The $40K Potato Salad and Other Kooky Kickstarter Campaigns
How much would you pay to support someone’s dreams? What if those dreams revolved around. . . potato salad? Zack Danger Brown is finding out just how generous people can be when it comes to potatoes. Brown’s Kickstarter campaign set out with a simple $10 fundraising goal to help him make his first ever potato salad. Yes, that was his big goal. And now, as of print, he’s raised $38,461 in carb support.
Kickstarter, the crowdfunding site, is stacked high with Internet dreamers looking for a little cash to bring their inventions to life. Pledges are broken down into levels, and for each level, there are pledge incentives. Brown’s include everything from having your name spoken aloud while he makes the potato salad (for a pledge of $1) to “a potato salad-themed haiku” written by the up-and-coming potato master himself (for a pledge of $20).
Aside from culinary endeavors, a lot of cool inventions and creations have gotten their (kick) start thanks to this site, like this electronic bicycle wheel and the Neptune Pine Smartwatch. But it’s the odd, unexpected and slightly baffling campaigns we’re focusing on today. Potato salad isn’t the only game in town.
Check out these crazy Kickstarter campaigns and be scared or inspired. Your call.
Yes, this is exactly what it sounds like. This “sculptural tribute to the most delicious of all meats, bacon,” raised $2,786.
2. Titanoboa
This is my worst nightmare: a 50-foot electromechanical snake. It appears to be an art project but either way, it raised $10,560 as well as my overall level of snake-alertness.
3. Oculus Rift
Ok, this may be weird but it’s won a ton of awards for being innovative, so egg in my face. It’s essentially a virtual reality headset that will let you “step inside your favorite game.” It raised over $2 million.
They may look like playing cards, but actually they are just images and descriptions of things like, “planets, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, nebulae, star clusters and galaxies.” Sadly, the folks behind Hubble Star Cards did not reach their $8,500 goal. I really hope someone told them that even if they shoot for the moon and miss, they’ll land among the stars.
5. Little Eatz
Picture this: healthy, vegan, cookies for you AND your dog. Unfortunately, “the treat you both can eat” didn’t quite appeal to the humans with the wallets and they didn’t reach their $5,000 goal.
This is exactly what it sounds like. The man who started this campaign just wanted $854 to get in the Guinness Book of World Records. And he got all the support he needed. Wah-wah.
7. Sacco
This appears to be a dream had by a band of Medieval brothers. It’s basically a coin sack made of natural leather. But wait! It’s not just for coins. It can hold your tobacco, “gaming dices,” and “realm coins.” But it might be too small to hold the $14,650 (!!!) that they raised.
8. Meat Soap
This dreamer wanted to change our minds about what “clean” smells like. Introducing a line of soaps that smell like various meats. Best part of this Kickstarter page is the FAQ section. “Q: Is it safe? A: Eh, probably?” But people apparently didn’t mind, because our soap inventor brought home the funding-bacon and exceeded her goal, raising $1,905.
This dream is plain and simple: “We want to drop a piano on a tower of champagne glasses.” A self-described art project, the folks behind this campaign plan on dropping a baby grand piano from 60 feet onto a pyramid of 385 champagne glasses. Oh, and they’ll film it. Truth be told, I would like to see this, and clearly others agree with me because the artists exceeded their goal and raised $2,975.
