A perk of your friends knowing you’re into theme parks is that sometimes they will send you theme park-related swag just because they’re nice people. Recently, two of my friends (Clint & Chantal, if you’re reading this, thanks again!) sent me a candle from Etsy store ETScent that was simply called “Flume.”
According to their website, the Flume candle is supposed to mimic the smell of Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain or the Jurassic Park: River Adventure. And to a longtime veteran of the familiar smell of treated water & theatrical fog, they nailed it! With other products in their store that are centered around theme park smells, I tracked down ETscent’s owner and founder Nick, and learned a little more about just how he captures the perfect scent for the products in his store.
Coaster101: Hi Nick, thanks for taking some time. First question: What’s your relationship with theme park fandom? How did you first get into theme parks?
Nick, ETscent: My family went on semi-regular vacations to Orlando as far back as I can remember. To paint a picture, we are talking Universal Studios Florida when it first opened before there was City Walk or Islands of Adventure. Also growing up watching Nickelodeon, basically every show I watched ended with “Filmed at Nickelodeon Studios, at Universal Studios Florida” so I think there may have been some brainwashing there. Getting serious again, I’m also a huge Disney Parks fan and tend to do the “all 4 parks in one day” routine. What I think is special about theme parks is the immersive storytelling, teaming up with your favorite characters, and getting a chance to “ride the movies” as Universal likes to say. Also, I geek out on the technology involved whether it’s how the Harry Potter benches fly on a robotic arm or how a simple groove in the floor makes the Haunted Mansion buggy turn.
Source: Recreating Theme Park Scents with ETscent – Coaster101
