Most of the entries in this top ten are, inevitably, going to be from the USA. But we thought we'd start by showing that here in the UK, eccentricity is still alive and well. Where else would a Kickstarter campaign for a massive inflatable structure in the shape of Lionel Ritchie's head raise £8,000? The money came mainly from Bestival goers, where the head made its debut before going on tour.

Kickstarter

One guy decided to see if he could get his lunch paid for and opened a Kickstarter campaign to raise ten dollars for his potato salad. Backers would get a photo of him making the salad. A year or so later he's raised $55,000 (yes, fifty-five thousand!) and is producing a potato salad cookbook. You just never know, do you?

Kickstarter

This one's quite old now but at the height of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York, someone thought it would be a good idea to send suits to the protesters - for 'tactical camouflage'! Initially looking for $800 the campaign raised nearly $3,000, which was used for haircuts and image consultants to go with the suits.

Indigogo

Yes, a campaign to put a Tardis in space. Originally the idea was for the launch to coincide with the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary celebrations but they're long gone now. By the look of the project's comments page, investors (or should that be 'donors'?) are getting weary - since January 2014 the only updates have been 'waiting for a launch window'. Oh - it's only a foot tall too.

Kickstarter

A watermelon holder, that's what. Kickstarter user Mike Draghici thought that the world needed a strap to go around a watermelon to carry it in safety but not many other people agreed with him. The problem was probably that he asked for $25,000 to develop this fabric strap! The fact that only 14 people believed in the project enough to donate actual cash is probably proof that there is hope for humanity yet.

Kickstarter

This is just fun, and was a successful campaign too - a griddle that made pancakes in a skull and crossbones shape. Sadly the originator of the project passed away before it was completed but his wife finished it off and all the griddles were delivered.

Kickstarter

Another one that proves we're not all idiots - the Italian who wanted to buy a GoPro video camera to film the toilet flushing from the inside received no backing whatsoever. also good to find an absurd idea that's not from yet another American.

Indigogo

Here's another one from the UK - eccentric but entirely practical - although if the government won't let us ride Segways or Hoverboards on the streets it's unlikely a flying motorcycle will get permission either. Based heavily on fan-blade drone technology you can already buy a small scale version to use as a drone, the Kickstarter project is to fund a full-size engineering prototype for aviation certification. I'm tempted.

Kickstarter

Obviously another American project, because here in the UK our red squirrels are being overrun by greys. But clearly a day of "squirrel-related readings, squirrel-related music, squirrel-inspired art and dance" shows there's enough enthusiasm for the little critters in the USA, and if you'd backed this squirrel census campaign you'd have received a glossy poster for your pains.

Kickstarter

And to end on - would you really use crowdfunding for a new tooth? Well, it worked for Californian performer and YouTube video maker Jeffrey Self who lost the lower half of a front tooth. There was no return on the investment for donors, he basically just begged for money - and it worked. Hmm .... I'm now looking at that gap in my own teeth ....

Indigogo