that's funny but i am not at all surprised. people don't want to be responsible for what might happen to kids so they don't allow products like this in the environment. ~ liz

My husband had a small Swiss army knife he kept on his keychain. Yes it included a small knife blade, maybe two inches long. We fly into Buffalo and frequently visit family in western New york and sometimes take side trips into Canada-Niagara Falls and Toronto. Well, once at the Bflo airport the TSA took away his Swiss Army knife. He asked if he could have it mailed to him or if they would hold it till his next trip back. NO! So he lost his knife.hey told him it would go in the garbage. I have never seen another quite like it. Once I bought a small garden knife and stuck it in my regular locked checked suitcase. It arrived safely and I have my knife!

Could've sworn that I've seen these in the States already. It seems like a few years ago all food items were being banned from being brought in. Not sure what happened with that.

Where's that thing made? Canada? That seems stupid. They should be more concerned with real contraband like guns and drugs and such. It just makes me want that egg.

Although I see the irony of the concern over it, we all know that people are harping daily over how we have to protect the kids and make homes, society and the world "child-safe". People sue over the silliest things and if a kid chokes on something because parents aren't doing their job, they scream that the "gubmint ain't pertekting us!" How can they allow that?! People with arthritis in their hands have trouble getting a prescription bottle, or for that matter non-prescription bottle that they can open, all because too many parents let kids think that anything in a bottle is candy and everyone else has to suffer for it.

I think both extremes are silly.

And I understand the thing about a knife. Don't people realize that a razor blade brought down four airliners a few years back? They're smaller than 2". People demand the perception of safety and again we all have to suffer for it. By now it should be common sense to not bring knives of any kind onto airliners and for that matter, razors, guns or other potential weapons.

Never heard of a Kinder egg. But there's lots I've never heard of!

Jannie--problem is do the confiscated items really go into the garbage or????
Had this problem coming in from Mexico many many years ago. Had restrictions bring back beer into CA, but not AZ, DH was bringing back some special beer for SIL as he is a beer can collector. Border patrol said we couldn't as we were over our limit. One six pack and 1 bottle of tequila with the"worm" He started to take the 6 pack, but DH took the cans and opened each one and poured it into the garbage. No sharing!! He (BP) was a tad upset. I was scared, thought we would end up in jail! Did not go thru that border again for awhile. That is when we were able to go camping in Baja without problems.

Jannie, you asked if confiscated items really go into the garbage. Many do not. A couple of years ago I was looking to buy at least a dozen pair of small scissors (like nail trimming ones) to place in my many bags with knitting and crocheting projects. I checked ebay for "lots" and found several people selling lots of scissors, and the information on the auctions said that they had been confiscated at various airports. I don't know if these people worked at the airports or if the airports sold confiscated items to them.

DH had to surrender his nail clippers - NOT scissors after flying with them many times! Now they could do a lot of damage....

My kids love kinder eggs. I have many work colleagues in the UK, and when they come to the states, they'll often bring some for my boys. None of them have ever run into problems, but there is one guy that jokes about watching for the drug dogs to take a sniff at his bags.

Since I don't want them to get into trouble, I guess we won't be smuggling eggs into the country anymore. Darn.

More evidence of our nanny state.

Crazy, isn't. I will reserve my honest opinion on the basis it might offend some. I send kinder suprises to my friends in the US all the time. Would that make me liable if someone choked on them? Well, Canada doesn't extradict so I'd just be banned from the US, I guess. Imagine my rap sheet, "Kinder surprise dealer." LOL!

What REALLY ticks me off is that the song "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straights is now banned in Canada because of the use of a degrogatory word that refers to homosexuals.

The song is from 1983, for crying out loud. It's been out and playing on classic rock stations for 28 years and just now it's banned?

I can think of so many songs that use the N word over and over and songs that refer to women as b!tches and 'ho's.

All it takes is for someone to be persistent in bringing attention to these things.

But really. Shouldn't we be capturing t-rrorists at the borders instead? I think they'd be more hazzardous to one's health/life than a chocolate toy.

BJ

The Dire Straits song is hilarious. I cannot believe it was banned from the airwaves here. Some radio stations are playing it anyways. I hope XL103 plays it here still. It's my favourite 'oldies' station.

An 82 year old woman was stopped at the airport a few days ago, here in Calgary. She had a mastectomy and had her breasts redone, so there were those gel thingies in her. When she went through the xray, it showed she had liquid on her. They humiliated her to the point of never wanting to fly again. Airport management says the security went too far with this lady and feels bad, but the lady has yet to get an apology from anyone.

