For many people, an antique Radio Flyer wagon brings back fond memories of their childhood. A true piece of classic Americana, the wagons hold a special place in the hearts of the millions of children who played with them over the years. Today, they can be valuable antiques, prized by collectors and enthusiasts.
The founder of the Radio Flyer® Wagon company, Antonio Pasin, was born in Venice. His family helped pay for his journey, and soon he was living in Chicago. He was a woodworker by trade, but had a difficult time finding work in that field. Eventually, after worker odd jobs, he saved up enough money to purchase his own equipment and began making wooden wagons in his basement. During the day, he walked the streets of Chicago peddling his samples. Pasin worked tirelessly and alone until 1923, when his wagon business had picked up enough that he was able to hire helpers.
Its durable fabric is UV and mildew resistant and cleans up easily. Ideal for sporting events, outdoor concerts, trips to the park, gardening, and loading or unloading the car, this collapsible garden utility wagon really has an infinite amount of uses. frozen ride on toy When Antonio Pasin came from Italy to the United States in 1914, he was only sixteen years old. Three years later, Antonio had saved enough money to open a small woodworking shop. Working there at night, the young man hand crafted wooden wagons.
“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.
The Radio Flyer and Starlight teams collectively poured more than 1,000 hours into the charitable project, estimates Mark Johnson, vice president of product development for Radio Flyer. The Hero Wagon is now in hospitals in 82 cities across 33 U.S. states and counting–each year, the organizations donate 1,000 wagons, with half going to medically underserved communities. During the redesign process, the team made use of Radio Flyer’s prototype shop where they were able to experiment with sewing, metal fabrication, welding, and 3-D printing. They deployed various wagon prototypes at the Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois, to gather feedback on the new features and ideas for tweaks. Generally, any time from toddler age to around 5 years old, children can enjoy wagons.
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 Radio Flyer wagon 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.
Even in the depths of the Great Depression, they sold at the rate of 1,500 a day. Radio Flyer designers added high sides for carting kids in 1950s, borrowed bright colors and slick tires from muscle cars in the 1970s, and even created an all-terrain version, the Quad Shock Wagon—to match the SUVs in the 1990s. The luxury model Radio Flyer red wagon, for kids and their parents. Extra-large wagon body crafted of natural-finished American hardwood, topped with bright red removable select wood sides. The model #24 red wagon features steel wheels with semi-pneumatic rubber tires and an extra long handle that folds under the wagon.