Devin Dornbrock The world of crowdfunding can be innovative, insanely creative, and downright wild. I took a look at some of the strangest campaigns trying to get funding. These were the weirdest Kickstarters trying to get funded at the time and they’re definitely worth a look.
What is Kickstarter?
If you’re new to crowdfunding, the idea is that people can post their project ideas online along with rewards for others who give certain amounts of money to help them reach their funding goal.
I’ve had a little experience with Kickstarter myself. I’ve never created a project, but I did help out a little with one a few years back and have helped fund a few. Crowdfunding is a great way for inventors to bring to market amazing inventions or creations that can really help people or just make them smile.
Other projects seem to be the result of a fever dream or someone saying, “Screw it. Let’s do this.” The projects I found seem to fall into these categories, but they still seem pretty fun.
Honorable Mention- Hydration Chess
So maybe this one isn’t the weirdest Kickstarter out there but it still was worth a chuckle anyway.
It’s literally just chess, the drinking game. You play with shot glasses that have the silhouettes of the game pieces they represent printed on them. They can be filled with an alcohol of your choice or played dry as a normal chess set.
The nice thing about this project is the economical tiers. So if you want to help them out but don’t have a lot of money, you can pledge $20 USD to get stickers and make your own DIY Hydration Chess set. If you have a little more money to spend, though, you can get the actual shot glass pieces and even a vinyl board to play on.
Kickstarters are all about delayed gratification, but this would be an awesome birthday gift for someone turning 21 who really likes games (make sure you understand when you’re actually getting your rewards if you want to give this as a gift to someone).
Deadline: Saturday, May 22nd, 2021
#4 – Phasma
This project leaves me a little speechless…literally. Which means it definitely earned is place on the weirdest Kickstarters list.
The idea here is to produce a soundproof mask for gamers who have a hard time containing their rage while playing video games. You put it on, and the numerous layers muffle your voice to the point that anyone outside your gaming room of choice can’t hear you.
I suppose a gaming mask is oddly appropriate in 2021 as we still struggle to handle the covid-19 pandemic. Anyway, the microphone in the mask/ your gaming headset will still pick up your voice, so if you use voice chat, your friends can still hear you.
For the low, low price of $108 USD (or 89 euros if you snag the early bird discount), you can be the proud owner of a gaming muzzle! This does seem like it would be useful if you play rage games in the middle of the night, at least. Or if you live with other people who like to sleep when you’re gaming. Probably the project for me, but it might be great for those who can’t seem to keep quiet while gaming.
Deadline: Thursday, June 17th, 2021
#3 – Ujjo, The First Hot Sauce for Coffee
Coffee and hot sauce? Definitely a top contender for weirdest Kickstarter. Nothing about this is appealing to me. I’m apparently in the minority here though considering they did reach their funding goal.
There isn’t much more detail I can go into here on what the project is. Hot sauce for coffee is pretty self-explanatory. The project details claim Ujjo adds both heat and a little sweetness without any of the garlic or vinegar most hot sauces have that apparently don’t mix well with coffee.
For a meager $22 USD you can get two 5oz bottles of Ujjo at a discounted price versus their retail value of $30 USD. You can also get travel-sized bottles, limited edition coffee, and even a special mug at higher tiers. At the highest tier, you even get to meet and taste test with the Ujjo team. As usual with Kickstarters, though, this reward tier only has a few slots.
Deadline: Friday, May 14th, 2021
#2 – Flatcat
Flatcat is probably the most expensive project on the list, which is fair. It’s a robot, after all, and those don’t usually come cheap. The idea for this one is a sort of rectangular robot, roughly the shape of a plank of wood. It’s covered in faux fur and moves around as if it’s alive.
The tagline “your next robot is a pet” alone is enough to make it a contender for weirdest Kickstarter.
The base reward tier you need to pledge to actually get the product is $1,191 USD (or 990 euro). If you still want to back the project but don’t have that kind of money, you can go with a lower pledge and get some fun swag related to Flatcat.
Personally, I’m not sure I get the appeal here? It does seem kind of fun and silly. It would be a really safe and tactile experience for those with disabilities, maybe? I don’t mean to make fun of any project, and I’m sure the robotics are very sophisticated, but as far as I can tell, it’s just kind of something covered in fur that wiggles around. It doesn’t even have a face.
The idea behind the project is to be a precursor to more advanced robotics in the future, I think, and a robot that reacts to touch is pretty interesting (reacting to touch is where the whole pet thing comes in), but the appearance is just a little too simplistic for me.
Deadline: Friday, May 21st, 2021
#1 – Dumb Serial Killers I Could Beat Up
And the number one weirdest Kickstarter I could find goes to Dumb Serial Killers I could beat up!
The more I learn about this project, the more hilarious it seems. The project goal is to create a picture book. In this book the main character, Emily, goes around beating up famous serial killers.
The concept was originally a video series on TikTok created by a woman named Emily. Her fiancé decided to run with the idea and make it into a book. He turned to crowdfunding to get the capital for it, and the rest is up to us.
The art is actually really cool, and the concept is so funny. I really hope this one gets to its funding goal. To get a copy of the book, you need to pledge $20 USD. Early backers were even able to snag a signed copy for the same price too.
If you’ve really got the money to spend, you can pledge $750 to be in the book. You can be illustrated in with Emily and help her beat up a famous serial killer yourself for the highest pledge tier! (There is only one slot, though, so if you want it, you better hurry).
Deadline: Wednesday, May 19th, 2021
If you’re unfamiliar with Kickstarter but interested in one of these projects, please check them out! You can usually give as much or as little as you want to help them reach their goal. There are different reward tiers, so you can pick out a level you’re comfortable with and still get something fun. If the project doesn’t reach its goal, your money stays in your account.
If you like spending your money on wild and whacky things, why not check out our blog on DNA testing dogs? I did, and it was fun to finally figure out what my favorite mutt carries in his genes.
What is the weirdest Kickstarter you’ve come across?
