I loved stickers growing up, big one, little ones, glittery ones, but some of my favorites were scented scratch-n-sniff stickers. It was so fascinating how all these different scents could be evoked from something that was a colorless coating on the surface of a colorful sticker. I brought some of that fascination into my research into scratch-and-sniff postage stamps for the Summer 2024 issue of StampEd, inspired by the latest bread-scented baguette stamps from France. My article, “Start from Scratch: Exploring the Olfactory with Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps” explores not only the science behind scent and scratch-and-sniff technology but the design considerations that goes into designing for a scented stamp. I myself own the Frozen Treats stamps, and it gives me a jolt of nostalgia whenever I interact with it. Now that I have a daughter myself, perhaps it’s time to break out those scratch-n-sniff stickers (and maybe a postage stamp or two) and give her some great memories.
Be sure to check out the other articles in the issue too! Topics that caught my eye included how to make your own (cinderella) stamps, paleontology, creating a stamp exhibit, and even a downloadable one-shot Dungeons & Dragons campaign (how cool it that!). I think StampEd consistently has very interesting and informative articles, and I always come away with a lot of inspiration.