Walk into any Target or Walmart today, and the "G5" ponies—those sleek, slightly different characters from the more recent A New Generation era—dominate the shelves. But if you talk to a serious collector or someone who lived through the "Brony" peak, the conversation always pivots back. Specifically, it pivots to the 2017 cinematic launch. My Little Pony The Movie 2017 toys weren't just another plastic cash grab; they represented a weird, high-water mark for Hasbro where the production quality actually tried to match the big-screen animation.
It was a strange time. Hasbro was pivoting. They wanted to compete with Disney’s Moana and Frozen merch. They poured money into specialized molds and "Sea Pony" mechanics that we hadn't seen in the brand for decades. Honestly, some of it was brilliant, while some of it was just... clunky.
The Sea Pony Pivot and Why It Mattered
Remember the first time you saw the trailer? The Mane Six get transformed into "hippogriffs" or "sea ponies" to visit the kingdom of Seaquestria. This wasn't just a plot point. It was a calculated move to sell a completely new silhouette of toy. Hasbro couldn't just repackage the same four-legged ponies for the tenth year in a row. They needed tails. They needed glitter.
The "Undersea" line was the flagship. Take the Princess Skystar and Queen Novo figures. These weren't the tiny, two-inch blind bag figures of the past. These were sprawling playsets. The Canterlot & Seaquestria Castle was massive. It stood nearly three feet tall. It had a manual elevator that worked (most of the time) and a slide. It was ambitious. Collectors still hunt for this specific castle because it’s one of the few pieces that bridge the gap between the land-dwelling ponies and the aquatic ones.
What made these different was the "Seapony" gimmick. Unlike the older 80s G1 sea ponies that were essentially rubber duckies, the 2017 versions had articulated tails. You could pose them. They stood up on their fins. It was a technical step up, though the hair quality—often referred to as "nylon" by the hardcore community—started to see some cost-cutting measures around this time.
Tempest Shadow: The Toy Everyone Actually Wanted
If you were around in 2017, you know Emily Blunt’s character, Tempest Shadow, stole the show. She was the "edgy" pony with the broken horn. Hasbro knew she’d be the breakout star. They released her in multiple formats, but the Sky-Skimmer Chariot set was the one that stayed on shelves the longest, oddly enough.
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Why? Because the standalone "Guardians of Harmony" Tempest Shadow was objectively better.
The Guardians of Harmony line was a direct response to fans who wanted more "action" and less "hair brushing." These toys had points of articulation—knees, elbows, necks. It was the closest My Little Pony ever got to being a traditional "action figure" line. The Tempest Shadow figure in this line captured her scarred horn and glowering expression perfectly. It wasn't "cute." It was cool. And in the world of MLP, "cool" usually has a shorter shelf life than "cute," making those specific figures harder to find in mint condition today.
People underestimate how much a broken horn mattered to a child's imagination. It gave the toy a story before the kid even opened the box.
The Glitter Problem and Manufacturing Quirks
Let's get real for a second: the glitter.
The 2017 movie line was obsessed with it. The Glitter Celebration ponies were everywhere. If you owned one, your carpet probably still has remnants of Pinkie Pie’s mane embedded in the fibers. While the glitter looked amazing under store lights, it was a nightmare for "In Box" collectors. Over time, that glitter can degrade or "shed" inside the packaging, creating a dusty look that devalues the item.
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There was also the "Shining Friends" sub-line. These were larger, hard plastic figures that lit up when you high-fived them or pressed their hoof. Conceptually? Great. In practice? The batteries were non-replaceable in some models without literally sawing the toy open. It’s a classic example of "planned obsolescence" that drives modern toy restorers crazy. If you find one at a thrift store today, there's a 90% chance the electronics are dead or leaking acid.
Real Talk: The Rarity Hierarchy
Not all My Little Pony The Movie 2017 toys are created equal. If you're looking at this from a value perspective, here's the "no-nonsense" breakdown:
- The common stuff: Single-carded Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash sea ponies. They made millions. You can find them for five bucks at any flea market.
- The mid-tier: The "Friendship Festival" sets. These were often store exclusives (like Toys "R" Us—RIP). The Princess Parade set with Spike the Dragon is a solid find because Spike wasn't produced as heavily as the main six.
- The "Holy Grail" tier: The SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con) Exclusives. Specifically, the 2017 "Hascon" or SDCC versions that featured movie-accurate paint jobs. There was a "Magic of Everypony" set that featured a translucent plastic that looks stunning against a backlight.
The Forgotten "Land and Sea" Fashion Styles
One of the more interesting experiments was the "fashion style" ponies that had "snap-on" outfits. We aren't talking about the old fabric capes. These were hard plastic shells that converted the pony from a land-dweller to a sea pony.
They were bulky. They were kind of ugly. But they are fascinating from a design standpoint. They show Hasbro trying to solve the "transformation" problem without making a "Transformer." Kids mostly hated them because the shells would fall off during play, but for a completionist, these represent a very specific moment in toy engineering history where "multi-media" play was the buzzword in every boardroom.
Why the Secondary Market is Thriving in 2026
You might wonder why anyone still cares about toys from a movie that came out nearly a decade ago. It’s simple: The G4 Nostalgia Cycle. The kids who were five or six when My Little Pony: The Movie hit theaters are now teenagers or young adults. They have disposable income (or their parents do) and they want the toys they lost, broke, or never got. The 2017 movie line was the peak of "G4" (Generation 4) design before the brand started its slow slide toward the G5 reboot.
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Collectors prefer the 2017 movie toys because they represent the "Mane Six" in their most polished forms. The colors are vibrant. The character designs are iconic. And frankly, the G5 toys just don't have the same "soul" for many long-time fans.
What You Should Do If You're Buying or Selling
If you’re digging through your attic or hitting eBay, keep these three things in mind:
- Check the hair texture. "Frizzy" hair can be fixed with fabric softener and a flat iron (low heat!), but "cut" hair ruins the value entirely.
- Look for the "Cutie Mark" on both sides. In the cheaper 2017 lines, Hasbro only printed the cutie mark on one side of the pony to save money. The "Full Paint" versions where the mark is on both sides are much more desirable.
- The "Storm King" Factor. Toys of the villains—The Storm King and Grubber—were produced in much lower quantities than the heroes. If you find a Storm King with his staff intact, hold onto it. Most kids lost the staff within twenty minutes of opening the box.
A Legacy of Plastic and Glitter
The My Little Pony The Movie 2017 toys were a bridge. They bridged the gap between a TV show and a cinematic universe. They tried to be "everything" to "everyone"—action figures for the boys (or so Hasbro hoped with the Guardians of Harmony), fashion dolls for the traditional market, and high-end collectibles for the adults.
They didn't always succeed. Some of the plastic felt cheap. Some of the gimmicks were duds. But the sheer variety of what was released between late 2016 and early 2018 is staggering. It was the last time we saw that level of investment in the "Friendship is Magic" aesthetic.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
If you're looking to start or complete a collection, start by identifying which "line" you actually like. Do you want the all-plastic sculpted hair (easier to clean, looks better on a shelf) or the brushable hair (more "classic," but a pain to maintain)? Once you decide, focus on the "Movie Collections" packs—these usually bundled 3-5 characters together and are the most cost-effective way to fill a shelf. Check platforms like Mercari or specialized MLP forums rather than just Amazon, as the "New Old Stock" on Amazon is often severely overpriced by third-party bots.