Now they are donating 1,000 every year to children’s hospitals across the country, including Carilion Children’s Hospital. America’s Got Talent star Jackie Evancho reveals that yearslong battle with anorexia radio flyer wagon has left her with bone damage. In an interview with People, the season 5 alum shared that her battle with anorexia has left her with osteoporosis, which causes bones to become weak and prone to fractures.
The Radio Flyer Ranger wagon has a full-sized seamless all-steel body with no-scratch edges and a seat back for comfortable rides. This wagon includes a child seat belt, and extra long handle for easy pulling and durable molded wheels. Radio Flyer has one of those incredible rags-to-riches stories attached. The Chicago-based company, known for its iconic little red wagons, was launched by a young Italian immigrant named Antonio Pasin, who came to Chicago practically penniless in 1914. A cabinetmaker who had trouble getting work in that field, Pasin dug ditches, washed vegetables, and took whatever work he could find, carrying his tools in a wooden wagon of his own design. After the war, the factory went back to making wagons and developed several new models in tune with the times.
Radio Flyer’s corporate headquarters is, remarkably, still essentially in the same location today—although all manufacturing has unsurprisingly moved to China. It also can’t be overstated how much I absolutely love the “no drop” technology of the pull handle that keeps it upright and makes it so the pull handle never touches the ground. Even if you simply drop the pull handle without warning, it just springs back up, out of the way and ready to grab if you need it.
Working in Chicago as a manual laborer, Pasin bought used woodworking equipment and set up shop in a rented room. Building little red wagons at night and peddling them during the day, he saved radio flyer wagon enough money to found the Liberty Coaster Company in 1923, naming it after the statue he had admired in New York Harbor. In 1930, he began mass-producing the toys out of stamped metal.
Radio Flyer’s EZ Fold Wagon is designed as a full-sized wagon for two kids that folds compactly. With an easy one-hand fold, you can take or store the wagon anywhere. A vintage classic red Radio Flyer with some rust and peeling paint recently sold for $75 on eBay. It had all parts and was functional, but it needed some cosmetic attention to restore it to its original beauty. As the Baby Boomers became “wagon aged,” Radio Flyer launched some new designs to appeal to this generation. With the war over, materials like steel were plentiful again, and the classic steel wagon shape was back in production.
All-terrain Radio Flyer wagons have bigger wheels and tires. The tires are air filled and have more rugged treads for use on grass, dirt, gravel and sand. The side rails of these Radio Flyer wagons are 50% deeper to hold more inside and the carrying capacities are upped to 200 pounds. In the all-terrain category, Radio Flyer also makes cargo wagons.
The classic red Radio Flyer wagon had already been in use in hospitals for more than 20 years. But this year, the company will launch a patented, upgraded version specifically designed for ferrying sick kids. In 1933, Chicago was the host of the World’s Fair, Century of Progress, and Radio Steel was asked to be a part of the celebration. Antonio Pasin took on major debt to fund the construction of a 45-foot tall wood and plaster Coaster Boy statue depicting a boy riding a Liberty Coaster wagon. Below the Coaster Boy exhibit Pasin sold miniatures for 25 cents. During World War II, steel was essential war material; from 1942–1945, the company shifted production to portable five gallon Blitz cans for the US Army.
The battery is integrated into the frame, but is removable for indoor charging. If you’re interested, you can donate money to Starlight specifically to fund these wagons. Starlight CEO Adam Garone told ABC15 his family knows the impact of the wagons firsthand. The wagon comes with an IV pole attachment, is made from medical-grade fabric that can easily be cleaned, and has a seatbelt with high, detachable walls, making for a comfortable and safe ride. The idea behind them is to make a child’s hospital experience a little less scary and a little more fun.