By Laura Ochoa Rincon, WPAMC Class of 2022
Overview
Books are seen, typically, as vessels of knowledge. This knowledge normally comes in the form of written text within a book. In the case of Scratch and Sniff books, the knowledge takes a detour from the written words to another sensory experience: smell. Popularized in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Scratch and Sniff books came shortly after the rise in use of Scratch and Sniff stickers. These both came out of the creation of a scientific process known as microencapsulation. During the 1960s, the only way to make multiple copies of paper was to use a carbon paper inserted between white papers to make copies. This was a long and arduous process and made wait times for large quantities of copies quite long. A researcher and chemist for 3M, Gale Matson, discovered a microencapsulation process that would no longer required carbon paper to be used in order to make copies. This process went on the become known as the Matson Process. While the process helped in that sense, 3M workers were looking for other ways to use the process and figured out that by adding an oil that has a scent on it, one can smell the pages, oftentimes for a longer time then just adding perfume on a page. Thus, the Scratch and Sniff was born.
To make most Scratch and Sniff books, one starts out with a board book. A board book is a type of children’s book (typically) that is “printed and bound directly on thick paperboard” (Pint Size Productions). These types of books are made with such hard material because publishers expect them to be used by small children, who enjoy putting materials in their mouths and bending and breaking pages of books. It is not uncommon for a child to grab and rip apart books. To prevent this from happening, most books created for very young children are board books. As Pint Size Productions explains, “The entire board book, even the inner pages, is made of highly durable paperboard that is specially folded and bound. Even the corner pages are rounded out as to not harm any curious babies.” This type of book is important for early childhood because as research has shown, babies and toddlers need to develop a good sense of visual reading before they can effectively develop actual reading skills. How does this then relate to Scratch and Sniff books? I postulate that given research shows that strong visual reading enables young readers to read at younger ages, adding in the Scratch and Sniff element only furthers that connection to visuality.
Figure 1. Example of board book. From Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Catepillar’s Garden Picnic: A Scratch and Sniff Book. New York: Penguin Young Readers, 2020.
But what exactly is this process of microencapsulation? And how do we see it in Scratch and Sniff books? To make microencapsulated stickers you first need a series of raw materials. According to How Products are Made, “The basic ingredients of scratch and sniff or perfumed strips are water, oil, scent, and either gelatin or a water-soluble polymer, usually polyoxymethylene urea. A certain chemical catalyst is used to bring about the reaction. A water-soluble adhesive is needed to affix the material to the paper during printing.” Once the materials are gathered, the desired scented oil is added in with the polymer to a large kettle. The kettle is then blended by a blade at a very high speed. This high speed causes the oil to separate and form small oil droplets. After the droplets are formed, a catalyst is added to the kettle and “The polymer precipitates out of the water and forms a shell around, or encapsulates, each individual droplet of oil.” Afterwards, the droplets are mixed with an adhesive and, after being blended once more to ensure a thicket consistency, the mixture is then ready to be applied to paper. This can be done in various ways but in the context of Scratch and Sniff books, it is most typically done through flexo-graphic printing. What happens when the reader scratches the paper is that the encapsulation is broken, thus releasing the scents stored in the mixture once it has been dried and pressed.
Figure 2. Detail of a scratch and sniff page. From Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Garden Picnic: A Scratch and Sniff Book. New York: Penguin Young Readers, 2020.
Now, let us look at some examples of Scratch and Sniff books that one can buy in most bookstores today. The first example is The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Garden Picnic: A Scratch and Sniff Book by Eric Carle. Like with all the examples shown today, this book is a board book. Notice, from Figure 1, how wide and thick the pages within the book and on the cover are. The edges are curved to prevent children from accidentally injuring themselves on the edges. Each Scratch and Sniff book has a different way of indicating to the reader where scents are stored. In the case of this book, as noted from Figure 2, there is always a small white printed notice saying, “scratch here.” The stickers in this book are a significantly more matte shade than the rest of the book, indicating to the reader where they must scratch. In all of the examples we will be looking at today, and all the books I have researched, the stickers are almost always circular in nature. The scents in this particular book are basic in nature. Scents such as apples, bananas, and grass are depicted. From what my research has shown me, these scents are often the easiest to replicate and mass produce. On top of that, they are also scents that are elementary to learning. If one is showing their child what an apple is, it adds another layer of understanding for them to be able to associate the word with both the image and the scent.
Figure 3. Where do you scratch and sniff? From Testa, Maggie and Jason Fruchter. Daniel’s Apple-Picking Adventure: A Scratch and Sniff Book. New York: Simon Spotlight, 2020.
