It was inspired by the 45 foot tall “Coaster Boy” model, the Radio Flyer hit of the 1933 World’s Fair. Antonio Pasin, a sixteen year old Italian immigrant, was looking for cabinet making work in Chicago in 1914.2Instead he began his American work experience as a water boy for a sewer digging crew. After three years of working various jobs, Antonio bought some used woodworking tools and rented a small workshop space where he could use the wood crafting skills his father and grandfather had taught radio flyer wagon him. Pasin, who became company head in 1997, said the wagon has become a “kid transport,” with some of the most popular tweaks coming from ingenious hacks of unsuspecting customers. Their canopies, for example, are formal variations on what they saw parents jury-rigging above Radio Flyers on rainy days in Lincoln Park. Asked what innovations he would like to see come to the red wagon if he ran Radio Flyer, he laughs nervously and says the job is really about thinking three steps ahead ….
Riverfront Park in Spokane, Washington features a large red wagon that doubles as a playground slide. The interactive sculpture was sculpted by Ken Spiering and installed in 1989. KJ Callihan is a writer for The Spruce who has created product reviews and shopping guides for sites like Knoji, Finfrock Marketing, CNET, AAA Northeast magazine, and Oh My Veggies.
The word Radio was chosen because Pasin felt it represented the sense of wonder the future offered. His first steel wagon he named the Radio Flyer® Wagon to represent the idea of flight, as well. The story of the imaginary journeys of two boys in their .
A Hero Wagon can truly make a difference in a child’s day when they are spending days on end inside a hospital room. Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals. The 45 foot (13.7 m) tall Coaster Boy wood and plaster statue of a young boy and wagon was constructed by Radio Flyer for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Century of Progress. The BABY JOY Foldable Stroller Wagon can carry up to 110 pounds, weighs a light 37 pounds, and is easy to assemble. Here are our recommendations for the best kid wagons of 2022. We independently research, test, review, and recommend the best products—learn more about our process.
“We’ve gotten hundreds of photos and stories through the years from families telling us how the was a bright spot for them.” Wherever it is you plan to camp, this stroller wagon can help get you there. Even allowed in some theme parks , the WagonBuddy has countless features for navigating any type of terrain in style. It can be pushed or pulled as well, according to your preference. And when not in use, your group will save plenty of space when you toss it in the RV, stash it in the trunk, or pull it along behind you as you stroll whatever path you choose.
In any case, the company was performing admirably in the midst of the Great Depression, churning out 1,500 wagons per day on average through a Ford-like assembly line process. The Radio Flyers and several other brands were marketed towards both boys and girls—a rarity—and eventually adults, since the wagons could serve just as well for gardening and other yard work. 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. We were lucky enough to score the ultimate folding wagon that is all grey canvas complete with a side that zips up and down so kids can easily climb inside. The wagon also sports a collapsible canopy, so on extra hot days, your kids will be nice and cool.
Radio Flyer offers accessories as well as a fun spin on the original wagon design. According to the Radio Flyer website, the company started over 100 years ago in the Windy City of Chicago. Antonio Pasin, who was originally from Italy, immigrated to the United States and became the founder of the company. He first created the wagon and named it the Liberty Coaster as a nod to the statue that welcomed him to his adopted country. The name eventually changed to Radio Flyer, and the company now offers a wide range of products and accessories in the same iconic red color as the original wagon that started it all.
Radio Flyer is a four-time Inc. 5000 honoreeand pulled in $200 million in revenue last year. While the company has worked with Starlight since 2001 to donate wagons to more than 800 hospitals around the country, in 2019 Garone and Radio Flyer CEO Robert Pasindecided to collaborate to adapt the wagons for hospital settings. This month, they will launch the newly patented design, the Hero Wagon, retrofitted specifically to transport sick children safely. 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. Some wagons offer more features, like storage compartments, attachment seating, or removable canopies.