Kinder Surprise facts for kids
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| Owner | Ferrero SpA |
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| Introduced | 17 February 1974 |
Kinder Surprise (also known as Kinder Egg) is a popular chocolate treat. It's a chocolate egg with a fun surprise toy inside. The Italian company Ferrero has made these eggs since 1974.
The idea for Kinder Surprise came from Michele Ferrero and William Salice. It was inspired by an Italian Easter tradition. Adults would give children big chocolate eggs with toys hidden inside. Kinder Surprise was first made for kids, but now many adults also love collecting the toys. Over 30 billion Kinder Surprise eggs have been sold around the world!
Contents
What is Kinder Surprise?
A Kinder Surprise egg is made of milk chocolate on the outside. Inside, it has a layer of white chocolate. Hidden inside the chocolate is a yellow or orange plastic capsule. This capsule looks like an egg's yolk.
The Surprise Toy
Each capsule holds a small toy. Sometimes, you need to put the toy together yourself. These toys are a big part of the fun!
The eggs come in foil wrappers. These wrappers have important warning labels. They tell parents that the eggs are not for children under three years old. They also suggest that adults watch kids while they eat the egg. This is because of the small parts in the toy.
Collecting the Toys
Even though Kinder Surprise was made for kids, many adults enjoy collecting the toys. Collectors often try to get every toy from a special themed set. Some people even share videos of themselves opening the eggs online.
More than 100 new toys are released every year. By 2016, there had been about 12,000 different toys inside Kinder Surprise eggs. Kinder Surprise is very popular in countries like Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom.
History of Kinder Surprise
The idea for Kinder Surprise started in 1968. Michele Ferrero wanted to create a product that could give children a small "surprise" every day. This idea came from the Italian tradition of giving chocolate eggs with toys at Easter.
Ferrero's employees were not sure about the idea at first. They thought chocolate eggs were only for Easter. But Ferrero also wanted the product to have more milk. He believed parents would like giving their children a treat with more milk. He asked William Salice to help make his idea real.
The Ferrero company started making Kinder Surprises in 1974. Since then, billions of these eggs have been sold worldwide. William Salice, who helped create the egg, passed away in 2016 at the age of 83.
Toy Collections and Partnerships
The toys inside Kinder Surprise eggs often feature popular characters. Some past collections have included Asterix, Fantomimi, Smurfs, and Minions.
Ferrero and Kinder have also worked with other companies and groups. They have partnered with The Walt Disney Company, Universal, and Smart to promote Kinder Surprise.
Safety Information
Kinder Surprise eggs have warnings on their packaging. These warnings state that the toy is "not suitable for children under three years" because of small parts. They also recommend "adult supervision."
Rules in Different Countries
Some countries have different rules about products like Kinder Surprise.
United Kingdom
In 2000, there were discussions in the UK Parliament about the eggs. Some people wanted the products removed from stores. However, officials noted that many toys have small parts. They said that banning every product with small parts would leave very few toys on the market.
United States
A law from 1938 in the United States does not allow candy to have a non-food item inside, unless that item has a special purpose. This law generally bans candy with toys or trinkets inside.
In 1997, some Kinder Surprise eggs brought into the US were recalled. The toys inside were found to have small parts. Because chocolate is for all ages, including very young children, the eggs were seen as breaking the small parts rule.
Kinder Surprise eggs are allowed in Canada and Mexico. However, it is against the law to bring them into the US. People have faced fines for carrying them across the border. For example, in 2012, two men were held at the border for having six Kinder Surprise eggs.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has stated that the toys inside these chocolates could be a choking risk.
Kinder Joy in the US
Since 2017, a similar product called Kinder Joy eggs has been sold in the United States. Kinder Joy is different because the toy and the chocolate are in separate parts of an egg-shaped plastic package. The chocolate part is a creme that you eat with a spoon. Kinder Surprise eggs, with the toy inside the chocolate, are still not allowed in the US.
Other Countries
In 2016, Chile banned Kinder Surprise due to new food labeling laws. In 2022, there were reports of salmonella in Belgium linked to some Kinder Surprise eggs. Also in 2022, Ferrero Canada Ltd. voluntarily recalled some Kinder brand chocolate products in Canada, including Kinder Surprise 100g, as a safety measure.
See also
In Spanish: Kinder Sorpresa para niños
- Easter egg
- Capsule toy
- Choco Treasure
- List of confectionery brands
- Wonder Ball
External links
ca:Kinder
