Karl Zysset (1907–1988) loved to tinker. As a bicycle mechanic (actually a trained joiner) with his own workshop, he first applied for patents for bicycle-related inventions. However, his life was changed in 1948 by a different kind of innovation: the garlic press. There are no records of how exactly this came about. But looking back, it seems evident that Zysset got the idea for the pressing mechanism from bicycle brakes. What’s more, the kitchen gadget fits just as comfortably in the hand.
Swiss Post has dedicated a stamp to the inventor of the toilet duck. It appeared in September 2025 and was the fifth stamp featuring a Swiss invention. The first four inventions were the garlic press, Menzi Muck diggers, Velcro fasteners and Barryvox avalanche transceivers. We’re dedicating a story to each of these legendary innovations.
Previous blogposts:
1. Toilet duck
“Swiss themes, especially ‘Swissness’, are very popular with our target group – collectors and philatelists. In combination with the theme of inventions, this helps to draw attention to Switzerland as a country of inventors,” wrote Swiss Post in response to a query from the IPI.
The five inventions were selected during a brainstorming session. “The aim was to showcase the diversity and richness of Swiss inventions while covering our target group’s wide-ranging areas of interest.”
The toilet duck completes the stamp series for the time being. So Swiss Post has compiled a folder containing all the stamps issued to date that feature Swiss inventions.
