23 Unusual, Strange & Weird Hobbies!
Not all hobbies are created equal. Some are challenging, easy, relaxing, active, and just plain weird! Because of this, I have rounded up some of the wackiest and weird hobbies!
From treasure hunting, toy traveling, and bug fighting to rock painting, duck herding, and more, you’ll be shocked at some of these interesting and weird hobbies that we’ve found. Let’s get started!
23 Unusual, Strange & Weird Hobbies!
1. Collecting Navel Fluff
Though we don’t know exactly how many people are taking part in this hobby on a regular basis, there are people who dedicate a lot of time to it!
One Australian man, Graham Barker, has been collecting his own navel fluff since 1984. His stored collection weighs 22.1 grams which is why this hobby had to be ranked at my #1 position!
2. Extreme Ironing
Yep. You heard it correctly. This is one of the more weird hobbies on our list, which is essentially where people will iron something whilst undertaking an extreme sport.
It started in 1997 and has included adventures like climbing a mountain, riding a helicopter, and mid-air skydiving whilst ironing. There has even been an Extreme Ironing World Championship.
3. Mooing
It’s what it sounds like – literally. This hobby is based on the competitive ‘sport’ of doing the best impression of a cow.
The interesting hobby started in the USA, and the most recent winner of the competition was a 10-year-old boy in Wisconsin, USA.
If you want to start this hobby, you can begin right now! Go ahead a moo your heart out! For more about this interesting and unique hobby, read more here.
Free Course: Accents And Voice Impressions (Skillshare)
4. Beetle Fighting
Now not all of these weird hobbies we suggest actually taking up, like beetle fighting, for instance. This is what it sounds like – people putting insects against one another in small arenas.
It’s more than just some people playing with bugs when they’re bored. They film the matches and post them online, take bets, and some even breed the best fight-worthy beetles for the competition.
For more information about beetle fighting, check out this article about the Japanese tradition.
5. Collecting In-Flight Sick Bags
This definitely makes it in the top 5 weird hobbies of all. It’s quite simple to do – so long as you travel by air often. Simply collect the sick bags from every flight you’ve taken.
What do you do with them once you’ve got them? Nothing. Just collected them as price possessions and see how many you can get!
Actually, there are some sites for people to buy and trade sick bags to complete their collection. Check them out here.
6. Toy voyaging
Did you know that your toys can have wacky wonderful adventures on their own? Toy voyaging is a hobby where you can send your toy off on a vacation somewhere around the world.
You can even host another hobbyist’s toy on vacation too. People take photos of their toy seeing the sights and taking part in activities, as well as filling out travel journals.
All you need is a toy, and to get connected on the ToyVoyagers platform, as the most accessible way to start this hobby. Check out the platform here.
Free Starter Course: Toy Photography (Skillshare)
7. Soap Carving
This artistic hobby is definitely not as intense as the one above, much more suited to creative and calm individuals. This is about carving intricate works of art into soap.
The use of special tools and techniques is needed to really create something amazing out of blocks and bars of soap.
Many people like to share their creations in time-lapse videos on social media, or share their skills on YouTube, like this tutorial here:
Free Trial Course: Creating Time-Lapse Video (LinkedIn Learning)
8. Quidditch
Any Harry Potter fan would appreciate this wonderful sport that has come to life. People around the world play Quidditch, especially in colleges and universities.
These real-life games don’t exactly have flying brooms and magic in their equipment and rules – but the human-adapted game is still fun to try.
Want to learn how to play quidditch and possibly start your brand new hobby? Learn about the rules and best tactics.
9. News Raiding
Also known as ‘news bombing’, this one definitely had to make our list of weird hobbies that people partake in around the world. This is where people find locations of live news reports and make it in the shot as a bystander.
Making this a hobby is not a ‘one-time’ thing. You have to be consistent and diligent in finding where the reports are happening and making your way into the background.
The prolific news raider, Paul Yarrow, is known for being on hundreds of T.V broadcasts in his time. Get an exclusive take on why he started here:
10. Dirt polishing
This popular and weird hobby, with its formal name Hikaru Dorodango, is about polishing mud, essentially.
The actual technique of dirt polishing is where a small ball of mud is taken, extracting the moisture in it, and coasting it with layers of fine soil, to eventually make a smooth sphere of dirt.
The creations are actually quite beautiful works of art. To check out some, here is a website purely dedicated to Hikaru Dorodango.
11. Fork Bending
True to its name, fork bending involves manipulating a fork shape to create another shape, design, or object (if multiple forks are used).
There are some variations to the hobby, as in the Japanese technique of using the least physical effort possible to bend the fork or to use spoons in magic shows to ‘bend with the mind.’
In any case, it’s a unique hobby that probably requires some insider knowledge on how to do it. Learn more about fork and spoon bending here.
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12. Geocaching
Move of fantasy pirates, you can go on a treasure hunt in real life with Geocaching. This hobby uses satellites to locate small boxes of treasures and trinkets to be swapped.
It’s actually free to do, and there’s a logbook to sign each one that is found. This hobby is one of the more social weird hobbies on our list.
Recommended Course: Basic Land Navigation (Udemy)
13. Extreme Couponing
No, this isn’t like extreme ironing – you don’t read coupons while doing some crazy adventure sport. Extreme couponing is about collecting and organizing coupons to save huge amounts in one shopping trip.
