12 Small Kickstarters Making A Big Difference

Make room for the little guys. These incredible innovations are changing the way we think about oil, headgear, late-night bathroom runs, and more. LittleBigPlanet 3 is the perfect place to make your wildest dreams a reality.

1. This skateboard company that's changing how Chile recycles.

Bureo / Via kickstarter.com

Bureo (which means "wave" in Chile's native language) transforms harmful fishnets in Chile's oceans into adorable, functional skateboards. The company created Chile's first-ever fishnet recycling program, and the proceeds from the boards go towards maintaining that operation.

2. This guitar company that turns oil into music.

Courtesy of Adam Lee / Via kickstarter.com

Bohemian Guitars upcycles old oil cans into something much cooler: six-stringed guitars. The guitars use recycled materials, and most importantly, they sound fantastic. Bonus: For each guitar they sell on a Friday, the company will donate one guitar to a young music lover.

3. This hat company that gives your shirts a second life.

Courtesy of Brian Downey / Via kickstarter.com

The Amazing Falcon Bowse T-Shirt Transformation calls itself an "exchange": you send in your old shirt, and they send you back a five-panel hat. The transformation lets you hold onto pieces you've outgrown, stained, or run out of room for. Because T-shirts are insanely personal, you'll even get to design the hat.

4. This butter knife that needed to exist.

Courtesy of Sacha Pantschenko / Via kickstarter.com

The Stupendous Splendiferous ButterUp knife is just a tiny knife, but it will change the way you butter (and thus live) forever. The knife's design has a built in grater to aerate and soften butter with ease. It's the best thing since... you know.

5. This board game that teaches kids to code.

Eric Perini / Via kickstarter.com

Kids these days: They want to know code, but they don't want to learn code. The obvious solution, then, is to trick them — Code Monkey Island is a board game that runs on programming logic and prides itself on being delightfully unintimidating. Game night is now a school night, and no one knows the difference.

6. This 3D printer that normal people can afford.

Trent Carter / Via kickstarter.com

The iBox Nano isn't trying to change 3D printing — it's trying to make 3D printing available to everyone. But cost isn't the only barrier they're breaking down; the printer is both quieter and more portable than anything else at this price point.

7. This bar that lets you eat coffee.

New Ground Foods / Via newgroundsfood.com

CoffeeBar is the energy bar that all energy bars should aspire to — it's made with all natural ingredients and infused with a shot of espresso. It's already a big hit within the Boston area, but the Kickstarter is funding packaging to bring the bars to a city near you.

8. This portable charger that turns your day into energy.

Tejas Shastry / Via kickstarter.com

Ampy is a USB charger that slips in your pocket or purse, then uses kinetic energy from your movements to power your devices. Not only is it great for the planet, but it motivates people to get up and get active — the more you move, the more battery life you get.

9. This interactive table that takes beer pong to the next level.

Mark Alway / Via kickstarter.com

Finally, beer pong can be the serious sport it's always longed to be. The Penumbra beer pong table comes complete with hover ball and cup-sensing technology. You probably can't afford one, but it could change your favorite bar forever.

10. This surprisingly sleek hammock for cats.

Ralf Frickel / Via kickstarter.com

If cats are people (and obviously they are), they love good design just as much as we do. The smart Woozy functions as both a cat hammock and a cat bed, and it fits on radiators of all sizes.

11. This toilet light that... lights up your toilet.

IllumiBowl / Via kickstarter.com

When you have to go to the bathroom at 2 a.m., finding the light switch can be a big issue, but falling back asleep after a 60-watt shines in your eyes can be an even bigger one. Cue the IllumiBowl: a multi-colored, motion-censored light that clips in your toilet to take the guesswork out of nature's midnight call. That can make a serious difference in your sleep habits (and it looks cool too).

12. And these tiny libraries that are popping up everywhere.

davebloggs007 (CC BY http://2.0) / Via Flickr: davebloggs007

This isn't just one Kickstarter — it's bunch of little ones, and together, they comprise a movement. From London to Saskatchewan to Portland, Little Free Libraries are are popping up over the world. It's a network inspired by reading, and it all started with another beloved network: the internet.

Feeling an all-new appreciation for the smaller things in life? Check out LittleBigPlanet 3, where creativity takes the fun of gaming to a whole new level. #StandSmall