Olfactory hallucinations: Dragon's blood and Mattel toys.

I'm going to share something that I just "experienced" (quotes because of the lack of a better word).

I just bought and burnt some "Dragon's Blood" ...My first reaction to the aroma was a memory - I smelled that distinct odor before, and could remember exactly where.

It was from the packaging of toys bought at major department stores in the late 1970s/early 1980s, like LaBelle's or Mervyn's. I can be even more specific. These were all from the original "Battlestar Galactica" line of toys by Mattel.

I had plenty of other toys from around the same era that didn't have that smell, but I had more than one, bought months (or years) apart, that did.

And it was never they toy itself, just the thin cardboard packaging. The Mattel six-million-dollar-man figure didn't smell that way (that I remember).

I also remember certain music cassettes and LP packaging having distinctly bizarre odors that I couldn't actually attribute to any part of the plastic/vinyl/packaging process.

Now I'm not one of those ultra-paranoid-tin-foil-hat guys, but I'm also not one to dismiss the theories they come up with off the cuff.

I'll say again, for the sake of the time I've spent on this post so far, something I'm fond of saying here at ATS: I keep a firm toe-hold on "occham's razor", and have considered all of the reasons a weird smell might permeate the packaging of a certain unrelated item. Maybe they were shipped with a bunch of scented candles, etc, blah blah.

I'm posting this to reach 'outside' the shipping crate, so to speak.

Those toys had what I'd call a distinct odor of "dragon's blood", and I can't imagine a reason for that.

Anyone?

PS: I debated whether to post this in "paranormal studies" or "general conspiracies" - transfer at your discretion.

reply to post by Teratoma


What is the purpose of burning and sniffing something that is used as shellac?

What am I missing here?

Gotta ask before I can respond...

peace

reply to post by silo13


Haha no, this form is sold as an incense, I wasn't 'huffing' it lol

To add:

A good friend of mine used to burn it when I knew her 20 years ago. It has a 'spicy', kind of peppery, tomato-ey smell, like someone's cooking soup. And like a plastic Colonial Viper, or Cylon Centurion action figure.

[edit on 3/27/2009 by Teratoma]

That really is a fascinating recollection. Odd that it would only be from specific figures and the only smell I can remember is the distinct smell of plastic. Anyway, I was curious so did a bit of looking.

Dragon's blood resin is also produced from the rattan palms of the genus Daemonorops of the Indonesian islands and known there as jerang or djerang. It is gathered by breaking off the layer of red resin encasing the unripe fruit of the rattan. The collected resin is then rolled into solid balls before being sold.

en.wikipedia.org...

Rattan is also of course used in the making of furniture.

A possible, though not precise, explanation considering the toys were likely manufactured somewhere in South East Asia?

reply to post by TravelerintheDark


Thanks for taking me seriously - I just reread the thread and was literally laughing out loud at how comedic the whole thing sounded. What can I say; I crack myself up!

Still - what I noticed was very distinct, and I find it a bit curious.

I think the Mattel toys of the late 70s were all stamped with "MADE IN JAPAN", but I might be totally wrong about that too.

reply to post by Teratoma
I found this post interesting because Dragon's Blood is also a perfume oil (I love perfume and have studied on how to make them from oils and resins) like violets, roses, vanilla and cardamon.

The link below explains what "Dragon's Blood" is.

en.wikipedia.org...'s_blood

Voyagers to the Canary Islands in the 15th century obtained dragon's blood as dried garnet-red drops from Dracaena draco, a tree native to the Canary Islands and Morocco. The resin is exuded from its wounded trunk or branches. Dragon's blood is also obtained by the same method from D. cinnabari, which is endemic to the island of Socotra. This resin was traded to ancient Europe via the Incense Road.

Dragon's blood resin is also produced from the rattan palms of the genus Daemonorops of the Indonesian islands and known there as jerang or djerang. It is gathered by breaking off the layer of red resin encasing the unripe fruit of the rattan. The collected resin is then rolled into solid balls before being sold.

Now, this being a conspiracy site: keep in mind anything that enters your body via one of your senses can be used to "condition - program" your brain.

Your post is doubly interesting because smells can trigger emotions and memories without one even being aware of it.

All of us are being "conditioned / manipulated / controlled" via all of our physical senses. The question to ask is by who?







[edit on 27-3-2009 by ofhumandescent]

reply to post by ofhumandescent


Thank you for your insight.

Your post is relevant. I bought and burnt that stuff because it reminded me of a particular person. And not so much of her, but of her esoteric knowledge, experience, and spirituality.

So why is it also reminding me of a tacky piece of plastic?

Originally posted by Teratoma
reply to post by TravelerintheDark

 

Thanks for taking me seriously

Well, it's not so hard to believe. It's a potent scent and just a bit could be absorbed in the cardboard backing. Since it's a resin could retain an odor for quite a while. And rattan is a common material. While it does say that the resin is collected from the fruit, it wouldn't be surprising if the wood possessed at least some of the smell while fresh.

Now whether you actually smelled Dragon's Blood on the cards or just something similar enough to trigger the memory would be another issue. But I see no harm in assuming it's true.

Besides, it isn't the strangest thing I've ever taken seriously.

[edit on 27/3/09 by TravelerintheDark]

reply to post by Teratoma


I wasn’t picking on you I really was wondering it’s use.

What I do know is the sense of smell can be more powerful than visual stimuli to bring back memories - good or bad.
And very specific memories.
Yours just happens to link this Dragons Blood to childhood action figures...

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm sure it's something innocuous, but I have always thought the stuff itself was kind of mysterious - which I'm sure is adding to my feeling that something is odd about this.

I do remember noticing the smell as a kid and wondering why only certain toys packaging smelled that way. We're talking 30 years ago - and I really don't remember anything reminding me of it until I burned that stuff. It really was distinct!

But now I'm wondering if certain kinds of cardboard are made out of rattan pulp. And as far as the cassette/CD packaging I mentioned goes, the same principles must apply. They didn't smell like dragon's blood, but had a specific smell that I did not associate with plastic or ink, but could've been printed on cheap, pulpy cardstock. Again though, it wasn't every cassette I bought, it only happened occasionally.

Weird, but probably not that weird. Still, I'd like to hear some less conventional, or 'esoteric' input, like ofhumandescent's post.

Dragon's blood is used as a protective incense for spiritual rituals, similar to sage or frankincense. But yea, Dragon's blood been around for ages, many cultures do use it for multiple things including perfume. But I heard Dragon's blood can actually help "protect you" from evil spirits. Just some 2 cents I learned.