Not a dissimilar sort of thing, but novelty candidates have been a staple of British elections for decades.
Normally, they're not going to stand any realistic chance of winning anything (one exception being when Hartlepool once elected a man dressed as a monkey) but it only costs £500 to register and sometimes that's worth it for a laugh.
What's funny in this case is that Nigel Farage is trying to delay or stop an investigation into some of his crimes by stepping down as MP, and then standing for re-election (I don't quite know how this is meant to work), but all the "real" opposition have refused to field candidates. Count Binface, not officially affiliated with any political party, is standing in opposition - so if it goes ahead, the vote is between Farage and Count Binface, and there's a chance of Binface winning.
