U.S. border agents seize shipment of 3,500 Elf Hatching Eggs from Canada

A shipment of toys valued at $38,000 were seized by U.S. border patrol officers in New York because it was in violation of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act. (U. S. Customs and Border Protection)

A shipment of Canadian Christmas toys weren’t up to snuff and seized by U. S. Customs and Border Protection agents in New York.

On Wednesday, U.S. border agents at a port of entry in Champlain, NY stopped a shipment of 3,500 Nurchums Elf Hatching Eggs because it was in violation of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Act.

When the red-and-green-coloured artificial eggs are submerged in water a plastic elf will “grow” inside and crack through its shell. The elf will return back to its smaller size after it’s removed from the water.

According to a press release, the commercial shipment valued at $38,000 was examined and turned over to agents from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The commission tested a sample of the toys and determined the Elf Hatching Eggs didn’t have the required tracking label information.

The toy shipment was also missing a required General Certificate of Conformity, which a written issuance by the manufacturer certifying that its product complies with U.S. consumer product safety rules.

“In this case, we worked closely with CPSC to enforce the laws relating to the safety of international goods and to keep potentially harmful toys out of the hands of children,” Champlain Area Port Director Steven Bronson said in a press release.