Tustin Pupil, 6, to Take Invention to Jay Leno Show

When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.

That fact of life inspired 6-year-old Curt Waki to invent a gadget that is bringing him a bit of celebrity. The Tustin Memorial Elementary first-grader has been invited to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” to talk about his “portable potty.”

Necessity inspired the invention.

“We were going to a baseball game,” Curt recalled, and there was no place to stop for a bathroom break. So he improvised and used a fast-food drink cup.

Months later, when he had to build an original invention for a school assignment, Curt recalled that emergency situation and came up with a similar, more finished device, which won an invention contest in the Tustin schools and attracted the attention of the show’s scouts.

He won’t be the first Tustin Unified student on the Leno show. The previous two years’ contest winners also appeared.

Curt will be on the show probably Tuesday or Wednesday.