Kinder Surprise
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kinder Surprise, also known as a Kinder Egg (Kinder being German meaning "Children"), is a children's confection in the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, often to be assembled by the child or possibly a supervising adult.
Kinder Surprise originated in 1972 in Italy. The manufacturer is Ferrero. The toys are designed by both inside designers and external freelancers, for example the French artist André Roche based in Munich, and manufactured by many companies worldwide such as Produzioni Editoriali Aprile, a small company based in Turin, Italy, run and founded by two brothers, Ruggero and Valerio Aprile.
Kinder Eggs containing toys are not suitable for children under the age of three due to the small parts which may be ingested or inhaled. They are sold all over the world, however they are banned in the United States where the Food and Drug Administration has deemed the encapsulated toy to be a choking hazard. Kinder Egg-like confections are available, but only in a form filled with small candies and/or stickers. There are some stores in the United States that sell genuine Kinder Eggs, often in conjunction with other imported British or other European sweets, although their importation is technically illegal due to the FDA ban.[1]
In Europe, their popularity has spread beyond their intended market, becoming a minor cult phenomenon among discerning adults. There is even a thriving collector's market for the toys. This is especially true in Germany, where the manufacturer includes higher-quality toys than those available elsewhere. The main subject of collection are ever-changing series of small hand-painted figures (which don't have to be assembled), which are said to be in every seventh egg (ad slogan: "Jetzt in jedem siebten Ei"). Seasonal eggs are introduced around the holidays, such as the limited-edition creche collections (featuring such characters as the three kings, baby Jesus, and assorted barnyard animals) found around Christmas, and the huge ones found at Easter (extremely popular in Italy).
A relatively new innovation, triggered by the advent of the Internet, is the introduction of 'Internet surprises'. Accompanying the toy is a small slip of paper containing a 'Magicode'. This code gives access to games at the Magic Kinder website, some for downloading, some for playing online.
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[edit] Statuettes
Towards the end of the 90s, Kinder eggs introduced new type of toys inside the capsule: little one-piece hand-painted statuettes, usually revolving around a common, often animal-related theme. The toys didn't require any assembly, thus only served as a collectible theme for enthusiasts. Most fans however were often disappointed to find such a figure in the capsule, because unless the person was a collector, it served to little interest of the customer as it was merely just a decoration, opposed to the little toys which had the fun of assembling, applying little stickers, and often a way to play with the toy, such as tiny cars or rubberband controlled mechanisms.[citation needed]
Currently, both "active" and "passive" toys are available in the eggs, although there's no outer distinction between them.
