New projects fail on Kickstarter all the time. Despite the hours upon hours of effort some creators put into their project, the funding never materializes. Then, there are the projects that get funded and are never heard from again while donors wait for any scrap of news. But then there are the Kickstarters that seemingly come out of nowhere and end up being so much more than what they were supposed to be.
If there's any one project that embodies that last sentiment, it's the famous 'Potato Salad' Kickstarter. Initially, the whole thing was a joke: the project had a goal of $10, with a mission statement for 'better ingredients.' It was obviously never meant to be anything more than Internet humor, but once the project went viral, the money began to pile up.
Soon, there was over $55,000 in donations for a $10 potato salad recipe; backers were anxious to see what project lead Zack Brown would do with all the extra money. Many assumed that Brown was joking about getting a potato salad festival together. They were wrong.
In Columbus, Ohio this past weekend, the first ever PotatoStock was held.
It very well may have been the first ever salad-based festival in history, but PotatoStock was a huge success. Nearly 450 pounds of potato salad were made during the festival, and guests were treated to drinks, t-shirts, sack races, a concert and of course...a lot of potato salad.
@ztbrown does it #taste as good as it looks? The internet will decide at @PotatoStock! @MyPiada #PotatoStock pic.twitter.com/WNFgUus87n
— Big Idaho® Potato (@BigIdahoPotato) September 27, 2014
The potato sack race is about to start. @BigIdahoPotato is getting some practice runs in. Head to their tent to race! pic.twitter.com/qLBF0VaTvk — Potato Stock (@PotatoStock) September 27, 2014
Obviously, the project began as a joke, but it's amazing to see just how quickly something can come from nothing in the age of the Internet. Stretch goals for the product began at 'I will make more potato salad' to 'Let's hold a festival in the middle of the city.' Looking back over the course of the project, it's easy to see that Brown simply couldn't keep up with the influx of money. Absolutely no one expected the project to raise that much cash, and while some were initially concerned with what Brown would do with the money, their fears were soon put to rest.
"We are going to contribute a significant portion of the remaining money to the fund at the Columbus Foundation. This will create a permanent fund to help Central Ohio's non-profits end hunger and homelessness. These types of funds gain interest every year and grow over time, so, while our little internet joke will one day be forgotten, the impact will be felt forever."
It remains to be seen if PotatoStock will indeed fade away into the collective memory of the Internet or become something bigger entirely, but considering an entire festival was just held to celebrate potato salad, anything is possible.
PotatoStock may be over, but t-shirts are still available for purchase.
