Lego has launched its website, Lego Cuusoo,  to crowdsource new product ideas. The site is formally debuting after a pilot test in Japan that led to the roll out of a submarine design called 21100 Shinkai 6500, with other products to follow in 2012.

Cuusoo – which means 'imagination' or 'wish in Japanese, Research Live explains – lets Lego fans to submit ideas for products. Other fans vote on the idea, with any product gaining more than 10,000 votes receiving a serious chance of becoming a Lego product. The creator could earn 1% of total net sales, Research Live says.

Product design contests are becoming a favored way to channel the crowd - in part because of its built-in marketing momentum. Lego, of course, can count on a fan base that likes to tinker and build - perfect for a crowdsource product initiative.  Over the year fans have uploaded more than 700,000 videos of their creations to YouTube and have attended 180 "Brickworld" Lego events in 30 countries, ClickZ reports.

Another example is the crowdsourced competition by NASA, Threadless and Harvard - NASA Tournament Lab to create a design around the theme of the final frontier to honor NASA shuttle program’s contributions.

Ads, as well, are a common category. PopTent, which crowdsources commercials and videos for brands and advertisers, is running a contest on behalf of HomeAway - a company that has launched spots during the Super Bowl - to create a new ad for the firm. Two amateur filmmakers will win $7,500 to produce an ad focused on family vacations.