Where to find Kinder Surprise Eggs in the United States

If you've watched any surprise egg videos on YouTube, you will find that most feature chocolate Kinder Surprise Eggs that contain a cute little toy inside.

Kinder Surprise, Kinder egg, Kinder Joy, Maxi eggs, or Kinder Sorpresa by Italian brand Ferrero has been banned in the United States by the FDA 1938 Act. The act bans "the sale of any candy that has embedded in it a toy or trinket".  This is due to the fear of choking if the person eating the item does not know there was a toy in it.

Kinder egg capsule next to 9v battery.

I can see how in some cases this might be valid. But in the case of the Kinder Surprise egg, the toy is encased in a plastic yellow capsule. I think it would be very hard to not notice that it's made of plastic.

So for now, to find and buy Kinder  Surprise eggs, you will have to travel abroad. And because it's banned, make sure to open and consume the chocolate before you re-enter the States, or it may be confiscated by the TSA.

Because the ban is on the sale of Kinder Eggs in the United States, it is legal to purchase. You can purchase and have the Kinder eggs shipped from various suppliers abroad or find them on Ebay (which usually are sellers from other countries). The prices are marked up and you have to pay shipping. But it's somewhat reasonable and worthwhile for this special treat. So if a trip to Canada or Europe isn't on the calendar this year, this is a good option.

But wait! There is also an alternative. The ChocoTreasure. ChocoTreasure made a series of modifications to their surprise eggs so that it is legal to sell in the United States. The toys are a little bigger, they do not contain small plastic pieces, and the toy capsule is modified so that it can be seen from the outside of the chocolate shell.

Below you can see the comparison. As you can see, Choco Treasure toys tend to be in one piece. Kinder egg surprises may contain additional pieces to put together.

Pink Choco Treasure capsule and toy on right. Orange Kinder egg capsule and toy on left.

Choco Treasure isn't as popular as the Kinder Surprises so I have not seen them in many places. So far I have seen Choco Treasure in dollar stores like Dollar Tree. But it is March and close to Easter so it may be a seasonal item.

You can buy Choco Treasure on Amazon also, it's cheaper than Kinder eggs so it might be a good option.

Finally, you can watch a video of Hello Kitty ChocoTreasure eggs to see what prizes and surprises can be found inside.