Kinder Surprise, also known as a Kinder Egg or, in the original Italian, Kinder Sorpresa (Kinder is the German word for "children", sorpresa is Italian for "surprise"), is a candy manufactured by Italian company Ferrero and invented by William Salice (1933–2016). Originally intended for children, it is also popular with adult collectors and has the form of a chocolate egg containing a small toy, usually requiring assembly.
Each Kinder Surprise egg consists of a chocolate shell, a plastic container, the contents of said container, and an external foil wrap. The chocolate shell is shaped like a chicken's egg. It is only about 2 millimeters thick, and consists of two layers: a milk chocolate layer on the outside, and a white chocolate layer on the inside. The shell is made of two identical halves, which are lightly fused together just before the egg is wrapped, to prevent the halves from coming apart under the light pressures expected during transportation.
During the egg's production, before the halves are fused together, the plastic capsule containing the toy is placed inside. This capsule is made from thin, flexible plastic, and is often yolk-yellow. The capsule is made of two non-symmetrical, overlapping pieces: its bottom piece is almost as long as the entire capsule, and has two ridges protruding along its outer rim; the top piece is about half as long as the entire capsule, and has two corresponding ridges along its inner rim. When the pieces are pushed together, the ridges interlock and do not come apart without manual manipulation. To separate the two pieces, it is often necessary to apply pressure to the interlocking region at its opposite ends, bending it and causing the ridges to separate inside so that the halves can be pulled apart. Once the capsule is opened it can be re-closed effortlessly by pushing the two pieces back together.
The plastic capsule contains the toy itself (either in a single piece or in several pieces requiring assembly) and at least two pieces of paper. One paper lists the "choking hazard" warnings in multiple languages. The other paper shows assembly instructions for the toy and a picture of the assembled toy (if applicable), and/or an illustration of all toys belonging to the same line as the one contained within this particular capsule. Many capsules also include a small page of adhesive decals that may be placed on the assembled toy after construction.