We definitely raised an eyebrow when we heard that there’s an app for back scratching. It’s a pretty weird idea. But the more we looked into it, the itchier we felt - clever.
Scratchilla is an app looking for funding on Indiegogo, and is basically TaskRabbit for getting scratched. You open the app, find a ‘scratchilla’ near you, and hire them for a scratching session. That’s basically it, but their cute stop-motion video featuring a tiny dinosaur is still worth a watch:
If this all seems a bit excessive for the sake of some scratching, we agree. It’d be a bit weird and unnecessary to get someone to scratch you for more than a few minutes, and it’s not really worth dragging someone across town for that.
Also, the in-app currency - Scratchcoins - seems entirely superfluous. Why can’t you just pay in money…? (There’s a game to help you gain more Scratchcoins, but really, just let us pay cash).
And then of course there’s the sadly inevitable question of scratch creeps. Scratchilla have tried to address this in their FAQs but made a complete hash of it:
“Sophisticated safety system”
“Text message with your location.”
Yeahhh.
There’s also this facepalm-worthy entry in the FAQs, answering a question no one would have asked:
Thrilled, you hear?
Overall, we’d be surprised if this gets off the ground. You’d need heaps of people for it to be at all useful, and I’m not convinced there’s enough demand for pay-per-scratch to sustain that kind of workforce. You’d maybe be able to get a scratch in central London, but in the suburbs of Harrogate? Unlikely.
That said, I’ve been absent-mindedly scratching myself the entire time I’ve been writing this, so if these guys put out TV adverts, we’re all doomed. SOMEBODY SCRATCH ME!
If you want Scratchilla to happen, you can contribute to their Indiegogo campaign here. They’re looking for $7000 - you could buy a whole lot of back scratchers for that kind of cash.
Main image: Scratchzilla/Indiegogo
