Posted By Pia Sooney on Aug 11, 2008 | 5 comments

It was a good day in the 5th grade when my homework was returned with a sticker on it.  It would not be any regular ole sticker; those were the days of the scratch and sniff stickers.

Would I get the pizza one telling me my work was “Hot Stuff,” the strawberry sticker declaring that it was “Berry Good,” or maybe even the ice cream cone that was so sweet smelling and reassuring with its “Scooper Dooper.”  What better way to engage students than to engage their senses; nothing says better school work than bribery with smelly stickers.

I still have all those papers with all those stickers in the closet, and wouldn’t you know, they still smell!  They knew how to make things in the 80s – twenty-five years later and my Poppin’ Good sticker still smells . . . well, poppin’ good.

If you miss these wonderful items from the 80s, they can still be yours. SmellStickers.com has brought back these scented sensations for the 21st century and beyond. Also, ebay generally has plenty to choose from if you are willing to pay.  But, really, the scratch n sniff stickers pay you back many-fold with their tireless declarations of good cheer and encouragement.  Who couldn’t use a little “Grape Stuff” in their life?  And, when’s the last time you had an adorable gum ball machine tell you that you are “Looking Good!”

I feel like my adult life is lacking this sort of sensory-based motivation system that was in place in elementary school. It was very effective at prompting me to study for spelling tests and learn about the planets.  Would it work as effectively in getting me excited about adult to-do list?  Couldn’t hurt.

Aaah, if only we could use smell-a-vision and transmit their sweet smell through your computer monitor, now that would be “Berry Good” indeed.