Long time readers to this blog might know that I have a particular disdain for Kinder Surprise eggs. The story is a good one and you should probably read it first before continuing with this blog. Please click here.
So, if you’ve read this, and sympathize (or empathize) with me, you should also know that I have told this story to my students on many occasions–usually when the subject of chocolate comes up or when they are eating the aforementioned eggs during the breaks between classes. They find it amusing, but they don’t share my frustration. They have always gotten cool stuff.
One of my students took this story to heart and wanted very much to change my opinion. Rather than get me the little egg, he got me a rather large, palm size, Kinder surprise egg. He felt that the quality of toy inside would redeem the company in my eyes.
I was quite touched by my student’s gift. Maybe it was because he listened to me, or maybe it was because he wanted to do something beyond the ordinary.
As you can see, the toy turned out to be quite nice and surprisingly difficult for me to assemble. The student who gave me the gift was the one who eventually put it together. He even came up with a cool title for this post–but I have forgotten it. Sorry Val.
When I showed my colleagues the toy, they mentioned that these things were banned in the US. One teacher even wondered what would happen if she tried to drive across the border with a few eggs on the backseat. I am not sure Kinder smuggling ranks high on the list for homeland security, but I have to imagine the border guards have been given some kind of directive.
Glad you finally ended up with a half decent Kinder toy.
I like Kinder Surprise
I love those! They aren’t banned here, but the toy is packaged differently than in Europe and the UK so that kids don’t try to eat it. I didn’t know we had them here until a few years ago. The first time I saw them was in Germany as a child (when we lived there for a year and a half) The chocolate is pretty good and the toys are cute. I like the Disney ones! That’s nice your student gifted one to you.
*oops I meant Europe and Canada 🙂
My daughter finds it highly amusing that Kinder eggs are banned in the US but guns aren’t.
*sits back and waits for the deluge of ‘right to bear arms’ comments.
gemmi72 – Not banned but years ago redesigned due to U.S. regulations about non-edibles in food items, thus available in U.S. in packages w/ candy sealed in one half, toy in the other.
Hope you make your goal Anthony
I did.
To clear up conflicting reports and confusion: Originally, the egg contained a toy inside. But America banned it due to a regulation outlawing food with a “non-nutritive object embedded” inside. (Also other things like choking concerns and America having become an extraordinary litigious nanny state.)
So the maker revamped the design for the U.S. market.
Now the package is separated into two individually sealed halves. One half contains the candy and the other the toy.
So yes, these redesigned Kinder eggs are legal in the U.S.