Classification and identificationClassifying and identifying Kinder Surprise toys is a rather complex
exercise. There are several different lines, and a number of different
numbering systems have been used over the years. Until the 1990s, the
toys were seldom numbered at all, which can make identification
difficult (although some early toys, especially hand-painted figurines,
have a Ferrero mark). Kinder history can be broadly split into two
periods: pre-2004 and post-2004. The pre-2004 toys were made by
Ferrero. But in 2004, a Luxembourg-based company called MPG (which
stands for Magic Production Group) took over toy production, although
Ferrero continues to make Kinder Surprise chocolate. Prior to 2004, but
after 1990, three distinct lines emerge:
Pre-2004: German lineThe German line of Kinder Surprise toys was sold only in Germany
before 1997, and in Germany and Austria after 1997. In general, this
line is regarded by Kinder aficionados as being superior in quality to
other lines. The instruction papers for German toys are quite large and
usually contain the name of the series on one side, and frequently, the
name of the toy on the other side, which also has the assembly
instructions. In addition, each German paper has a six-digit number
that is unique to the specific toy. The toys themselves do not have
these numbers, but almost always have a Ferrero mark. There does not
appear to be any particular pattern to the German numbering system, but
the first digit is always either 6 or 7.
Pre-2004: West European lineUntil the early 2000s, this line (made by Ferrero Italy) was sold and distributed in all countries except
Germany,
Austriaand countries where Kinder Surprise eggs are illegal (such as the USA)
or simply not available. From about 2001 however, it was restricted
mainly to Western Europe,
Japan and
Hong Kong.
The main distinguishing feature of this line is the use of "K numbers"
(e.g. K96 No. 1), which are found on both the toys and instruction
papers. The two digits after the K represent the year of issue, while
the subsequent number is the number of the specific toy. So K96 No. 1,
for instance, would be toy No. 1 in the series issued in 1996. Toys
with "K numbers" are sometimes referred to as "K toys". The toys tend
to be less sophisticated than the ones in the German line. The papers
are also a great deal more basic. They are essentially elongated strips
that show the toys in the set on one side and have assembly
instructions for the specific toy on the other. Unlike the German
papers, they almost never have any writing on them. The "K" papers were
accompanied by a separate white strip of paper with a standard safety
warning in many languages. The first known "K" series was K91, while
the last was K04, after which MPG introduced a brand-new numbering
system.
In recent years, there have also been reproductions of older K toys, which Kinder collectors frequently refer to as "recasts"
[1].
These "recasts" first appeared in Poland, but soon spread to other
Eastern European countries and eventually to Canada, Mexico, South
America, Australia and New Zealand. They have very similar papers to
the original releases, but the numbering is slightly different. For
example, a "recast" of K93 No. 81 is simply numbered "No. 81". Both the
toys and papers have this altered numbering. Recasts are not very
popular with collectors, but they are nevertheless sought after by
completists.
Pre-2004: Argentine/Brazilian lineThis line only began in the earliest years of the 21st Century after
Ferrero Argentina became a much bigger player on the Kinder Surprise
scene. "Argentine" toys, as they are generally known, are basically K
toys, but with some significant differences from their West European
counterparts. The Argentine line is distributed in South America,
Mexico, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It is also sold in Brazil,
but Brazilian papers are different from the standard Argentine versions
(see below). Although the "Argentine" line mostly resembles the West
European line, there are often differences in how the toys are made.
For instance, where a West European animal or character toy would have
the eyes painted on, the Argentine equivalent would have eye stickers.
Some Argentine toys have even been exclusive and never released in the
West European line. For example, the jigsaw puzzle numbered K01 No. 122
was only ever released in the Argentine line and never issued in the
West European line. It is consequently quite highly sought-after by
European Kinder Surprise collectors. In more recent years, a series of
jigsaw puzzles based on the Monster Hotel hand-painted series was also
exclusive to the Argentine line.
Up to 2004, Argentine papers showed the toy series and assembly
instructions on the same side, while the opposite side contained the
multi-lingual safety warning that is printed on an entirely separate
paper in the West European line. Initially, the papers were of rather
poor quality and tore easily, but from the K02 series onwards, they
were thickened up a bit, although they were still rather less robust
than their European counterparts.
