In the annals of cinematic history, A Tale of Old Whiff (1960) emerges as a pioneering gem. Lost in the sands of time for over half a century, this avant-garde cartoon paints the amusing tale of Whiff, a dedicated bloodhound confronted with an olfactory conundrum: not knowing how to smell yet being tasked with locating a museum’s invaluable missing dinosaur bone by scent alone. A Tale of Old Whiff proudly stands as the inaugural cartoon produced for Smell-O-Vision! with a repertoire of fifteen distinctive scents. Through the animation prowess of John Hubley, the creator of Mr. Magoo, the cartoon originally graced the screens alongside Scent of Mystery.

Since 2018, thanks to the masterful restoration efforts of David Strohmaier and the sensory reimagining by Tammy Burnstock, a new generation is welcomed to revel in this olfactory cinematic delight, refreshed and reinvigorated for the modern era. Today’s iteration of Whiff takes audiences on a scratch-and-sniff adventure, elegantly captured through Michelle French’s intricate card design. As viewers embark on this sensory escapade, they’ll scratch and sniff a diverse bouquet ranging from the mundane to the whimsical: sausage, bone, dog, soap, chocolate, rain, a single violet and a field of flowers, all from a dog’s point-of-smell.

Production Year: 2018
Length: 16 mins | Number of scents: 8
This short film is often exhibited alongside Scent of Mystery in participatory Smell-O-Vision! and the scented documentary In Glorious Smell-O-Vision!