A new scent-sation
Scratch n sniff for My Name Is Earl
My Name Is Earl is to become the first networked US television show to feature a ‘scratch-and-sniff’ episode.A card containing six scents will be distributed in the 3.2million copies of TV Guide which hit newsstands tomorrow.
Then, when the historic episode airs on NBC next Thursday, on-screen prompts will invite viewers to scratch one of the numbered boxes at relevant points in the plot.
Smells include ‘new car smell’, ‘obnoxious cologne’ and ‘Oreo cookies’ – the sponsor of the stunt.
My Name Is Earl creator Greg Garcia, said he stole the idea from John Waters, who was a guest star earlier this year.
‘I asked him if he'd be cool with me ripping off the Odorama card he did with his 1981 movie Polyester,’ Garcia said, ‘and he gave me the thumbs up.
‘I remember my parents coming home with the card and thinking it must have been really cool to actually smell the things you were watching.’
But he added: ‘I did not get final sniff approval. I'll be getting my card in TV Guide the same as everyone else, so if the scent is off, don't blame me.’
Published: 26 Apr 2007