Post-2004: European MPG lineAfter MPG took over the production of Kinder Surprise toys, the
German and European lines were merged so that the same toys were now
distributed in all European countries. The numbering system was
changed, as were the toys and papers. Instead of a "K" number or
six-digit number, all toys now had a new type of number. In the first
MPG year, toys were numbered C-x (e.g. C-1, C-2 etc.). In the second
MPG season, the C was replaced by an S (so toys were now numbered S-1,
S-2 and so forth). In the third and current season of MPG toys, S has
been replaced by 2S (2S-1, 2S-2 etc.). The papers were made somewhat
larger. The toys had the new numbering and an MPG mark instead of a
Ferrero one.
But although the toy lines were merged, the papers have retained
some significant regional differences. German papers still contain the
series name, and often the toy name, in German. West European papers
have no writing, but do contain a Magicode logo. East European papers
are much the same as West European papers, but have no Magicode logo.
Post-2004: Argentine/Brazilian MPG lineNotwithstanding the merger of the German and European lines, there
continues to be a separate Argentine line. MPG toys are included in
this line, but sometimes have differences to their European
counterparts, most notably in their stickers and the papers. The new
Argentine papers are much bigger than before. In fact, they are the
same size as the European papers. On one side, they show the toys in
the series. The reverse side has two distinct parts: the assembly
instructions (across the top) and the multi-lingual safety warning
(bottom half). The Brazilian papers are much the same, but the safety
warning section is yellow rather than white. Interestingly, some "K"
toys (mainly from the K04 series, but also a set of speedboats from the
K01 series) have been released in the Argentine/Brazilian line with
MPG-style larger papers. Another curious feature of the Argentine line
has been the release of a small number of "recasts" of old German toys.
The papers are in the original Argentine pre-2004 style, but have the
German six-digit numbers. The toys are much the same as the German
originals, but in some cases, the colours have been changed.
Limited editionsIn addition to the regular collectible toys, Kinder Surprise series
generally contain special limited-edition sets. These sets tend to vary
greatly between countries, with many variations in toys, but more
especially papers, which tend to be unique to the specific countries in
which the sets are released. Some sets are released in many countries,
while others are only issued in one or two. A few types of limited
editions are discussed below.
Hand-painted figurinesHand-painted figurines are solid toys that generally don't require
assembly. They are very popular with collectors. They can be broadly
divided into two types: animal themes and cartoon characters. One of
the earliest known hand-painted sets is the Super-Mini-Schlumpf-Parade
(Super Mini
SmurfParade), issued in Germany in 1983. Hand-painted sets issued prior to
1990 tend to be very highly sought-after, especially if, as in the case
with the
Smurfs,
other collector groups are also interested. The earliest sets were
released only in Germany, but after about 1993, they were released in
many different countries, with papers unique to those countries. Even
so, a small number of sets were only released in Germany, while others
(like the 1994 Panda Party) were issued in several European countries
but not Germany. It is fair to say that some sets have seen wider
distribution than others. Until the advent of the MPG era, hand-painted
sets were not numbered. However, MPG limited-edition sets have MPG
numbers on both the toys and papers.
"Steckfiguren"The toys known in Germany as "Steckfiguren" are based primarily on
cartoon characters. Some English-speaking collectors call them "stick
figures", but this is not really a correct translation. A more accurate
translation would be something like "put-together figurines" or
"snap-together figurines". So unlike hand-painted figurines, they are
not solid, but have to be assembled. As with hand-painted figurines
however, they were originally issued in Germany only. In the European
and Argentine lines, they were assigned K numbers, but tend to be
harder to find than other "K" toys and can command a similar premium to
hand-painted figurines. This is especially true of the early German
releases, which were usually based on
Disney characters like
Mickey Mouse and
Donald Duck.
Hanna-Barbera characters like
The Flintstones and
Yogi Bear tended to feature in the "K" series, although there were also two
Peanuts sets (in the K94 and K00 series) and two
Smurfs sets (in the K97 and K02 series).
Metal figuresThere have been many sets of metal figures - mainly soldiers -
issued since about 1980. Most of these were put out in Germany, but
some found their way to the West European line, where they were
assigned "K" numbers. The last known metal figure set in the "K" line
was a set of medieval figures released in the K98 series. There have
been no metal figures issued since MPG took over the manufacture of
Kinder Surprise toys.
Other Kinder Surprise egg types
Two Italian Kinder Merenderos (Kinder Joy).
In addition to the main line of Kinder eggs, there are a couple of sub-types worthy of mention:
Maxi eggsMaxi toys can be found in giant-sized Kinder eggs known as "Maxi eggs". They are much bigger than regular-sized toys.
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