This article was taken from the April 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
The crowdfunding sites Quirky, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo support many noble and entrepreneurial endeavours -- but there's plenty of weird stuff getting funded, too. Here are five.
Titanoboa
Kickstarter pledges funded the making of a 15-metre-long hydraulic snake.
Goal: $10,000 (£6,400) Raised: $10,560 (£6,740)
RoboCop statue Campaign on Kickstarter to fund a life-size monument to
Goal: $50,000 (£31,900) Raised: $67,436 (£43,000)
World's Largest Jockstrap
Ten-times oversized item made real, thanks to Kickstarter.
Goal: $850 (£542) Raised: $854 (£545)
Hypothetical Development
Kickstarter again: making ads for imaginary companies.
Goal: $3,900 (£2,490) Raised: $4,197 (£2,680)
Mesh clothing parameter deformer
Band turned to IndieGoGo to raise cash for musical clothes.
Goal: $5,400 Raised: $5,555 (£3,445)
And three that didn't quite make the grade...
Mantyhose
Chan Kraemer raised $200 (£127) out of his $20,000 (£12,765) goal on IndieGoGo to promote acceptance of male pantyhose.
Pedestal dog bowls
Despite Quirky's backing, these height-adjustable feeding bowls for tall and short dogs have yet to make it to market.
Drive suits
Even with extensive press coverage, the "wearable motorbike" didn't raise a cent on IndieGoGo towards its $20,000 (£12,765).
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
