different than the hot dog man from series 13. This one is a vendor selling a hot dog in a bun and a drink. The minifigure comes with a tray and he is wearing an apron and the hat seen at some of the old fashioned fast food restaurants out there.
Butterfly Girl looks like many of the little girls I see walking around these days only she into butterflies versus princesses. The wings, face and hair decorations, tank top with the butterfly, and flowers all fit in with the over-the-top ways I have seen little kids walking around today.
The Roman Gladiator fits the theme of numerous other collectible minifigures to include the Roman Emperor from series 9 and the Roman Commander from series 10. This one has a golden trident as a weapon, some brown gloves, and some rockin' abs.
In my opinion, the Connoisseur should be called "French guy". Not sure why he isn't, but whatever. He apparently is a connoisseur of bread that is 2/3s his size. He also has a bulldog type dog similar in size to the rabbit that the veterinarian has.
The battle dwarf is a newer design. He's not really a Lord of the Rings type, but he is ready to kick some butt. He comes with an ax and then a hammer with the drawing of a boar-like animal on it. His beard is big and bright red as is his mohawk-like red hairdo.
The Retro Spaceman is right out of the... is it the 70s? Earlier? Do kids these days even know what a retro spaceman is or was this minifigure solely build for AFOLs?
Speaking of kids not knowing where the reference comes from, do they know what this Yuppie minifigure is and when cell phones were that size? The shades are pretty cool and I think the printed cheese slope is awesome.
Series 15 had a spaceman and series 17 has a Rocket Boy dressed up as a rocket. I like the "kid drawn" classic space flag and the costume rivals some of the best seen at Halloween time. I think this one is the best in the set, but that's just me.
The Dance Instructor is straight out of the 1980s. The head band and outfit definitely come from that decade. The water bottle is a new LEGO printed design with the H2O symbol. And 1, and 2...
When I think of elves, I more often think of the small people that work for Santa Claus (versus the Will Ferrell movie). Elf Girl Is clearly not one of those as she is the standard minifigure size and has a large sword and shield. She is ready to take someone out.
The highwayman was quite possibly the most talked about minifigure in the set. When LEGO announced that series 17 was coming out, they listed this one as a "mystery minifigure." It existed as a black outline as it does on the minifigure packets. In reading some of the other LEGO fan sites I tend to agree that I don't get LEGO's marketing strategy. It was very strange in my opinion. What was so special about this minifigure to hide it? Don't get me wrong, it's cool with the cape, scarf over the bottom of the face, 2 pistols, and tri-corner hat, but beyond that I'm not really sure what LEGO was going for.
So there is my take on Series 17. Another great, original series in my opinion. Scoop them up now before they go away and the prices go up on the secondary market.