The egg will probably end up on ebay. You think I am kidding. Remember when they were confiscating almost everything off passengers on airplanes? Ebay had all kinds of scissors, toenail, fingernail clippers, scissors, implements etc, that had been confiscated. I got my husband a really nice set: moustache scissors, toe and nail clippers, nose hair snips, and fingernail file in a nice leather pouch. (solingen, made in Germany)It says on each implement and pouch. Poor guy who had this confiscated at airport, he probably paid alot for that...and it ended up on ebay. But, what I have always wondered who gets the proceeds from these sales anyway? Maybe government should start applying proceeds to the national debt. ROFLMAO

Don't get me started on the TSA. They're based *entirely* on caprice and have nothing to do with principle. One day this item is illegal and the next day it's legal. One day you have to it this way and the next day, you have to do it the other way.

They've been caught red-handed, stealing from passengers time and time and time again.

It's security theater, done for our entertainment only and has nothing to do with real security.

Rose

Here is a link that might be useful: What frequent fliers say about TSA

I thought you just couldn't buy them here. I brought back a ton of them on our trip summer before last from Germany. They didn't say a word to me.

Isn't that crazy.

FYI--TSA confiscated items are sold, usually at real bargain prices. A friend of ours bought 250# of swiss army knives for $100!

Here is a link that might be useful: For Sale!

When we went to a John Kerry rally in 2004 , husband had his "weapon" confiscated. It was a key chain with nail file, can opener and an tiny little knife about an inch long. And there were a gazillion people there with tons of security. When he went to retrieve it afterward, it was mysteriously gone. Probably sold on eBay by a local cop.

That is news to me. Possibly you should have had it shipped through China. It seems they do not have to follow our laws where toys are concerned. Well, at least no one seems to be looking very hard at their violations! Our slogan here in MN is "The State where NOTHING is allowed". It is a wonder our parents and grandparents survived let alone prospered.

Just a clarification. TSA and Customs are NOT the same.

TSA is the agency that checks people and bags before boarding a plane. Everyone travelling by plane goes through TSA security.

Customs (actually Customs and Border Patrol) is the agency that checks international passengers and cargo regardless of how they arrive. Stuff seized by CBP is not just thrown away or sold on eBay. While that MAY happen at a later time, there is a WHOLE bureaucratic procedure first.

Germany is now banning the Kinder Eggs according to the Guardian newspaper, UK.

Lego has smaller pieces and they're not banned.

I had to google it. I can't imagine why any manufacturer would make anything like this or why any parent would buy it. If I understand it...it is a chocolate egg with a toy inside. A toddler would eat it all, or the stuff inside could have toxins in it or be contaminated by workers hands or machinery. I must have it wrong for so many of you to approve of this.

When I was a child every Easter we would get a large hollow milk chocolate egg with a toy in it like a little p necklace or toy.

What about Cracker Jacks or the toys we got in cereal boxes?

I guess they will be banning party poppers next also.

Funny we all survived our childhoods.

As for a toddler eating it all why would anyone in their right mind give a toddler ANYTHING to eat without supervision?

vala55, the toy is inside a plastic two part egg, which is inside a chocolate egg. Check the picture on my link.

my son and family lived in germany where the boys were in love with kindereggs. they have a two piece plastic container that is kind of the shape of a c-battery but shorter. they are hard as the dickens to open! inside is a tiny toy that you construct using an instruction sheet, also inside and written in german. they are very intricate and wheels turn, etc. some series are whole items like clowns or animals or cars. there are collectors who pay good money for the toys. i still have a bag full of them and some are smaller than any toy parts i have seen here other than polly pocket dolls. the cylinder is contained inside a thin shell of two lays of chocolate...white and brown. it is a high quality candy and easily breaks into small pieces. you can also buy the candy by itself and my grandsons still get it from my daughter who now lives in germany.
years ago i was able to buy kindereggs from a man in canada who sold them on ebay. the last time i tried, about 4 years ago, he no longer shipped to the us although the ban had been in effect prior to then. they just made the punishment harsher.
so there, everything you need to know about them from someone with over 10 years experience.....lol.

The ban regards objects that are entirely enclosed/hidden inside an edible food product. Since Cracker Jack is loose popcorn inside a package, they are not affected. If they were to leave part of the egg open, they could probably avoid being affected by the ban. Or just include the toy in the package next to the egg. I know, not as much fun, but at least you could buy them then.

I got some of them in a swap here once. I won't say who the swap was with though. LOL She knows who she is.