He used it to cart around his tools, which he used to build phonograph cabinets. Pretty soon, those wagons were selling faster than the cabinets. The Radio Flyer business was born in 1917, though it would be years before he would be known by that name.
The 1950s saw a yellow wagon inspired by the movie Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and a blue wagon produced in partnership with Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club. Wagons from the 1970s borrowed the stylings of the muscle cars of the day, including the Fireball 2001 inspired by Evel Knievel. The 1990s saw the introduction of the “Quad Shock Wagon” echoing sport utility vehicles. The “Ultimate Family Wagon”, introduced in 2007, includes a sunshade and an adjustable seat; the design won a Chicago Innovation Award in 2007. SponsoredContentCan total joint replacement restore your quality of life? If you suffer from joint pain, you know how it can greatly affect the quality of your life.
It folds about similar to our jogging stroller, and even fits in our smaller sedan. Compared with our beast of a B-Ready with two seats, it’s actually more compact when folded, which I love. When not in use, it simply folds up and stands out of the way in our garage or entryway waiting for radio flyer wagon its next adventure. After you perfect the base, you have the option to add a pull handle if you’d like. It might seem redundant because you already have a push handle, but there have been so many times the pull handle was essential for us and it really adds to its versatility to have both.
Once your base and handles are done, you get to add all the fun accessories to match. You can add a UV rain/sun canopy, a parent caddy, extra storage “trunk”, padded strap covers, etc. You can even personalize your stroller wagon with a name or phrase so you can find yours in a crowd when all your friends decide to buy one after they see yours. If you want to get really fancy, you can even add a bow so it’s all ready for gifting. If someone said “wagon”, you were basically picturing the classic Radio Flyer wagon, give or take a few details.
Autoweek participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Metal toys that will be outdoors should have a rust-proof coating. The Radio Flyer isn’t as easy to roll around when folded as our top pick.
Antonio’s wife, Anna Pasin, who passed away a few weeks ago at age 107, described this as the only time she ever saw Antonio nervous, Robert explains. “When he first came here as an immigrant he really didn’t have anything to lose, but when the World’s Fair came about he had a business. He had a family.” The massive art deco structure housed a kiosk, inside of which Anna helped work a mini assembly line putting together tiny steel wagons that sold for just 25 cents each—$4.56 today.
The toys’ yellow poles contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content ban. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues. “As people were buying phonograph cabinets they would say, ‘hey, can I get one of those wagons?’” Robert says. “And pretty soon he was selling more wagons than phonograph cabinets.” The “Childhood Express” is a classic toy on a giant scale by artist Ken Spiering, allowing children to slide out of it since 1990. Especially during the pandemic with limited hospital visitors, Garone said simple items like the wagons can make a young patient feel less alone and help take them out of the moment. Along with our in-house experts, our team analyzes thousands of product reviews from the most trusted websites.