Softsoap's limited-edition Mardi Gras Body Wash is still available, and it still has us scratching our collective heads.

I searched for the product online this morning and it shows that it is still available for purchase from the big-box stores.

The soap became available after last year's (very limited) Mardi Gras season and many locals (including this one) wondered what scent associated with the Mardi Gras season would be pleasant enough to rub all over your body every day.

As you can see on the front of the bottle, an orange slice is shown, superimposed over a whole orange and some flowers (vanilla blossoms? orange blossoms?). What do oranges have to do with Mardi Gras?  Hold on, let me check...... NOTHING, unless you are in Italy. It appears that they have a traditional Mardi Gras Orange Fight. 

I haven't taken a whiff of this stuff yet but, judging this book by its cover, I would assume that there is a citrusy-flowery aroma emanating from the flip-top when it's open. One Facebook user likened the smell to a fake, over-powering Jasmine:

via Facebook
via Facebook
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So what could we flavor it with to make it A: smell like something associated with Mardi Gras AND B: smell like something we would want on our body all day? Let's explore.

 

KING CAKE

King cakes, long associated with the season, might be a good scent. If (and this is a huge IF) you could replicate the warm aroma of the fresh-baked, buttery, cinnamon-and-frosting smell that is true king cake.

PLASTIC BEADS

Well, you've got your plastic beads. What do they smell like, you ask? If you could imagine how a two- to three-month journey in a dark shipping container and then a few months' storage in a warehouse would smell, that might give you an idea.

BOILED CRAWFISH

I don't know many in South Louisiana who do NOT like the smell of a pipin' hot pot of crawfish getting boiled up, but I am not certain that it would be a hit at the office first thing in the morning.

SOUR BEER

Sometimes we get lucky and we have a cool Mardi Gras but, usually, the day (or few days, depending on how long you celebrate) gets quite warm. Warm enough, in fact, to spoil any beer that stands in the "empties" that should be in the waste receptacles.  No, thank you.

ROAD-SIDE BARBECUE GRILL

If you've been to Mardi Gras in Louisiana, you've probably seen a barbecue grill or two along the parade route. From the trusty Lil' Smokey's to the full-blown 24-foot catering trailers, it's not hard to find barbecue at Mardi Gras. That aroma, in a soap, ain't for me.

NOT-SO-PLEASANT AROMAS, AS SUGGESTED BY TWITTER

Here are some other aromas that were suggested by Twitter users that made me chuckle.

via Twitter
via Twitter
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I don't know what an "8 year old VS thong" has to do with Mardi Gras but, at this point, I am going to refrain from asking.

via Twitter
via Twitter
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Twitter user Marcel critiques the Mardi Gras Softsoap as a sommelier would a bottle of wine at a wine-tasting competition:

via Twitter
via Twitter
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And that, folks, is how people "smell" Mardi Gras in New Orleans. (In Lafayette, things aren't nearly that "aromatic".)

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