Each of them has the ability to handle more cargo because the bodies have higher sides so you can stack more cargo inside. During the redesign process, the team made use of Radio Flyer’s prototype shop where they were able to experiment with sewing, metal fabrication, welding, and 3-D printing. They deployed various wagon prototypes at the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, to gather feedback on the new features and ideas for tweaks. The “World’s Largest Wagon” is a sculpture commissioned by Radio Flyer in honor of their 80th anniversary. It is nine times the size of a little red wagon, and weighs 15,000 pounds . In 2016, Radio Flyer introduced a new partnership product, the Tesla Model S for Kids.
Antonio Pasin started building wooden toy wagons in Chicago in 1917, selling them to area shops. He was working as a craftsman at the time, mostly selling phonograph cabinets, and built small wooden wagons to carry around his tools. After he received numerous requests from customers of phonograph cabinets to buy the wagons as well, he refocused his business on the wagons. His business grew until the Liberty Coaster Company, named in honour of the Statue of Liberty, was formed in 1923.
The braking system is also similar to that of a jogging stroller. Simply press it down with your foot to lock it in place, or flip it up with your toe and you’re on your way. Pay special attention to shipping prices, as these are large, heavy items that can be costly to ship. It’s also important to note wagons have value even for their parts. For example, the rails from a Radio Chief wagon sold for $26 on eBay. A wooden Radio Flyer, likely from the 1940s, sold for $150 recently, according to LiveAuctioneers.
Sellers looking to grow their business and reach more interested buyers can use Etsy’s advertising platform to promote their items. You’ll see ad results based on factors like relevancy, and the amount sellers pay per click. Fortunately for her and her family, Advocate Children’s had a frozen ride on toy that allowed Everly to explore and wonder beyond the four walls of her hospital room. Everly spent long periods of time in the ICU at Advocate Children’s Hospital. In times like this, the Radio Flyer Wagon is a welcome sight to a patient, parent or a sibling in a hospital. Starlight Kid Everly was born with a congenital heart defect and had three open-heart surgeries, two cardiac catheterizations, and one infection washout surgery before her first birthday.
Radio Flyer Inc. was founded by Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin. Pasin’s family had been fine woodworkers for generations, specializing in furniture and cabinetry. But he longed to leave his small town outside of Venice and make a new start in the radio flyer wagon United States. His family backed his plan, selling their mule to raise money for Antonio’s ticket. Here he hoped to work as a cabinetmaker, but at first he could only find unskilled work, beginning as a water boy for a crew of sewer diggers.
For a promotional celebration, the company produced what it billed as the ‘World’s Largest Wagon,’ a 27-foot-long, 15,000-pound behemoth that then visited cities across the United States. The company followed the Quad Shock with a Radio Flyer Sport Utility Wagon, capitalizing on the popularity of the Sport Utility Vehicle among suburban families. Radio Flyer also entered licensing agreements with other toymakers.
From 1942 to 1945, the company shut down its production of wagons and made five-gallon steel gas cans for the war effort. As men returned home at the end of World War II, housing was short and the 1944 G.I. Bill subsidized mortgages, allowing many to flock to the suburbs. The sale of wagons surged during the subsequent baby boom, and Radio Flyer branched out into gardening wheelbarrows to meet changing demands. Today, Radio Flyer still makes those red wagons, but it also makes electric bikes and scooters, tricycles, bounce houses—and Teslas for kids. The factory on the west side of Chicago closed in 2004 (it’s the design office now), and most products are currently made in China.