Yankee Candle unveils new options for its ‘My Favorite Things’ scented-candle line

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Yankee Candle Company Inc., a Deerfield company that specializes in soft lights and sweet fragrances, is betting that whiskers on kittens smell so nice that they deserve to be celebrated in scented-candle form.

Some tabby lovers might be inclined to think that a kitten’s whiskers would be redolent of Meow Mix and off-brand tuna fish.

But Yankee Candle believes that kitten whiskers can be as fragrant as frankincense, and it’s making “Whiskers on Kittens” one of the new offerings in a limited collection of scented candles titled, “My Favorite Things.”

That, of course, is also the title of a Rodgers-and-Hammerstein song from “The Sound of Music,” a popular movie and musical.

But don’t be alarmed. According to Yankee Candle, the new Whiskers on Kittens candle is not the olefactory equivalent of a literal translation. Instead, the company’s scent-meisters were looking to evoke the “comforting and cuddly” spirit of the song. Officially, Whiskers on Kittens is described as “a sweet scent with a gentle nuzzle of sandalwood and vanilla musk.”

Yankee Candle debuted “My Favorite Things” last year, and the “whimsical collection” was so popular that it is being brought back for a 2012 encore.

Among the favorite things recounted during the song are crisp apple strudel, warm woolen mittens, and schnitzel with noodles.

Joining “Whiskers on Kittens” as a new Yankee Candle fragrance in this year’s collection is indeed “Schnitzel with Noodles.”

Having a scented candle that evokes the cuisine of Mitteleuropa would be a welcome addition to any well managed household, but it’s unclear whether firing up a “Whiskers on Kittens” candle at the same time as “Schnitzel with Noodles” candle might be too much of “My Favorite Things.”