'90s Kids Will Probably Remember This Classic Nestlé Treat, But It's Not Nearly As Fun As It Used To Be

Millennials may not have homes, retirement plans, or secure employment, but there is one thing they have in spades: nostalgia. You can catch us yearning for a sickeningly sweet can of Hubba Bubba soda or imbibing a half-baked reboot of a classic childhood TV show for some cold comfort. There are many discontinued, recalled, or permanently closed-off aspects of our childhood that cause us pain (don't even ask about McDonald's Play Place). But there is one treat that stands out among the rest. One which strikes a chill in the heart of every millennial: Nestlé Wonder Ball. 

First introduced in the middle of the 1990s (an exact date is hard to pin down) as Nestlé Magic Ball, this candy was every child's dream: hollow ball of chocolate with a small toy in a plastic sphere. Initially, each toy had a Disney theme, but Magic and later, Wonder Balls, would soon branch out to include Pokémon and other popular characters.

This combination of candy and toys linked cleverly with popular children's movie and TV characters was seemingly perfect for American children. However, the toy-candy combo was not long for the market. In 1997, Nestlé pulled Wonder Balls because it went against a long-standing FDA policy prohibiting the combination of food and inedible components. Wonder Ball was then relaunched in 2000, this time with a candy filling. But the balls kept their cartoon links (usually in candy shape). In 2004, Nestlé sold the brand to Frankford Candy Company, which shortly after, discontinued the candy, much to the chagrin of many millennials.

As with almost all things tinged with Millennial nostalgia, Wonder Ball was brought back to life and in 2016, Frankford Candy Company relaunched Wonder Ball. The new version of the chocolate ball still featured a candy interior but with new characters, such as minions and Super Mario. Though the candies do come with a choking hazard warning thanks to the loose, hard candy filling. The newer version also often contains stickers or coins to collect. 

Though the new take on the candy is fun, it fails to capture the joy of the original toy containing candy ball. You aren't likely to find a candy like the original Wonder Ball on American shelves anytime soon, at least not without some real detective work. Thanks to FDA regulations dating back to 1938 (the same regulations that Nestlé challenged when it released the Magic Ball), no candy containing a toy can legally be sold in the United States. Now, there are some exceptions, such as Cracker Jacks, which feature a small toy within its container, but this is not technically considered to be within the snack food itself.

Of course, it is important to acknowledge Wonder Ball was far from the first candy to include a toy surprise inside. In fact, it is widely known Wonder Ball was first conceived as an imitation of Kinder Surprise: chocolate candy in the shape of an egg that contains a small toy inside. Kinder Surprise, first introduced in 1974 by the Italian candy giant Ferraro, has been a beloved candy across Europe for over 50 years. So it's no wonder Nestlé wanted to capture some of its magic.

Many American candy enthusiasts have yearned to get a taste of Kinder Surprise, but they are hard to come by (since they're technically illegal in the United States). Though legend (Reddit) has it you can find them at some international markets, grocery stores, and bodegas. Instead, Ferraro made a similar candy that can be sold in the United States — it's called Kinder Joy, and it is an egg-shaped candy wherein one half is a chocolate and milk cream flavored candy with small crispy wafer balls, and the other is a small toy (separately contained). However, while this candy is delicious, it doesn't quite capture the magic of the original Kinder Surprise, which might be why so many candy enthusiasts have gone to lengths to acquire a taste of the original chocolate egg surprise. As to which candy is more yearned for (the original Wonder Ball or Kinder Surprise), we can never know. What we do know is there are some cravings that no facsimile or replica can replace. Sometimes the memory or worse yet, imagination, will have to suffice.