The 10 Smells That Transport Us Back to Childhood
What smells instantly transport you back to your childhood? We'll talk about the top five answers in a new survey in just a moment. But first, a pair of shameless plugs.
Don't forget, Battle Creek's Largest Garage Sale is coming this Saturday at the Kellogg Arena. It runs from 8 till 2. If you didn't get a booth space this year, bad on you. Because it's going to be--well, LARGE.
AND, the reminder that the Outdoor Landscape and Supply open house is this Saturday. Tim will be there broadcasting live from 8 until 10, with Dr. Pete and Bob Coward in tow.
And now, back to the survey.
They say smell creates the most powerful memories. I'm not sure who "they" are, but I trust them, because they're right. Ever smelled something that just ROCKETED you back to when you were a kid?
Let's have some fun. If you can, kind of clear your mind, and as you read these, let the very strong sensation come back to you. I think you'll be blown away, as you actually "smell" these scents from long ago.
So, this survey asked people to name the scents that take them back to their childhoods. Here are the top 10 . . .
1. Fresh-cut grass. (Number 1 unless you're an allergy sufferer!)
2. Pencil shavings. (The fragrance from a vintage Dixon-Ticonderoga #2 pencil)
3. Baby powder. (Makes me miss the boys as babies)
4. Vicks vapor rub and other cold and cough medicines. (In our home you could add Fletcher's Castoria laxative to the list of smells I remember. Whether we needed it or not, there was a dose waiting for my brother and me EVERY Sunday night. It wasn't until many years later that I found my mother had been in training to be a nurse--at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. Now I get the Castoria thing.)
5. Play-Doh. (I would have thought this would be number one.)
6. Cotton candy. (That with the smell of the County Fair itself.)
7. Bonfires. (Still something magical about a bonfire.)
8. Suntan lotion. (Ah, the smell of Coppertone.)
9. French fries. (This one is a mystery to me. Guess I never thought they had much of an odor.)
10. An old lady's perfume that reminds you of your grandma. (My mother and her Avon "Bird of Paradise" perfume. At one time I thought it smelled great. But after some years, it then just gave me a headache!)
There are a couple more that come to mind that I'm surprised didn't make the list. But they made mine.
--Jergen's Lotion. (A hint of cherry.)
--That white paste you used in school. (Admit it, you ate it too!)
--Jade East and Hai Karate Cologne. (Takes me back to every high school dance or party I ever attended! We boys were just DRIPPING with the stuff.)
Like I said. Take just a second, and let some of these olfactory memories come back to you!
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