Sometimes history can smell really good for New York. Did you know that those little trees that hang in the rear-view mirrors of cars across the country were invented in the North Country of New York?

Little Trees were invented in 1952 in Watertown. They were invented by Julius Sämann, a German-Jewish chemist and businessman. Julius fled the Nazis back in World War 2. He had studied Alpine tree aromas in the forests of Canada and was interested in the biological mechanisms used to transport and disseminate them. How did he come up with the idea of a little tree?

In 1952, a milk truck driver in northern New York complained to Julius Sämann about the smell of spilled milk. To address this issue, Julius combined exceptional fragrances with specialized blotter material and invented the first car air freshener."

The first Little Trees fragrances included Royal Pine, Spice, and Bouquet. Sämann was passionate about the quality of his products and insisted on rigorous testing and quality control procedures. He did this to ensure they met his high standards for fragrance, strength, and longevity. That way you weren't buying something that wouldn't help your car smell better, or last for a while too. It was going to be a best buy for you and your car.

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Little Trees have been featured in many movies throughout the year including: Repo Man (1984), The Fisher King (1991), Grumpy Old Men (1993), Tommy Boy (1995), and Seven (1995).

Even to this day, Little Trees air fresheners are manufactured in Watertown. You can shop for more than just trees as well, they offer a full line of products.

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