When you think about the Disney theme parks, you probably think of the amazing attractions, the incredible ambiance and music, or the fantastic food that you’ve experienced while on vacation there. You probably think of the amazing times you’ve shared with your family and friends and how you absolutely cannot wait to get back and make new, magical memories that will last a lifetime. But if you’re like me (a little weird and maybe a little more than Disney-obsessed), one thing you will always remember is the smells of the Disney theme parks. I will often be out and about around my hometown of Philadelphia, PA, and suddenly smell something and say to myself, “Man, that reminds me of Disney!” There’s been incredible scientific research done to prove how smells can trigger very specific memories (read about it HERE) and the Disney parks are FULL of fantastic smells that will be stuck inside my hippocampus (impressive brain word, right?) forever. Here are Everyday Smells That Remind You Of Disney.
Burning Leaves
This time of year in the Northeastern United States, a whole lot of people burn leaves once they gather them all up off of their lawns (I have a guy for that here at the Ear To There Travel Estate). Every single time I smell those leaves burning I’m instantly transported to the “Rome Is Burning” scene on Epcot’s Spaceship Earth. It’s one of my absolute favorite scenes in any Disney attraction simply because of that smell. That attraction does an incredible job of placing you in a time and a place you’ve never been before, and the smell of the city burning just completely puts it over the top for me. Other things that smell like “Rome Is Burning”: Lay’s Barbecue Potato Chips and Chinese Lapsang Suchong Tea (from Twinings; it’s remarkable, you’ll feel like you’re there when you open the box!)
Bathrooms At Target
Okay, so stay with me here! The bathrooms at my local Target totally smell just like some of the bathrooms in Walt Disney World! There is some kind of air freshener that they both must use and every time I walk into the bathroom at the front of that store if I close my eyes for just a second I feel like I’m in the bathroom in Town Square on Main Street USA (you’re still with me, right?!) Now, you may be asking yourself why I spend a lot of time in Target’s bathrooms. With twins who just turned 3 and LOVE going to Target, I’ve changed an awful lot of diapers in that bathroom over the years! Next time you’re at a Target near you, stop and use the bathroom and come back and tell me it doesn’t smell just like one in Walt Disney World!
Fountain At A Local Mall
Our local mall has a large fountain in the middle of it that my kids love. We always stop by and throw change into it (I swear I’ve spent thousands of dollars in pennies there!) when we’re there, especially over the holidays. The main reason I go there though, honestly, is that the water from the fountain smells EXACTLY like the water from the indoor water rides at Walt Disney World. As soon as I sit with my kids at the edge of that fountain I’m flooded with memories of Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World, and Splash Mountain. It’s a musty, weird, something’s not right water smell, and I love it! If you need a quick Disney fix, stop by and throw some coins in your local fountain and I think you’ll smell what I’m talking about!
Green Clover & Aloe
This one is kind of a cheat because I intentionally buy candles with this scent and I don’t just stumble upon it by accident (and yes, I am a man AND I buy scented candles…don’t judge me, please!). A few years back, my wife bought a Bath And Body Works hand soap in our bathroom that was Green Clover & Aloe and every single time I used it, it brought me back to the lobby at the Beach Club. It turns out, Disney actually pumps this exact scent into the lobbies of some of their hotels. Bath And Body Works doesn’t make this particular scent anymore, so now I have to get my crazy Disney fix by purchasing Green Clover & Aloe candles on eBay (yes, I actually do this). If you’re like me and you’re a bit obsessed with the smells of the WDW lobbies, you should probably look these candles up!
Oranges or Tangerines
My twins have been WAY into oranges and tangerines lately; they will literally eat them all day if you let them. Every single time I peel one for them, that smell hits me, and I feel like I’m flying over California on Soarin’. That attraction is incredible for a lot of reasons, but the smells that are timed perfectly to what you’re flying over just completely puts it over the top for me. I really need some company out there to make a candle that has all of the smells from Soarin’ rolled into it. I know Disney sells some really popular air fresheners (popcorn, Mickey Ice Cream Bars, Dole Whips), so maybe they could whip up a Soarin’ air freshener for my car? Please get on it quickly, Disney. I’ll be there in a few weeks!
The Disney parks are complete multi-sensory experiences. I know that on some trips when I’m there with my family, I don’t take the time to sit back and enjoy everything that the parks have to offer, but the smells are always there. Whether it’s the chocolate chip cookie smell on Main Street USA, the smell of freshly popped popcorn in New Fantasyland, or the fresh pineapple Dole Whip smell in Adventureland, you’re constantly hit with “odiously odiferous olfactory emanations” (if you know what that quote is from, please comment or email me!) So next time you’re wandering around your local mall or just hanging out at home, maybe some smell will momentarily give you that Disney fix we all constantly crave!
Thank you, as always, for reading and I hope you enjoyed my list of Everyday Smells That Remind You Of Disney. I’m sure I’ve missed quite a few, so what smells do you encounter in your daily life that give you that Disney feeling?
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