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Kinder Surprise Egg A Day, Day 1

There are very few things from the UK and Europe that aren’t available in the US. We have Lush, Muji, Uniqlo and even a Boots aisle inside of Target. But Kinder Surprise eggs remain illegal to sell or even bring into the US. So I’m going to open an egg a day in order to get my fix.

The first day we were out I looked for Kinder eggs in the usual convenience stores that we found ourselves in but there weren’t any. I asked the shopkeepers if they carried them and they were all surprised to find that they were out. I took this as bad news and by dinnertime I’d decided that there was probably a worldwide shortage and that I was doomed to remain egg-less during our whole trip. Doomed. Luckily I found plenty of Kinder eggs in a larger grocery store the very next day. Crisis averted! I bought both boy and girl eggs, why does there have to be a difference? Here is my first one:

It’s a nice bright car but it doesn’t do anything special, no spring loaded wheels or launch-y bits. It doesn’t even roll that well. The sheet included with this one comes with a scannable code that I assume does something, except that when I went to the site (which shall be unnamed) it told me the site wasn’t available in this country (I don’t know if it thinks I’m in the US or the UK) so I changed the country to Belgium and now all I see is a page that just says “ooops!” with no option to change anything. We will never know what was behind the secret code. Which is fine, I’m sure it’s just a coupon or something.

Tomorrow, a pink egg!

· comments [34] · 10-15-2013 · categories:kindereggaday ·

34 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Jeannie // Oct 15, 2013 at 9:10 am

    Are Muji and Uniqlo from the UK/Europe???

  • 2 megan // Oct 15, 2013 at 9:22 am

    Those are both Japanese companies but they had retail stores in the UK and Europe well before they started opening up stores in the US, which is what I meant to convey. They were both stores that design junkies would make sure to visit whenever they traveled, and I would just drool over the photos. By the time I got to visit Europe Muji had already opening in NYC and since then Uniqlo has put a few stores in the US. So, not as much of a thrill as they used to be. Kinder eggs though, still thrilling. At least to me.

  • 3 Stephanie // Oct 15, 2013 at 11:22 am

    You can also buy Kinder Surprise Eggs here in Canada!

  • 4 k // Oct 15, 2013 at 11:27 am

    I love kinder eggs. This, like suspicion over gas n air in labor, is one of the things that makes me want to say “Really, United states? REALLY?!!!” Do the powers that be honestly think that someone could look at that big yellow capsule and accidentally eat it? Ridic.

  • 5 Sarah // Oct 15, 2013 at 11:58 am

    Also available in Canada….just a quick flight or ferry ride away ;)

  • 6 patricia // Oct 15, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    you can sometimes find Kinder Eggs in the US, I’ve seen them in small Italian or Greek groceries in the Boston area. The labels are in Italian (or Greek), so maybe that’s how they slip past the egg police. The italian ones were labeled Kinder Sorpresa.

  • 7 Lilly // Oct 15, 2013 at 12:42 pm

    Ooh. I love Kinder Eggs, I bought a bunch when I was in Italy and Greece several years ago. I brought all the toys back. Be careful trying to bring them back from Canada into the states. Some friends of mine got stopped at the border and theirs were confiscated:( So crazy.

  • 8 Amy P // Oct 15, 2013 at 2:10 pm

    Kinder eggs are everywhere in Canada! But yes, the toys have gone downhill in recent years. Sad.

  • 9 Laura // Oct 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    I did not realize these were illegal to bring into the US. My brother-in-law brought some back for my kids a few years back – they were the best! Was hoping he’d bring more back on his next trip.Wish we could have them here, since the toys were good quality (reminded me of Cracker Jack toys, waaaayy back in the day). There’s no way someone would try to eat that capsule – how ridiculous!

  • 10 megan // Oct 15, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    I should add – yes I know they are available in Canada and I salute the wise Canadians for they know fun when they see it. But for some reason I haven’t found myself in Canada for many years. This, obviously, is very easy for me to fix.

  • 11 Elizabeth // Oct 15, 2013 at 6:12 pm

    I used to buy Kinder Eggs in Minneapolis all the time, from a European deli

  • 12 Jesse // Oct 15, 2013 at 7:34 pm

    I had no idea Kinder Surprise where illegal to sell or bring into the US. The car is a little underwhelming.. I hope the chocolate tasted good!

  • 13 Siew // Oct 15, 2013 at 7:48 pm

    Kinder egg toys are a mere shadow of what they used to be. When I was university (gasp, over 20 years ago) we use to get them all the time, toss the instructions out and be stumped at how to put them together – fancy gears, complicated wee parts. They were amazing. Woe my daughter loves them I wish I had kept some from my uni days.

  • 14 Kat // Oct 15, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    They’re not illegal in ths US anymore! They’ve been legalized!!! http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/us-ban-of-kinder-eggs-cracked-at-last-8539723.html

  • 15 megan // Oct 16, 2013 at 2:09 am

    Kat – I’ve been reading up about that and the Kinder brand surprise eggs have not been legalized, instead an American company has created a surprise egg that meets the US requirements and is calling it Choco Treasure.
    http://www.chocotreasure.com/

    It’s being reported all over as a Kinder style egg in the US, but the ban on Kinder Surprise still stands.

    I wonder if the Kinder Joy substitute that was created for sale in warmer climates will catch on in the US?

