It looks like some Canadians are just now realizing that a popular chocolate brand doesn’t look the same south of the border.
“It’s been brought to my attention that the Kinder Egg is different in the United States than it is in Canada,” TikTok user @chaosqueen8.0 said, in a video that has reached almost 800,000 views as of Wednesday afternoon.
THE DIFFERENCE
Believe it or not, Kinder Eggs are similar in many parts of the world, but for some reason in the U.S they look distinctly different and any seasoned Kinder Egg lover could spot the imposter in seconds.
Let’s start with the name.
In Canada, the U.K and other parts of the world, the chocolate is called a Kinder Surprise. But to Americans? It’s a Kinder Joy Egg.
And much like the TikToker demonstrates when opening the chocolate, in Canada it’s an actual egg with a toy inside.
Meanwhile in America, the egg is already cut in half where one side is chocolate and the other side bears the toy.
WHY IS IT BANNED IN THE U.S?
What some Canadians also don’t know is that Kinder Surprise Eggs are illegal down south and if you’re caught with one you could be fined a lot of money.
Back in 2011, a Manitoba resident named Linda Bird was stopped by U.S. Border patrol when crossing Manitoba to Minnesota and was told that she was in possession of illegal contraband and could face a $300 fine.
And it gets even more odd, because once she returned to Canada she got a seven-page letter from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency who asked if she wanted her chocolate back or was going to abandon all rights to it.
Additionally, if she didn’t sign the letter, she might be liable for $250 in storage costs for the egg.
So why the fuss? That’s because apparently the toy inside the chocolate is a choking hazard and keeping them out of homes is a safety precaution.
“Kinder eggs are a prohibited item because they contain a toy surprise, hidden inside, that poses a choking and aspiration hazard for children younger than three years of age. Kinder Eggs may not be imported into the United States and will be confiscated and destroyed. The traveler, in possession of the Kinder Eggs, may also be allowed to take them back to Canada,” the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency explains on its website.
And they aren’t playing around.
In 2012, another incident took place where two men from Seattle, who were heading back to the U.S after a visit to Vancouver, were also stopped at the border and had six Kinder Surprise Eggs seized.
They were detained for two hours and told they could be fined $15,000. Yeah, that’s $2,500 per chocolate egg.
KINDER JOY VS. KINDER SURPRISE REACTION
One TikTok user from the U.K who now lives in the U.S says she has to be careful not to bring a Kinder Surprise back after going overseas.
“When I go back to America I have to make sure that I don’t have one of these silly little chocolate eggs in my bag because they are illegal. But as soon as I get to the USA I can go buy an assault gun,” @ktorih said.
On the other hand, one American who was visiting the U.K tried the O.G Kinder Egg and by the looks of how she ate it, we now know why it’s illegal where she’s from.
In her defence, Canadians, including myself, have been eating these bad boys since the sandbox days and it’s a skill not mastered by everyone.
The moral of the story is that Kinder Surprise hits (and is built) different, just like Canadians.
