one choking kid ruins it for everyone

Consumer Reports' baby blog issued a reminder today (what with Easter being this Sunday) that the surprise toys in Kinder eggs may pose a choking hazard. Duh. Who would give a Kinder egg to a child under 3? Furthermore, was it really necessary for the U.S. to completely ban the eggs (you can still find the mediocre - in my opinion - chocolate in bar form, sans surprise, at stores like Cost Plus World Market) in 1997 because of this possible choking hazard?

My family moved to Germany when I was 9 and although I have no specific memory of my very first Kinder egg, I do remember acquiring quite the collection of surprise toys and things found inside. I remember when I stopped eating the chocolate but still looked forward to what the small, plastic egg inside held. It was the night before the big Fasching parade in Mainz and my brother and I both received one. Since that was the last thing I ate before coming down with the flu (and missing the parade the next day), from then on I associated the milk and white chocolate confection with feeling miserable. I'd pass the chocolate on to my brother, but I continued to collect the toys, still stored in a shoe box somewhere in my Dad's attic.