  • 16 megan // Oct 16, 2013 at 2:10 am

    Siew – I agree, I had a summer semester in Italy and the toys were astounding. One was a complete flower contraption that would spin very quickly and reveal a little fairy inside, I still have a castle toy that is balanced perfectly. That said I still love these things so I’m going to live the dream while I can!

  • 17 megan // Oct 16, 2013 at 2:13 am

    Patricia and Elizabeth – I found stacks and stacks of Kinder Surprise at a shop in Pike Place Market a few years back but there has been a (completely unnecessary and silly) crackdown on the importation. The government used to just look the other way and let a little supply through but it seems like not anymore.

  • 18 Joy // Oct 16, 2013 at 11:07 am

    I bought a crazy amount of Kinder Eggs while in Vancouver earlier this year. The toys inside were hit and miss. Some were really, really cool, others were really lame (ugh, one was a puzzle!). I actually liked the chocolate, though. My kid hated it. I would love to see one of the giant limited edition versions.

    One last thing: The little plastic container is aces! We’ve found good uses for those for holding little things like screws, pills, nibs for art class pens, etc.

  • 19 Kendra // Oct 16, 2013 at 11:27 am

    I love Kinder Eggs too. Since I was a child I have loved putting little things together. They were a must buy when we were in New Zealand earlier this year. Some of the toys were so-so, but one was a super cool Spirograph type gizmo.

  • 20 Rebekah // Oct 16, 2013 at 11:55 am

    I absolutely ADORE Kinder eggs. When my father was stationed abroad, he would ship cases to us. Years ago. I go nuts over these guys and actually had a store that would call me when they had some in. The message was always shady and made me feel like a drug dealer. “ThisIs____.ThatThingYouWantedIsIn. CLICK.”

  • 21 Elizabeth // Oct 16, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    The toys aren’t what they used to be but the surprise still gives me a thrill.

    I buy mine when traveling and toss the chocolate. It’s perfectly fine to bring back the capsule since there is apparently no allure without chocolate. Not quite the same but better than losing them at the border.

  • 22 Natalia // Oct 16, 2013 at 5:40 pm

    Next time you’re in Portland you must go to Pix Patisserrie on Burnside! They make their own version of kinder eggs, which are more expensive, but the “toy” inside is top notch and it’s amazing chocolate. I got one and received a ceramic figurine of two hands engaged in a shadow puppet and you could hold it up to a candle and it would portray the shadow! Definitely worth getting!

  • 23 Jennifer // Oct 16, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    We do the same thing in Mexico – an egg a day. It’s the only way to alleviate the pent up kinder egg need…

  • 24 Bekka // Oct 17, 2013 at 3:50 am

    I’m an American living in Austria and I opened my Kinder Egg today (before reading your post) and I got the exact same prize! Woo for ineffective cars!

  • 25 Kat // Oct 17, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    I’m not sure what the difference is between Kinder Surprise and Choco Treasure. The Kinder eggs look like they have the ridge and capsule too.

    What falls short about Choco Treasure, just that it’s not the same company? Quality of the chocolate?

  • 26 Kat // Oct 17, 2013 at 1:34 pm

    Oh. I guess the Kinder eggs toys are too small. http://www.chocotreasure.com/mobile/how-chocotreasure-is-similar-and-different-to-kinder-surprise-and-wonderball-type-chocolate/

  • 27 megan // Oct 17, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    Kat – For me it’s all about the allure of the Kinder brand, which is silly and I completely admit it. Also, the best Kinder toys need some form of assembly, it’s like a tiny craft project and it’s insanely satisfying. If the Choco Treasure toys live up to that I’ll happily buy those but the few I purchased just had a branded rubber figurine inside.

  • 28 megan // Oct 17, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Natalia – Thanks for letting me know about that! The one time I stepped inside of Pix they ignored me so completely that I eventually just left. It’s been years so I just might give them another try.

  • 29 a. // Oct 17, 2013 at 8:48 pm

    Man. Years ago I spent 3 weeks in London, buying a Kinder Egg a day. On my last night, I got the best toy ever, one I’d seen on the sheet and wanted: A tiny, hinged walnut shell with wheels, a propeller, and feathers for wings, with a little squirrel pilot that slid inside. Still have it.

  • 30 Worthy of the Week | Oh hey, what's up? // Oct 18, 2013 at 5:01 am

    […] Kinder Surprise egg a day. I’m totally stealing this idea. Mike just brought me back a set of Kinder Eggs from Denmark. […]

  • 31 Evelyn (cotton candy diva) // Oct 18, 2013 at 11:53 am

    Kinder eggs aren’t allowed to be sold in the US! strange…We have them here in Australia. The regular release one’s aren’t as good as they used to be, but sometimes they come out with Limited edition collections. Like when the Smurfs 2 movie was released, they had smurf figures in them! (I think they’re still available actually)

  • 32 eleise // Oct 18, 2013 at 2:32 pm

    I haven’t read all the responses, but I wanted to tell you I’ve ordered Kinder Eggs on Amazon. From my house in Virginia. We used to live in France and the children loooooove them. They were the real deal, toys and all. The shop on Amazon was located in Canada if I remember correctly.

  • 33 Anna // Oct 25, 2013 at 8:15 pm

    Apparently the border guards here in BC are always confiscating Kinder Surprise eggs. I bet they take them home to their kids. Or just eat them there.

  • 34 Peter // Mar 29, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    i’ am a kinder egg collector from belgium. and looking for contact in Canada to trade kinder eggs with. can ant body help?

    best regards
    Peter

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