If you want to get really fancy, you can even add a bow so it’s all ready for gifting. This was the only 2-seater radio flyer wagon wagon we tested with a reclining seat! That includes stroller wagons that are several times as expensive.
“I’d go around the world to ride that boy in this wagon,” he said. The success of his fabricated Radio Flyer, however, will be determined not by judges but by the reaction of the children who see it. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice.
By providing a different option for patient transportation, these wagons transform a hospitalized child’s experience by removing the fear and anxiety that may come with having to use a wheelchair. Radio Flyer is a four-time Inc. 5000 honoreeand pulled in $200 million in revenue last year. This month, they will launch the newly patented design, the Hero Wagon, retrofitted specifically to transport sick children safely. The classic red razor ride ons 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.
(This probably is a factor in their growing up to be 100% pure red-blooded American),” reads a 1953 ad in the Logansport Pharos-Tribune. 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.
“That was just a brilliant brand-building idea, because the World’s Fair was such a huge deal,” Robert says. Whether visitors left with a tiny wagon or not, they undoubtedly saw the impressive structure, and so couldn’t have left without some knowledge of the Radio Flyer. Fast forward to the 1950s, when Sputnik and “I Love Lucy” came on the scene. It was during this time, when fear of communism loomed, that the little red wagon cemented its status as an American icon. “Sooner or later you’ll have to buy the kids a big red coaster wagon.
Store it away in the stroller wagon removable trunk, and you’re ready to go. If someone said “wagon”, you were basically picturing the classic Radio Flyer wagon, give or take a few details. But in the past few years, wagons have really come a long way in a short amount of time. We’re talking premium features, all-terrain wheels, cup holders, sun/rain shades, you name it. Tires are made from standard EVA foam like most of the other stroller wagons we tested.
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 . A number of designs and styles have been produced by Radio Flyer, often inspired by the automobiles or popular culture of the day. The “Zephyr”, produced in the 1930s, paid homage to the Chrysler Airflow.
Then, when I have my young nephews for the day, it can completely replace the stroller and they get the fun of a stroller wagon ride, while I get room for all our family’s drinks and gear. By some estimates, Pasin’s sales team sold more than 120,000 miniature coaster wagons by the time the fair concluded in 1934. Many were red, like the one in our collection, but blue and green were also available, among others. Considering the volume of the souvenirs produced, many of these special 1933 mini Radio Flyers are still in circulation. But as evidenced by the condition of our artifact, time can take its toll on the rubber wheels and paint job.
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. 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. They featured all metal bodies, colorful wheels, and plenty of imagination-sparking details. When Antonio Pasin came from Italy to the United States in 1914, he was only sixteen years old.