I think that's the point, to make them smell as bad as they do. Seeing those brings back memories of my childhood.

There was this one time, at camp (no, not band camp) where I tossed one of these into the girls cabin right underneath one of the bunks. After having been there for only an hour, they nearly shipped my butt back home over it.
Oh, the memories.
Now that I think about it, these might be a good way to rid myself of the problems encountered on a regular basis outside the bar I have to walk past to get to my vehicle. The only problem there is, sometimes they smell as bad, if not worse, than what comes out of those little vials.