Kinder Eggs Banned in US

I am SURPRISED!! We just got back from Spain on the 14th and hand carried a giant egg with eggs inside and nobody seemed to care. I guess we were just lucky. In the past we have brought back enough for my daughters whole class.

I was surprised too... the first time this same topic came up several years ago. I think the US news organizations repeat this story every year.

And the problem with them is what exactly????? Or, is this just part of the nanny-state where the gov't steps in because all parents are stupid (IPO)?

haha - I guess I've managed to miss the story every year!

They have been banned for as long as I remember. I have been bringing them back from Germany for more than 10 years and they have always been banned here. I have found them in Canada, though... I have never had a problem bringin them in - just declared them candy! I believe it's the old "choking hazard" that has them banned in the US. Are German children smarter?

I think it's the yearly Kinder Egg PR stunt for Easter. I know the only reason I buy them and sneak them in is because it's contraband. It's the cuban cigar of my Caribbean trips. Worst case scenario you are out 2 bucks. Best case you commit some mild anarchy and get cheap souvenirs.

"it contains a "non-nutritive object embedded in it." Reminds me of Clark Griswold's non-nutritive cereal varnish. Anyway, are kids here really missing out? I mean, I seriously doubt most people in the U.S. have ever heard of these eggs. Although I understand in Rick's hometown, Easter Eggs are called Spring Spheres.

Really? The German deli not too far from me always has carried them.

KA-PLOW!!! THAT was my head exploding... Although I prefer much more bang for my candy/chocolate buck... I've now added them to my permanent packing list... ANARCHY! ANARCHY! ANARCHY! Thanks, Angela, for the headache...;-)

They have never sold them in the US except for specialty shops. It's not like customs will search your luggage for them and fine you. I've brought some back form the EU as long as it's not summer (they'll melt).

Customs won't fine you but they will confiscate them. We've never had them taken, but apparently the agents delight in taking them from boxes and luggage. I was watching NBC5 Chicago news tonight and they had a big story about it and talking about how "dangerous" they are. I think they said 7 children in the past 20 years have died from choking on the toys. In a quick search I found that 77 children die every year choking on hot dogs. I think customs agents just really like Kinder chocolate. (I know we do!)

FWIW, the "Spring Spheres" story is a hoax: http://thedailywh.at/2011/04/14/anatomy-of-an-outrage-of-the-day-the-spring-sphere-scare/

Well I'll be damned. They are for sale everywhere in Oz. My grandson aged 4 1/2 loves them. How could they possibly be a choking hazard. The little gizmo inside is firmly secured in a container. I have a helluva job getting the darn thing out!!

Yep, even the specialty shops around here have stopped carrying them. I'm heading back to Germany this summer. If you're willing to sign a waiver, I'll sell them for $10 a pop. For any lawyers on the board, please rest assured that I'm completely kidding. My kids and I will eat the lot.

Seriously...you don't understand how this could present a choking/safety issue for children? Or are you just being sort of sarcastic? The real question is: Who cares? Go ask 10 people at the mall if they've ever heard of these eggs. Life is diminished for want of a Kinder Egg...good god.

As Linda said, they are widely available in Canada. Strange.

Good grief. I've brought them into the U.S. for friends and never knew I was a smuggler! Their teenage kids love them, more as a memory of enjoying them here as young kids on vacation. I'm sure my friends had no idea they were banned in the U.S. Kinder eggs are hugely popular with kids here.

Thanks for the post, I picked one up while shopping at London Drugs today and it was delicious! Now what do I do with the little 'toy'? I better not put it in the cats' dish but they didn't have a warning on the label...........

Bob, you now know not to eat the toy, but it didn't mention not sticking it in your ear, or wherever the will may take you... ;) I find it so silly. You can buy them here by the massive case at Costco!

So now I know what a Kinder Egg is....learn something new everyday!

Sorry about the exploding head, Eileen, but listen, I don't write the laws, I only report the "breaking news"... years later... And, ahem, it would appear we have more than a few smugglers in our midst...

That's funny when we were coming back from Canada not too long ago, the U.S. border guards asked us if we were carrying any food items and I specifically said I had Kinder Eggs (had to stock up on this delicious reminder of my childhood). They didn't seem to have any problems. This just reminds me of the time when I collected 90% of these little lion figurines that came in the eggs when I was a kid...only to have my dad "accidentally" throw most of them away :(

The funny thing to me is you can't import a Kinder Egg because the toy inside is considered a choking hazard. CBP officers might take them away because they aren't allowed. If you eat some Kinder Eggs while on vacation, however, it's okay to bring the toys (choking hazards) home.

Reasonable people might conclude the choking risk for three year-olds is presented when the toy is embedded/hidden within the candy egg itself, not necessarily because of the size of the toy as a stand-alone item. But, again, who really cares if they're banned in the U.S.? Cat Stevens was also banned in the U.S. – where was the outrage on this board for that? Well, at least we're all much more culturally superior now knowing that our Easter celebration is enhanced (better, actually, compared with other Americans) when consuming a superior, albeit illegal, European treat. :)

my child lives for Kinider Eggs - I know a few places who sell them in NYC BUT they have told me they have been fined for doing so.

Feds Raid Manhattan Store

Spring Spheres? Whoever would call an Easter Egg a sphere flunked geometry. The political correct name for them is "Vernal equinox biprolate ellipsoid"