Radio Flyer Builds Specially Designed Hero Wagon for Hospitals Across the Country with the Help of Starlight Children’s Foundation

Starlight Children’s Foundation is a 5013 organization that delivers happiness to seriously ill children and their families. To learn more and to help Starlight deliver happiness to seriously ill kids this year, visit and follow Starlight on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Antonio’s biggest bet came in 1933, when he took out a $30,000 loan for a Radio Flyer exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair.

radio flyer wagon

Today, a 15,000-pound red wagon stands guard on the front lawn of the nine-acre lot, which is hemmed in by rows of shrubs and a black steel fence. Parents Billy and Laura Reece said it brings a bit of comfort for their 2-year-old daughter, Emma, during chemotherapy treatments. Emma is a Leukemia patient at Mercy Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. It’s well constructed, super-fun, undeniably beautiful and big enough to make a splash on Christmas morning. Kids can ride inside — the steel body is still built with no seams, so it’s smooth and comfortable — or cart around dolls, trucks, empty cardboard boxes, or anything else they find intriguing.

Radio Flyer is one of the oldest remaining national toy companies still owned and operated by the founding family. The Radio Flyer team interviewed hospital staff and conducted in-field observations before putting pen to paper on a design. From there, the team sketched, prototyped and tested custom versions of the iconic wagon that could best meet the needs of patients razor ride ons and hospital staff. After several months of design and production, the Hero Wagon was born. This wagon includes Radio Flyer’s patented one-hand folding design making it easy to store– ideal for hospitals’ tight hallways and restricted storage space. “That was just a brilliant brand-building idea, because the World’s Fair was such a huge deal,” Robert says.

You start by choosing a base for your Radio Flyer Stroller Wagon. Every stroller wagon base will have a push handle, which is similar to a jogging stroller. These push handles can adjust for height, or fold all the way down for storing, and this is what makes your wagon a stroller instead of simply a decked-out wagon. Because steel was needed for the war effort, the s of the World War II era were made of wood. The company redesigned the wheel bearings to be smooth and quiet during this period. They featured all metal bodies, colorful wheels, and plenty of imagination-sparking details.

While many of the items on Etsy are handmade, you’ll also find craft supplies, digital items, and more. Starlight Radio Flyer Hero Wagons provide a source of comfort and a sense of normalcy to sick kids frozen ride on toy during some of their most difficult times. The moment a child must be placed into a wheelchair can be scary and cause fear that something bad is going on – that is when our Hero Wagons come in.

“Her favorite thing to do when she is admitted is to go on wagon rides. That’s the one thing we can do every time to pass the time and to keep her happy and to help keep her as comfortable during treatments,” Laura said. Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.