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Leo Gerstenzang: The Polish Inventor of “Baby-Gays"
The everyday hygiene product you probably own
Polish American inventor Leo Gerstenzang’s life changed in 1923 when he watched his wife clean his baby’s ears. A single moment, a single insight, and a single action changed everything. He went on to invent a personal hygiene product that an estimated 400 million people use every single day.
If you look in your bathroom cabinet, you’ll likely find that you own this product, too.
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
— Thomas A. Edison
The Invention of “Baby Gays”
There are many different versions of how Leo invented “Baby Gays,” a name that meant “happy baby” back in the early 1900s.
Here’s a personal retelling of my favorite version:
In 1923, Polish immigrant and US citizen Leo Gerstenzang watched his wife with their baby. In an attempt to clean difficult-to-reach areas in their baby’s ears, his wife stuck cotton wads to the blunt end of toothpicks. Gerstenzang was so inspired that he fast manufactured a one-piece cotton swab that was easier to grasp and use.
