Pioneering theme park & museum ‘smell company’ turns 50

AromaPrime, which creates immersive and educational smells for visitor attractions, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The company’s range of over 500 aromas includes Dragon’s Breath, Pirate Ship, Popcorn, Volcano and even Jaguar Urine. These are used in dark rides to take guests on emotional journeys, on roller coasters to build anticipation, in museums to immerse visitors into the past, and in care homes to trigger nostalgic memories in those with dementia.

Liam R. Findlay, Themed Attraction Consultant for AromaPrime:

“I am very proud to work for AromaPrime on its 50th year, having researched its exciting history. The achievements of our founder Fred Dale were totally unique in the late 60s, up to the millennium, whether we appreciate his creation of historically accurate smells to transform traditional museums, the technology he developed to push special effects in theme parks, or his ingenuity when it came to bringing back memories in the elderly.”

AromaPrime was the world’s first to specialise in scenting for themed attraction design. Beforehand, theme parks and museums would obtain basic air fresheners from shops, and the aromas they’d use were limited to the likes of flowers and fruits. Some venues had to invest in developing their own technology, such as EPCOT with its Smellitzer scent cannon … which wasn’t an option for every park’s budget.

Liam Findlay of AromaPrime

It was Fred Dale, starting AromaPrime in 1968 (officially in 1973), who realised the industry required specialist, off-the-shelf technology and aromas for its projects. Venues needed somewhere they could find the most unusual of pongs, without having to spend lots of money on a perfumer’s custom fragrance, and somewhere they could order diffusion technology suited for their needs without having to develop their own.

AromaPrime started out making pleasant smells. The company’s first big themed project was for the historical smellscape at Jorvik Viking Centre in the early 1980s. This was a revolutionary museum, during a time when ‘museum’ meant ‘glass cases’, and it included a dark ride which took guests through a recreated Viking village. Using new archaeological discoveries, Fred Dale was challenged to create the authentic smells of the village, including cesspits, fish, woodsmoke and pigs. Fred also assisted with the ride’s overall design, ensuring the scents were delivered as effectively as possible. This was the start of the company’s in-depth involvement in themed attraction design.

Fred Dale of AromaPrime

Fred Dale’s pioneering spirit had a long-lasting effect on the industry and its approach to creating multisensory experiences. 50 years on, AromaPrime continues to make smells for customers like Alton Towers, LEGOLAND and Madame Tussauds, as well as escape rooms, galleries and hotels. It also plays an important role in bringing history to life, using research to recreate what might have been smelt in the past, from Egyptian mummies to dinosaur breath. Customers are spreading the stinks everywhere from South Korea to Australia.

Liam R. Findlay, Themed Attraction Consultant for AromaPrime:

“Fred Dale made a lasting impact on memory-making and education for thousands. The AromaPrime team is always inspired to continue in this spirit, developing our technology for changing visitor experiences, enhancing the accuracy of our museum interpretations, and expanding our knowledge around attraction design and exciting psychological tricks.”

Fred Dale’s son Bob recently got in touch with Liam to share a library of photos, and footage from AromaPrime’s beginnings, which is now available to watch on YouTube. AromaPrime’s range of weird and wonderful smells can be explored at www.aromaprime.com.