Even in the depths of the Great Depression, they sold at the rate of 1,500 a day. Radio Flyer designers added high sides for carting kids in 1950s, borrowed bright colors and slick tires from muscle cars in the 1970s, and even created an all-terrain version, the Quad Shock Wagon—to match the SUVs in the 1990s. The luxury model Radio Flyer red wagon, for kids and their parents. Extra-large wagon body crafted of natural-finished American hardwood, topped with bright red removable select wood sides. The model #24 red wagon features steel wheels with semi-pneumatic rubber tires and an extra long handle that folds under the wagon.
He incorporated his business as the Liberty Coaster Wagon Company, fondly naming it after the Statue of Liberty that had greeted him when he arrived in his new country. But no one remains on top forever, and when Little Tykes and Step2 introduced plastic wagons in the early 1990s, Radio Flyer faltered. These flashy, cheaper wagons could take on a wider range of designs than the company’s classic metal-stamped variety. By 1917, Antonio saved enough money to rent a one-room workshop, where he began building phonograph cabinets and a variety of other objects upon request.
Whether you’re looking for an upgrade or a new wagon for your littles, at Target you’re sure to find one to suit your needs and lifestyle. This Jeep-inspired wagon has adjustable handlebars and puncture-proof tires. Ideally, the wagon in Stroller Mode works for ages six months and older, while if in use with the car seat adapter, any age works. At the western edge of Chicago, across from an Old Country Buffet and within barking distance of a PetSmart, the prototype shop at Radio Flyer toils in anonymity. Or rather, as much anonymity as you can have when you work inside a large modernist glass rectangle washed in natural light, with a Godzilla-sized toy red wagon on your front lawn.
Since 2002, the company has produced plastic as well as metal-bodied wagons. The Hero Wagon redesign came about largely because the two organizations began to hear how hospital staff were customizing the wagons themselves to fit their needs, says Pasin. So Radio Flyer assembled a team of designers, researchers, and engineers to visit children’s hospitals and conduct interviews with nurses and families to learn firsthand about the user experience. These in-person customer discovery sessions were crucial to the product’s eventual design, Pasin notes. Before purchasing a wagon, consider its size and structure and what you’ll be using it for.
He carries a twinkle in his eye — that vanishes quickly on the subject of failure. Most of what gets developed in the prototype shop, though, never makes it that far. Tom Schlegel, executive vice president radio flyer wagon of design and business development — essentially head elf of Radio Flyer — explains in much blunter fashion. Wagons are a fun way to tote around toddlers between the ages of 2 and 5 years old.
The founder of the Radio Flyer® Wagon company, Antonio Pasin, was born in Venice. His family helped pay for his journey, and soon he was living in Chicago. He was a woodworker by trade, but had a difficult time finding work in that field. Eventually, after worker odd jobs, he saved up enough money to purchase his own equipment and began making wooden wagons in his basement. During the day, he walked the streets of Chicago peddling his samples. Pasin worked tirelessly and alone until 1923, when his wagon business had picked up enough that he was able to hire helpers.
It had big red wheels and “Highway Chief” in white letters on the side. In 1923, after Antonio’s business had grown to include several employees, he founded the Liberty Coaster Company. He named the company after the Statue of Liberty that had welcomed him into the country. Continuing to grow his company, Pasin began using the technology of metal stamping and mass production techniques similar to those used in the auto industry.
“As a company at the time, we weren’t talking to consumers as much as we should,” says Robert. “We weren’t asking moms what they wanted in products.” So the popularity of these plastic wagons caught them off guard. Even in the depths of the downturn, the company sold around 1,500 wagons a day. More important than the longevity of the souvenirs themselves, though, Pasin had indeed ensured the lasting popularity of his full-size product. The classic red Radio Flyer wagon became one of the great American toy brands of the 20th century, and perhaps even more impressively, the company behind it remained independently and family owned every step of the way.
Its real rubber air tires are made for rolling on any type of terrain, and its extra long handle is made to fold underneath the body of the wagon for convenient storage when not in use. These wagons are a departure from the classic all-steel bodied wagons Radio Flyer made famous. Instead of steel bodies that sit up high, plastic wagon bodies sit down low. Instead of the flat floor you find on a metal wagon, you get molded-in seats, deep footwells and high seat backs for kids’ riding comfort. Three-in-one plastic wagons quickly and easily convert from two-passenger face-to-face seating to fold-down bench seating to cargo mode.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled wagons and contact Radio Flyer for a full refund. The flashy red color became a mainstay for the Radio Flyers early on, but no one really knows why. “Some people say it was because my grandfather was Italian,” says Robert, explaining that Ferraris and spaghetti sauce, both Italian staples, are red. Over the years, the company has tried many colors, but red always zoomed ahead of the others in sales.