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 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. He called his new wagon the “Radio Flyer,” another patriotic reference to his homeland, this one after a famous Italian invention, the radio. Intended “for every girl and boy,” the wagons sold for less than $3 each.
It’s also home to a whole host of one-of-a-kind items made with love and extraordinary care. While many of the items on Etsy are handmade, you’ll also find craft supplies, digital items, and more. Character wagons – Popular characters like Mickey Mouse and Davy Crockett found their way onto the wagons of this era. These were various colors, including bright blue and yellow, and they featured the standard steel wagon shape with the name on the side. Streak-O-Lite – One of the most iconic styles, this wagon had a tapered design and an optional real working headlight on the front. Inspired by the gigantic, 45-foot razor ride ons on exhibit at the 1933 World’s Fair, as well as the streamlined styling of swift passenger trains of the era, the Radio Flyer wagons of the 1930s were sleek and shiny.
The idea behind them is to make a child’s hospital experience a little less scary and a little more fun. Give today to help deliver the Hero Wagon to seriously ill kids across the country. Local communities can also play a part in the Hero Wagon story. Beginning now, anyone has the option to donate a Hero Wagon by visiting starlight.org/wagons.
Soon, the Liberty Coaster MFG Co. was also producing tricycles, scooters and other kid vehicles—a tiny fraction of which have stood the test of time. Designed for Starlight by Radio Flyer, the Hero Wagon has an IV pole razor ride ons attachment, making it easier for all patients to enjoy a wagon ride. Plus, each wagon features seat belts for safety, smooth surfaces, and durable fabric that is easily sanitized by hospital staff between each use.
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. “If you are going to be using the wagon on sand or rough terrain, make sure that the wheels are durable to withhold,” says Michelle Sterling, M. Ed, CPST, safety specialist and coordinator of Safe Kids of Greater Tampa says. This spacious four-seater is a gem for the household with multiple kids, or for the family that likes to bring along a playmate or two!
This wagon can hold up to 200 pounds and is recommended for children older than 18 months old. 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. Adults who garden also love this wagon, which can hold up to 150 pounds of cargo. Antonio Pasin, founder of the Radio Flyer Wagon Company, was born in Venice, Italy.
Most of what they develop, Schlegel notes, were not even wagons; the company’s tricycles are its biggest sellers these days. In a corner, several large lumps sit beneath black tarps, prototypes that are not for a stranger’s eyes. On a window ledge sits a wagon redesigned to resemble an old-school Soap Box Derby car. It’s very cool, and it will never get made, because the company decided that it would never sell.
With the war over, materials like steel were plentiful again, and the classic steel wagon shape was back in production. Because steel was needed for the war effort, the Radio Flyer wagons of the World War II era were made of wood. The company redesigned the wheel bearings to be smooth and quiet during this period. A 45-foot wood and plaster statue of a child riding one of his wagons and set up a booth at its base, where he sold mini Radio Flyer replicas to fair-goers for 25 cents each.
“As a company at the time, we weren’t talking to consumers as much as we should,” says Robert. “We weren’t asking moms what they wanted in products.” So the popularity of these plastic wagons caught them off guard. Even in the depths of the downturn, the company sold around 1,500 wagons a day. More important than the longevity of the souvenirs themselves, though, Pasin had indeed ensured the lasting popularity of his full-size product. The classic red Radio Flyer wagon became one of the great American toy brands of the 20th century, and perhaps even more impressively, the company behind it remained independently and family owned every step of the way.