2001 Kinder Surprise Kitten with yarn ball Walkaround

I bought this little kitten nearly 8 months ago but never had any idea what brand she was. I purchased her from a seller on eBay in Germany, and the seller did not know what brand she was either. There were no makers marks to be found on this kitten...so she has been a mystery until tonight.

I was sifting through listings on Etsy when I spotted an exact copy of the kitten I had in a listing with other kitten replicas of the same style. The set had a yarn ball theme and two different color variants of each figure. Excited, I read the description to see if the seller had listed what brand these kittens were. I stopped dead when I read they were Kinder Surprise...completely illegal to have in the US not only in their original packaging but also the toys too as I found out later on.

How she got through the border and past Customs officials without being seized and destroyed is beyond me...but I still love her to bits and hope to somehow obtain the others in the set as well. For years, I have wanted to add so many of the Kinder animals to my collection but fear of getting caught trying to smuggle them across the US border and the fine that can be as high as $2500, has kept me from buying them over the internet. But oh the excitement when I realized that for eight months...I actually do have at least one Kinder Surprise in my collection! Here she is in a small walkaround.

What a nice kitty, I'm sure cats and pets figurines collectors will be very jealous here. Thank you for this good walkaround

I'm not a Cat and pet figurines collector but I really like to see topics about unknown or forgotten toys. Keep up this good work

An adoreable kitty
And beautyful walkaround

I am also surprised that she is from a Kinder egg, - but they have had some really fine stff through the years

Why on earth are they illegal in USA ????

Interesting figurine

Thanks to your introductory text it is easy to understand why figures like these are special for you. Thanks for walk around!

Kikimalou wrote:

What a nice kitty, I'm sure cats and pets figurines collectors will be very jealous here. Thank you for this good walkaround  

I'm not a Cat and pet figurines collector but I really like to see topics about unknown or forgotten toys. Keep up this good work

Thanks, Kiki!

SUSANNE wrote:

An adoreable kitty  
And beautyful walkaround  

I am also surprised that she is from a Kinder egg, - but they have had some really fine stff through the years  

Why on earth are they illegal in USA ????  

Thank you! Apparently they are banned in the US because a child could mistakenly consume the toy along with the chocolate they come in and the toy itself is considered a choking hazard because of small parts. Those laws are quite dumb if you ask me since there are thousands of toys on the market that are legal but pose just as much of a choking hazard. *shakes head*

widukind wrote:

Interesting figurine

Thank you!

Roger wrote:

Thanks to your introductory text it is easy to understand why figures like these are special for you. Thanks for walk around!

You're welcome!

Kiki is right, I am jealous now!
It really is a nice looking kitten <3

Illegal... seriously?! And those weapons you can carry are legal...
Sorry, USA blew my mind again >.<

SUSANNE wrote:

Why on earth are they illegal in USA ????  

From the internet:
"A 1938 federal law bans toys or any non-edible objects to be embedded within food products, meaning the only surprise Americans get is a potential fine and confiscation of their delicious chocolates at the border. The fine is $1,200 per egg."

Ther is always something to learn on STS

NightLioness wrote:

Kiki is right, I am jealous now!
It really is a nice looking kitten <3

Illegal... seriously?! And those weapons you can carry are legal...
Sorry, USA blew my mind again >.<

USA is very dumb sometimes, lol. You can get a permit to carry a concealed firearm in public but can't take a harmless chocolate egg with a toy inside, across the border. United States at its finest. XD No wonder my country is falling to shambles. We're more scared of chocolate eggs than firearms! *facepalm*

Kikimalou wrote:

Ther is always something to learn on STS

Indeed there is!

Here's the set the little kitten came from. Sorry for the low quality photo. This photo is from a seller on eBay who has all kinds of Kinder Surprise toys for sale. Reasonable prices too.

Takama can buy Yowies at Walmart.
They are chocolate figures with animal toys hidden inside.
But Kinder Surprise is stopped at the border?

https://sts-forum.forumieren.de/t16643-takamas-yowie-animals

The Kinder egg shells are much smaller than the Yowie ones (or at least the ones I have seen). Maybe that is why they are allowed in the US? But the Yowie toy does seem just as likely to be a choking hazard.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/kinder-egg-toy-death-france-three-year-old-french-girl-chokes-a6822626.html

Very sad.

@Night Elf: Yes, the eggs from Kinder Surprises are smaller than from Yowies, but I see the main difference that the Yowies figures for US market are monolithic. Minitoys from Ferrero Kinder Surprise are from small parts, similar as Australian Yowies or Kaiyodo ChocoQs.

@WhiteLightning Wolf: Maybe importing these figures (standalone, not inside the chocolate egg) as collector items (not toys) will be OK as there are plenty of US sellers on E-Bay offering small Kaiyodo puzzle figures...

WhiteLightning Wolf wrote:

Here's the set the little kitten came from. Sorry for the low quality photo. This photo is from a seller on eBay who has all kinds of Kinder Surprise toys for sale. Reasonable prices too.

Aawwwww <3 They are wonderful!!

Whieiei, found the set on a Dutch marketplace site
Just bought it thanks to you, because I did not knew them before

They are SO cute  
Congratulations, Karin    

Kikimalou wrote:

There is always something to learn on STS

Yes, indeed

SUSANNE wrote:

They are SO cute  
Congratulations, Karin    

Kikimalou wrote:

There is always something to learn on STS

Yes, indeed

Thank you Susanne have got them in, posting pics tomorrow :3

NightLioness wrote:

SUSANNE wrote:

They are SO cute  
Congratulations, Karin    

Kikimalou wrote:

There is always something to learn on STS

Yes, indeed

Thank you Susanne have got them in, posting pics tomorrow :3

Lol. I took a chance and bought a set myself. I got a load of other Kinders in today but I'm still waiting on these kitties!