A few creative and innovative crowdfunding projects

Crowdfunding websites like kickstarter are all about encouraging creativity and originality, and some really cool ideas have been brought to life through the crowdfunding business model. However, there have also been a few unusual projects, and this week I take a look at some of those 'less conventional' projects, including some projects featuring fresh air, water melons, and pay to not to play...

1) Fresh Air

Fresh air ... now available in a bottle!

Just to prove that there are people out there who will literally buy anything, crowdfunding website indiegogo featured a project from a company which planned to sell bottled air!

The blurb reads...

"Have you ever roamed an Irish mountain, or indeed dreamed of roaming one or sat by the Irish sea as the waves lapped gently over your frozen toes? We've bottled the essence that makes these experiences so unique. Fresh Irish Air."

I visited Ireland a few years ago and I have to say the Irish countryside air was lovely and fresh, so if you were going to sell bottled air then Irish air is the perfect choice. However, I don't think it was quite that amazing that I would pay money for it.

Sadly, the project only raised $23 of their goal of $5000, so it looks for now like the market isn't quite ready for such an innovative product, but maybe further down the line we might see bottled air on our shelves.

Bottled Fresh Air

2) Watermelon strap holder

Watermelon strap holders ... the perfect gift for the shopper
who has trouble carrying their water melons...
and who presumably has no plastic bags.

Have you ever carried a watermelon and thought to yourself, "This is so cumbersome. If only I had a custom made strap to help me carry it."

Good news! Your wish has come true thanks to this innovative watermelon strap carrier! Spotting a gap in the market, the product creator boasts...

"Never drop your watermelon again! Watermelon Straps help you carry and handle your watermelon with ease!"

It's a great product - of that there is no doubt - but I can't help thinking that a plastic bag would be even more convenient for carrying a watermelon, and for only a fraction of the price.

The watermelon strap holder had a funding goal of $25,000, which may seem high but it makes more sense once you calculate the steep costs of producing such a complex complicated design. Sadly, once again this was another product which didn't quite reach it's funding target, achieving only $332 of its $25,000 goal, so for now it looks as if we're going to have to stick with plastic bags / environmental friendly bags to carry our water melons.

Watermelon strap holder

3) Pay others to play for you

Pay us to play the game for you!

Admittedly, with this next project I can see why the creators thought it had potential. It's a Candy Crush Level Solver, and how it works is that if you get stuck on a tricky level on Candy Crush, you pay someone else to solve the level for you!

The blurb reads...

"Stuck on a level and failing over and over again even with powerups? Let my company be the key to the next level by solving it for you!"

So in effect you're paying someone else to play the game for you! It's an interesting concept, but if you were looking to save yourself some cash, then surely you could achieve the same enjoyment by just not paying anyone to play the game for you.

Paying others to play the game for you all sounds very bizarre and you have to ask, 'What next?' Paying someone to watch TV for you? Paying someone to go to the movies for you? "Oh, I'd really like to go and see the new Star Wars movie but I can't be bothered, so I'll pay someone else to go and watch it for me."

In all seriousness, given the massive popularity of Candy Crush Saga, a part of me could see a project like this being a success. However, sadly it didn't quite manage to reach its funding target of €15,000, and fell just short ... achieving a total of €0 in backing.

Candy Crush Saga - Level Solver

4) Dubious marketing claims...

The ONLY party game for 2+ players...

Finally, to end things on a happy note, this last project was a funding success; achieving over six times its goal in pledges, and it sounds like it might be a cool game once it hits the market. However, it makes a rather dubious claim in it's project title...

"Original Spin: The ONLY party game for 2+ players."

Really? The ONLY party game for 2+ players?  So you're saying there are no other party games for 2+ players? Presumably, when I was a young kid I must have imagined all those games like musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey, musical statues, etc.

The game sounds like a variation on the 'Blankety Blank' theme, and to be fair it sounds like a fun idea, so I can see Original Spin being a big success. However, they may need to review the accuracy of their marketing claims before the game hits the shelves...

Original Spin: The ONLY party game for 2+ players

As a final note, in all seriousness many of the everyday items we use today probably seemed a bit weird when they were first introduced, so it's excellent that crowdfunding websites allow innovation and creativity to thrive. And despite its funding failure, I could actually see the 'bottled air' idea achieving a limited degree of success purely for the novelty value.

Footnote: All images used in this blog post are used in accordance with 'Fair Use' legislation for review purposes.