Kinder Eggs were once the most popular candies back in the late 20th century. These egg shaped candies, that contained a hidden miniature toy, could be found on store shelves all across the United States. Suddenly in 1997, Kinder Eggs were banned from America by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). But why?
The name Kinder came from the German word “Kinder”, which means children. Created by a man named William Salice in Italy, he was inspired by an Italian tradition of hiding gifts in chocolate eggs. Soon, his product was sponsored by Ferrero and the candy soon quickly gained popularity. Kinder Egg not only appealed to children, but also adults. Collectors became eager to collect as many Kinder Egg toys (almost 12,000 varieties of toys) as possible. More than 30 billion eggs were sold by the company around the world from when the product was manufactured in 1974. Unfortunately, due to a recall conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Kinder Eggs were banned from the United States and many other countries due to the choking hazard the plastic toys posed.
Strict laws were shortly enforced to prevent any Kinder Eggs from crossing the U.S borders. For example, in June 2012, six Kinder Eggs were found in the trunk of a car. The carriers were threatened with a serious fine of $2,500 per egg. Even though these eggs can not be bought in the United States anymore, they will always be remembered by children and the candy-lover community.
