Though crowdsourcing is an age-old means of problem-solving, it’s only reached such notoriety in the last few decades. We all know about the big crowdsourcing ventures, such as the Wright brother’s flight, but what about all the outlandish, insane, why would anyone want to donate money to that, campaigns. Well, we’ve scoured the corners of the internet (you’re welcome) to bring you seven of the strangest things to ever be crowdsourced.
1. Five O'clock Shadow
With the rise of the man bun/grizzly beard combo in hipsterland, it’s no wonder that someone wanted to create an add-on beard. The creator of the campaign, Tessa Rushton, posed the beard as “a hand-knitted functional beard face mask.” The design comes complete with cotton-poly lining and face straps. The campaign was launched in 2012 and managed to exceed its goal of $3,000. So, as the cold weather starts to set in, you can rest easy knowing that 5 O’clock Shadow is only a button click away.
2. Meat Soap
Yes, you read that correctly. Meat. Soap. This campaign ran on the belief that “the aroma of freshly cooked bacon should linger long after breakfast." Who doesn’t love the smell of bacon? I, for one, could definitely stand for bacon to have a presence in more aspects of my life, but in the shower? I think I’d have to pass. 42 people disagreed with that sentiment and donated over $1,500 to create this soap from animal byproducts and rendered fats.
3. TARDIS in Orbit
Any fans of Doctor Who out there? Well, for the show’s 50th anniversary, a campaign launched to put a TARDIS in orbit. The goal was to garner $33,000, but the group more than doubled that, ending up with a grand total of $88,000! We still have yet to see the launching of the TARDIS.
4. Lionel Richie's Head
Hello, is it Lionel’s head you’re looking for? If so, you could have caught a giant inflatable sculpture version of it at 2013’s Bestival festival. Creators aimed to have the inflatable erected during the four-day music festival at Robin Hill county park on the Isle of Wight, England. In the end, the goal of 4,900 Euros was almost doubled to a whopping 8,016 Euros.
5. Watermelon Holder
Because watermelons are just too heavy to carry on their own.
The Watermelon Holder is exactly what you think it is. A strap that wraps around a watermelon and allows you to carry it like a purse. I guess not many people are carrying watermelons on-the-go these days though, because the campaign only garnered 6 backers, which wasn’t nearly enough to reach their $25,000 goal.
6. Potato Salad
When most people decide they’d like to make potato salad, they simply go to the store, buy the ingredients and get started. But, not Zack Danger Brown. He set a campaign for $10 for said potato salad. With a description of “I’m making potato salad,” Brown managed to raise $55,000. He ended up donating a large portion of the funds to fighting homelessness.
7. Chicken Burrito
Continuing the trend of crowdsourcing for food, Noboru Bitoy, a graphic design student, started a campaign with high ambitions, i.e he wanted to raise $8 for a chicken burrito from Chipotle. In return for the money, he pledged to rate the burrito on a "Deliciousness Graph." The campaign raised $1000, and Bitoy continued on to rate all 24 different combinations of chicken burritos available at Chipotle.
What do all of these campaigns have in common? They actually received funding. So, if 42 people are willing to pay to bring meat soap into existence, just imagine how many people would be willing to support your idea. All you have to do is take the first step.
