If you are fortunate enough to have relatives abroad or really cool jet-setting friends, you've likely enjoyed a Kinder Surprise, or Kinder Egg at some point in your life. If not, imagine a small plastic capsule containing an even smaller, as-yet-assembled toy all wrapped in a larger, delicious chocolate shell. But did you know that your innocent chocolate noshing and toy construction was actually based in an illicit and illegal smuggling operation carried out by (likely unwitting) friends and family? Well:
For reasons that are beyond our comprehension—"choking hazard" okay okay—Kinder Surprise eggs are banned in the United States. And not just "unavailable" in the United States: as two unlucky Americans traveling from Canada discovered, the penalty for bringing a Kinder egg into the USA carries a fine of $2,500. Per egg. Yes, you can buy guns at Wal-Mart, but you can't bring delicious European toy-stuffed chocolate across the border.
But the good news out of Consumerist today tells of a new product available Stateside, the Choco Treasure, which sounds almost exactly like the Kinder candy: "chocolate eggs with a toy surprise inside." So what makes this product acceptable in the eyes of Uncle Sam? According to the product's website, there is a "plastic ridge around the capsule to clearly separate the two halves of chocolate. It’s important that so that even a child can easily see there’s a capsule in addition to the chocolate." Because apparently American children can't tell the difference between chocolate and plastic. Or something.
Anyway, the confections will have toys like Spiderman figures licensed by Marvel plus sports-related toys. If you want some Choco Treasures for your child-safe Easter basket, the eggs will be available at Target soon.
[Foodbeast via Consumerist]