The second example to look at, and one that strikes resemblance with the previous book, is Daniel’s Apple-Picking Adventure by Maggie Testa and Jason Fruchter. This book is also a board book, but it is slightly thinner than the caterpillar book. I assume this is because it is at a slightly higher reading level than the previous book, thus publishers feel the changes of damage to the book are lessened. What is surprising about this book, though, was that even I found it challenging to locate where the Scratch and Sniff sections were, as can be seen from Figure 3. It is not until further and more detailed exploration that one finds the circular sticker. It is substantially less matte than the previous book, which makes finding the sticker more difficult.
Figure 4. Detail of scratch and sniff surfaces. From Testa, Maggie and Jason Fruchter. Daniel’s Apple-Picking Adventure: A Scratch and Sniff Book. New York: Simon Spotlight, 2020.
As noted from Figure 4, the circular sticker is located on the middle rose illustration. In addition to the stickers becoming harder to find, the scents are also, as one might say, more elevated in terms of complexity. This book features scents such as roses, trees, and even lemonade. Not only are these more difficult words, they are also more complex in terms of the oils needed to produce the scents. This elevation of scents is something intriguing about these anomalous books.
Moving on from children’s books, there seems to be an emerging market for adult-centered Scratch and Sniff books. These books are centered around more adult themes such as wine and are being used as a way to help adults know what to smell for. The first book of this kind we will be discussing is The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to Becoming a Wine Expert by Richard Betts. This book is tonally different from the previous two due to its content and illustration.
Figure 5. An adult scratch and sniff book by Richard Betts, The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to becoming a Wine Expert (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013).
As Figure 5 shows us, the illustration is more mature and complex. But interestingly enough, the book still has rounded edges. It is unclear why the edges are still rounded, given that they don’t need to be in terms of protection for readers. Just as with the previous books, this book is also a board book. But the pages are thinner and more flexible than the previous two books shown. The Scratch and Sniff stickers seem to have more of a glaze than a matte finish, but they are much easier to identify due to the visual aids provided in the book.
Figure 6 shows the reader that the illustrators of the book chose to provide a pointing finger illustration to show the readers to location of where to Scratch and Sniff. Assumptions to why this is could include that adults are not as used to Scratch and Sniff books as younger audiences. Perhaps they have gone through longer time periods without engaging with a Scratch and Sniff book and are thus less likely to quickly find the stickers. Scents such as stone fruit, tarragon, and white pears are shown in this book. This leads to the assumption that more science went into the creation of these scents as opposed to more basic scents such as apples or bananas.
Figure 6. Where to scratch and sniff. From Betts, Richard. The Essential Scratch and Sniff Guide to becoming a Wine Expert. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
The final example to look is another adult-centered Scratch and Sniff book. This one is entitled The Scratch and Sniff Book of Weed by Seth Matlins and Eve Epstein. As the title tells us, this book’s subject is marijuana. Similarly, with the wine book, it is written in a more adult manner and as can be seen from Figure 7, explored the science of the effects smoking marijuana can have on our body. Just as with all the books shown as examples, it is a board book with rounded edges. Once again, the rounded edges seem to be a permanent fixture in Scratch and Sniff books regardless of the target demographic.
The indicators for the Scratch and Sniff component are shown to the reader by way of green arrows. These arrows are large and easy to spot within the book, leading the same conclusion to be made about their placement as with the wine book example. Scents in this book are more complex than all previous examples. This is because the book attempts to replicate the smells of different marijuana scents. Scents such as ‘Blueberry Kush’ and ‘Sour Diesel’ are meant to smell radically different but there seems to be problems with the chemical formulation because the strains tend to smell the same.
Figure 7. Another example of an adult scratch and sniff book, by Seth Matlins and Eve Epstein, The Scratch and Sniff Book of Weed (New York: Abrams, 2017).
One characteristic about Scratch and Sniff books that makes them so anomalous is their association with goofiness. As Mark Jenner writes in “Follow Your Nose? Smell, Smelling, and their Histories”, “such odorized presentations of history are deemed appropriate primarily for non-academic audiences, and especially for children; they also have a tendency to adopt a humorous and at times flippant tone.” This association with goofiness is misplaced. Indeed, Scratch and Sniff books can be a somewhat lighter tone, but it is seen in examples such as the previous two that it can be used as an educational tool for even adults. In addition, Lobier, Dubois, and Valdois show us that visual reading is a critical step in early childhood education. With the addition of a scent factor, this visual reading can be amplified and help young readers make connections about the world around them and the things they are smelling in the book. Scratch and Sniff books are by no means a ‘typical’ book, but they possess the possibility to create a larger impact with audiences through their unique use of microencapsulation.
Diagram of a Scratch and Sniff Book
Glossary of Terms
A type of book printed and bound onto thick paperboard. These books typically have rounded edges to prevent injury for young readers. The pages are thick and difficult to bend.
