Three-and-half billion Kinder eggs are sold globally each year but the popular chocolate-toy hybrid generates zero sales from the United States market. Until now.
Confectionery maker Ferrero International S.A. says at the beginning of 2018, it will debut a version of the iconic, decades-old Kinder Egg to the U.S. market for the first time. The most commonly known version of the product is the Kinder Surprise, which is a hollow chocolate egg that holds a plastic capsule which itself contains a toy. The toy is often a tiny collectible like a mini bike or an animal figurine, and it often requires some assembly. The surprise, of course, is that the purchaser doesn't know what toy is in the egg until it has been opened.
But the version that will debut in grocery and drugstores across the United States is the Kinder Joy, which is a more recent concoction that separates the toy from the candy because it is comprised of two sealed halves. One half contains milk-crème and cocoa flavoring with wafer bites and is eaten with an included spoon, while the other half of the egg contains a toy. That packaging—used by Ferrero to sell the chocolate treats in warm-weather markets—is fully compliant with both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Kinder Surprise debuted in 1974, while Kinder Joy launched in 2001.
Founded in 1946, Ferrero's most popular treats include Nutella spreads, Kinder chocolates and Tic Tacs. Through those brands, it has grown to become the world's fourth-largest confectionery maker, (when accounting for all sub-brands) ranking behind Mars Inc., Mondelez (MDLZ, +0.83%), and Nestle. The Kinder Egg was conceptualized as a way to play on the Italian tradition of giving children large chocolate eggs that often had a toy inside of them to celebrate Easter. That family tradition was replicated in the Kinder Surprise, which became a popular food-toy outside of the holiday season.
Over time, Kinder Surprise expanded distribution beyond Italy and the treat is now sold in every major market except the United States. It wasn't allowed to be sold stateside because of a 1938 regulation that made it illegal to sell any candy with a non-nutritive object inside of it. Over the years, various importers have tried to bring the Kinder Eggs to the U.S. market, though those efforts have always been thwarted by the federal government via recalls.
The 2018 launch of the Kinder Joy is the first time that the brand's parent company, Ferrero, is bringing it to the U.S. The Kinder Joy packaging format that keeps the toy separate from the food ensures that it adheres to both FDA and CPSC standards. The launch also coincides with the debut of a gum version of the popular Tic Tac snack.
Originally published on Fortune.
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