Timeless Thoughts: Kinder Surprise
Timeless Thoughts is a monthly linkup hosted by Georgie and Tara, where bloggers write about something from their past – it could be an item, a place, an event – anything that evokes a trip down memory lane. Timeless Thoughts is held on the first Saturday of the month, and runs for two weeks.
When I was younger, Kinder Surprise (known as Kid Egg in some countries) was my favourite confectionery. I loved assembling toys, and these cute little trinkets in Kinder Surprise were no exception. Sometimes I didn’t like the toys inside but as with any kind of ‘lucky dip’, the surprise was the fun part. The chocolate egg was also to be enjoyed before you got your hands on your surprise.
In a way, subscription boxes remind me of Kinder Surprise eggs because they are like little surprises. You have no idea what is inside until you open the box. It’s clearly a marketing strategy. People love gifts and love surprises, so anything of this sort is appealing.
Kinder Surprise took it a step further by not just making a toy, but making a toy you could spend a bit of time putting together. In the past, these toys were often complicated and had at least seven pieces. One of my favourites to put together was a racing car. It would have taken you up to five minutes to put together.
Maybe it’s just because I’m an adult, but the last time I got a Kinder Surprise egg – when I was with my friends Johnny and Fern and we had a sudden urge to buy some – I was disappointed by the toy inside. It was a cute blue-grey-and-white striped panda, but it only had three pieces, two of which were kind of already stuck together. It was really easy to put together, taking less than a minute, and the only amusement I got out of it was that I could stick one set of legs the opposite way.
I think the age group for Kinder Surprise is over three years old, presumably so there isn’t the risk of newborns swallowing those little pieces. I just feel like over the years, the toys have become less exciting. With the racing car, at least you could get some fun out of rolling it or pushing it on a flat surface. It was more than just a figurine.
I mean, after eating the chocolate shell, you’d want the fun to go on for hours and simply beyond you just opening that egg, right? I think I once got a disappointing toy that was just one piece.
What are your Kinder Surprise memories? Tara and I would love to see you participate in Timeless Thoughts, so if you’re joining this month, add your post to the linkup widget below. :)
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Comments on this post
Jess
We didn’t get Kinder Surprise much as kids. We usually got Yowies instead! Delicious chocolate and all Australian animals. My sister and I collected HEAPS of them and used to play all kinds of games. Wish they still had them. Apparently though, and American company owns it and they might be coming back….!
Definitely agree about the toys they give out now, extremely uninspiring!
As an adult I really enjoy the taste of Kinder chocolate. I nearly bought some today, actually…
Sarah
I’m fairly certain Kinder Surprise had to change the toys for choking reasons. They don’t even sell them at all in the US because of it, it’s sort of crazy.
I also remember the chocolate tasting better as a kid, it might not have (it’s potentially still the same) but the last Kinder Surprise I bought was disappointing in the chocolate and the toy… it seems most of them are just single piece toys these days. If I were to eat anything Kinder now it would be the Bueno, they’re still pretty decent!
Drea
I actually never got one of these; I think it’s a regional thing, but I know they make similar sorts of things both now and when I was a kid (though the ones now I think come with more candy in them, which is odd.)
Personally, I love quiet surprises I can have to myself and that sort of ‘gambling’, so mystery boxes and secreted away candy bits are the best kind of rush. <3
Kya
Oh man, I loved these so much. It was so much fun to get the toy, put it together and think you had been construction genius haha. The last one I got (maybe last year) was very simple compared to the old days. It did have stickers as well, to place on certain parts. Maybe it’s because I’m older, I don’t know.
I think I still have a shell and pearl toy from one. xD
Bhairavee
We still get Kinder but looks a bit different. The chocolate is on one side and the gift on the other when we open the egg. I still like but so too much!
Michelle
They don’t even sell these in the US, because of them being choking hazards. I’m sad because they seem awesome. :( This just proves that so much can be different the same time we were all growing up.
Cat
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Kinder Surprise! It’s currently banned in the US, but I remember other chocolate candies that were very similar. I think the idea of them is really cute, and I would have loved these as a kid. That’s too bad that the toys inside are disappointing now =/ There’s probably more rules and caution on what they’re able to put inside. I feel this way about other toys too!
Silver
I. LOVE. Kinder Surprises.
I am sad that the ones that you posted (the ones I ate in my childhood) is different than the one being sold these days. I have to eat the whole chocolate egg darn it! I love getting the toys inside and assembling it. I am such a kid that when my mum went to NZ and aussie, I demanded she get me them and the only sized the had where the huge ones (like for easter) but I was a happy bunny to get it (by the way the toy was huge, it was a puzzle set).
Tara
The way you compared the Kinder Surprise to a subscription box makes total sense! The element of surprise is definitely a good marketing strategy, and if used right, it can have the customers come back again to the product. But it looks like the Kinder Surprise’s toy quality has gone down a bit. That’s always a bummer when a product’s quality becomes lesser than before.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Kinder Surprise egg myself, but I’ve seen those around. I just haven’t bothered getting it XD
Rebecca
I love Kinder Surprises, and still eat them as a 23 year old. A nice “treat” for me when I do my weekly shop. The toys inside used to be so much better than nowadays though. Another Kinder product I always looked forward to was actually at Easter time, I used to LOVE their huge Kinder Surprise Easter Eggs that had huge toys in… And more chocolate!
Kaela
I’m soooo late to the linkup but I have finally added my post! Phew…
It’s weird. I’m 22 but I never grew up with Kinder Joy. I know many people around me who did though. Heck, I didn’t even know what those were till I was in college. Now, it’s weird- I seem to see them all the time in stores. It makes me tempted to buy one (because I loooove toys).
Chynna
I love Kinder Surprise eggs! M favourite part was finding out what toy I got and then getting to make it.
I remember getting excited about the racing car too! But nowadays, they don’t have anything like that. Plus they have ‘gendered’ eggs too – pink and blue – and I don’t know how I feel about that.
I want one now!