To give the novice an idea about what the whole Surprise Egg thing is all about, here are some samples of the sets that are released in Germany and Italy. Sample pictures of the toys themselves are planned, but for now I think these promotions will give you a the right idea. As I mentioned earlier, I am concentrating on the hand-painted figures only although there are lots of other great toys inside these chocolate eggs.
Another important fact is that the "figure seasons" are from mid-August to December (Fall) and January thru May (Winter/Spring). During most of the Summer, Kinder Eggs are only found in a few department stores with air conditioning, due to the sensitivity of the chocolate to heat.
Cyber mice in Germany are the figures for Fall, 2001. The Vacation Bears are an altered version of a German set from 1999. Cute blood suckers? The Vampire collection was the Winter set in Italy for 2001. The Spaceys were the Spring series in Germany for 2001. They were available in Italy 2 years ago. The Piglets were the Fall 2000 figure here in Germany. Asterix figures were in Germany for Spring 2000. Aqualand were found in Germany in the Fall of 1997. Circus Elephants in Germany for Spring 1998, later released in France. Fancy Foxes in Germany for Fall 1998 (naturally associated with crime). Bear Vacation in Germany. Hippo wedding in Germany for Spring 1999, released in France for 2000. Chinese beavers in Italy for Spring 1999. They are were in France, Luxembourg and Belgium in Spring 2000.