Kinder egg contraband.

• Author: Mangu-Ward, Katherine
• Position: Artifact - Lind Bird - Brief article

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LIND BIRD had no idea she was in possession of illegal goods when she tried to cross the border from Canada to the United States with a $2 chocolate Kinder Surprise egg in her car. But astute U.S. customs officials detected her contraband confectionery at once, seizing it from the appropriately named Bird.

The bonbon, a chocolate-encased plastic capsule with a toy inside, is sold worldwide, but importing one into the U.S. could have triggered a $300 fine. The tasty terrors join Haitian animal-hide drums, African bush meat, and Cuban gold on the federal government's list of prohibited imports, thanks to a decision by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1997 declaring the toys an unacceptable choking hazard. The candy also runs afoul of a Food and Drug Administration rule against "nonnutritive items" in confections...