This hobby got so popular in the U.S and U.K that a television show was actually created, showing just how far people go to save money on their groceries.
14. Witchcraft
This isn’t just for scary books or Harry Potter fans. Witchcraft is actually a very well-practiced art for many people around the world.
Modern practices might follow Paganism, Wicca, or Brujeria. Many people in different cultures around the world work with herbs, crystals, trinkets, and spells to heal disease, manifest, and make prophecies about the future.
Recommended Course: Clairvoyance and Psychic Development (Udemy)
15. Painting rocks
This isn’t just a cute craft project for 5-year-olds to do… painting rocks is a sweet hobby for people who love being creative, and who like a more quiet way to spend their free time.
Painting rocks can be done in a variety of ways – from faces, mandalas, or landscapes, shapes, and patterns.
Just find some nice rocks – river stones work well – to paint some stones in whatever way you like. Get inspired by rock-painting beginners’ article.
Free Trial Course: Painting Rocks (Skillshare)
16. Entomology
This hobby is about the study of insects. Bug collecting is another name for it, where you can find all different types of bugs in the same species, or in a variety of them, to store in jars, containers, or more.
We think this one falls under the category of the weird and slightly creepy hobbies out there, but lots of people do it and love it.
Each to their own! Are you interested to start? Learn how to begin in bug collecting with this comprehensive article.
17. Tattooing Vehicles
This hobby began in Taiwan, where a pensioner enjoys tattooing Buddist text onto cars. But it also seems like anyone who paints cars in an artistic way is considered to be part of this hobby.
You’ll need to have some skill in painting, plus access to cars that you can actually paint (without people freaking out that you’re doing it) so it’s not the easiest hobby to get into.
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18. Train Surfing
As another one of the more dangerous hobbies that we don’t recommend, train surfing involves jumping out of a passenger train to hitch a ride.
It’s a serious thing, as in the 80s this hobby began in Germany, and later in 2008 more than 40 people died in Germany from attempts at train surfing.
This article on Wired shares more about the dangers of train surfing, and some people who are risking their lives with this hobby.
19. Element collecting
Element collecting is where you collect each chemical element from the periodic table.
You might find a use for the element you collect, or simply collect them without any practical reasons. This one requires study and knowledge to understand the elements.
You can get high-quality samples of each one, or find the element in everyday use. Be careful of the safety level of the element, depending on which state it is in. For a deeper explanation of element collecting, check out this guide.
20. Ghost Hunting
Not just reserved for the cult classic movie, ghost hunting is a real hobby, where people investigate locations that are thought to be haunted.
The objective of this hobby is to gather evidence to support the existence of paranormal activity happening. People use cameras to record their experiences, which they share with the ghost hunting community.
Free Trial Course: Ghost Photography (SkillShare)
21. Tree Shaping
If you have patience, tree shaping is one of the weird hobbies that takes time. You can grow trees by cutting, bending, and manipulating them to grow into artistic shapes or living furniture.
Techniques such as pruning and grafting are used to make these art pieces. Mostly ornamental, there are functional objects that people make.
Free Recommended Course: Pruning Trees and Shrubs (SkillShare)
22. Noodling
The name isn’t actually what it sounds like – this isn’t a cooking method to make noodles, it’s actually bare-hand fishing. The most common type of fish that noodlers go after is catfish, though there are other species that can be caught too.
Most noodling takes place in shallow water, and there are known methods to use to make it a safer endeavor, as people can get hurt in the process. Learn more here.
23. Competitive Dog Grooming
Most popular in China, there are others around the world who take part in grooming their dogs to look eccentric, or to match famous cartoon characters.
Competitions are run in regional areas, with prize money for the events. Poodles are the most common type of dog used for this event.
There are some moral considerations for this, as many people are against this as a hobby due to the potential cruelty of the animal. See and decide for yourself in this gallery.
Recommended Course: Learn How To Groom Your Dog At Home (Udemy)
24. Duck Herding
Duck herding is one of the active weird hobbies in which people can participate as a competitive sport and team-building practice.
This hobby involves people guiding ducks around a course with obstacles and challenges, along with the help of sheepdogs, to eventually reach a pen.
This hobby is a popular choice among corporate team-building events in the U.K. Check out this site that offers duck-herding services here.
Bonus: Pick A Strange Hobby That’s Also A Side Hustle
Flip domain names. Promote the next big cryptocurrency. DJ events. Be a voice artist. Upcycle new stuff. Sell your graphic designs.
All of these examples aren’t just hobbies, they’re weekly-paying gigs. And in all of those examples, you often get paid more the weirder you are. So let your freak flag fly!
Free Trial Course: 43 Ideas for Starting a Side Business (LinkedIn Learning)
Slightly Less Unusual & Wierd Hobbies
If you made it to the end of this list and aren’t ready to try any of the above, might we suggest a more mainstream hobby?
Alternatively, maybe you were looking for hobby inspiration because you would like to develop a new skill or chase a passion project?
If that’s the case, check out our comprehensive guide to free online courses. We reviewed more than 20 online learning providers and listed hundreds of courses to get you started absolutely risk-free.