The Matson process is a type of microencapsulation created in 1965 by 3M chemist, Gale Matson. This was originally created as a way to make copies without having to use carbon paper and led to the creation of Scratch and Sniff microencapsulation technology.
A chemical process created through the use of scented oils, water, and a water-soluble polymer. The first two ingredients are mixed into a large vat at a very high speed, which produces scented droplets. After the droplets are formed, they are mixed with a polymer until they are sticky and eventually bound onto books in the form of a sticker.
A book containing bound stickers which, when scratched lightly by a user, release scented oils into the book which the user can inhale and smell. This book requires the use of microencapsulation in order to work and the smells last anywhere from a few months to a year at most.
A method where one sees the connections between the words in a sentence and see those sentences as structured 3-D objects. It is based upon an idea that pictures can be read and processed, particularly through the minds of young children.
Annotated Bibliography
This reading explains the differences between a hardcover book and a board book. Given that almost all the research I have done shows that these books are board books, it is imperative to recognize the difference between the two different types of book and explain it to the reader.
Full Citation: “The Difference Between Board Books & Hardcover.” Pint Size Productions, September 18, 2019, https://www.pintsizeproductions.com/blog/pint-size-pro-tips/board-books-vs-hardcover.
This source discusses the Smelly Old History books in more detail but this time, with an emphasis on the potential for engagement in history. The author denotes that while the technology of these books is being used primarily for young audiences, there is, at the same time, work being done in museums to use the technology of microencapsulation to attract more audiences. Jenner discusses how in the field of academia the use of such technologies is seen as humorous and flippant. This perception has caused academia to not place an emphasis on smell. I discuss in my own writing, through the use of this source, how this perception is hindering the technology and potential aid that microencapsulation in books can offer to those wanting to learn more about history through non-conventional means.
Full Citation: Jenner, Mark S. R. “Follow Your Nose? Smell, Smelling, and Their Histories.” The American Historical Review 116, no. 2 (2011): 335–51. Oxford Academic, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr.116.2.335.
This is a scientific study done to analyze the visual component of reading and how it relates to early childhood education and a child’s eventual ability to read at a good level. Using their research and building off of it, I postulate that one can look at Scratch and Sniff books in the same way. By adding in the element of smell, children are able to make better connections to the visuals they are seeing in books and thus, may be aided by their use in terms of literacy.
Full Citation: Lobier, Muriel, Matthieu Dubois, and Sylviane Valdois. “The Role of Visual Processing Speed in Reading Speed Development.” PLoS ONE 8, no. 4 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058097.
This website is a from Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Nanoscale Science. If gives a very broad definition of the process of microencapsulation but the reason I am primarily using it is for the activity sheets found within the website. These sheets give examples of how someone can try microencapsulation from home. While this might not seem directly pertinent to the assignment, I do aim to speak about it in the written section of the project because it simplifies the process and lets the reader imagine the process much more simply than just explaining the scientific process of microencapsulation. It also connects the reader to the usage of Scratch and Sniff being predominately used with children, which is a point I make but also one I try to distance myself from because as can be seen with some of my examples, Scratch and Sniff is being expanded to adult audiences.
Full Citation: "Microcapsules." Pennsylvania State University Center for Nonscale Science, 2018, https://www.mrsec.psu.edu/content/microcapsules.
This source primarily describes the more scientific part of microencapsulation. While my other sources talk about the process in vague and simplistic terms, this source offers a more in depth look at the process. It starts off by describing the history of the process itself and the historical background that resulted in the inception of the technology. It then goes on to discuss the raw materials needed in order to mass-produce the paper with the scent. Afterwards, in very specified language, it discusses the 5 steps needed to do this. While most of it is heavily scientific, I hope to use the information from this source in a more utilitarian way. There is also a section of the source about the future of the technology, and I want to discuss how that ties into Scratch and Sniff books in particular.
Full Citation: “Scratch and Sniff.” How Products Are Made, 2020, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Scratch-and-Sniff.html.
This article is a very short explanation of the Matson process. It describes, in fairly simplistic terms, the process of microencapsulation and the process it takes to make Scratch and Sniff work. I am using it because it is easier to understand and gives an overall view of how the process works at the industrial level, which is how it is done in order to mass produce Scratch and Sniff books.
Full Citation: Soniak, Matt. “How Does Scratch and Sniff Work?” Mental Floss, February 9, 2009, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/20825/how-does-scratch-and-sniff-work.
This very short article explains what a board book is and its main usage. This article explains that board books are primarily used for young children and their round edges and thickness allow them to be used by young children who like to bite and throw books.
Full Citation: “What A Board Book Is & How Ours Are Different From The Rest.” Pint Size Productions, September 17, 2019, https://www.pintsizeproductions.com/board-books/whats-a-board-book.
