Radio Flyer wagon
It’s a toy, it’s a transport, it’s the workhorse of kid
entrepreneurship… The Radio Flyer wagon may be one of the most
versatile toys in kidland, and it’s certainly one of the most famous.
Most of us can’t even hear the words “little red wagon” without
instantly thinking “Radio Flyer.”
Italian-born Antonio Pasin began making handcrafted wooden wagons
in 1917, three years after his arrival in America. By 1923, Pasin’s
wagons had been dubbed “Liberty Coasters” (after the Statue of
Liberty), and thanks to mass-production techniques adapted from the
automobile industry, the Liberty Coaster Company was able to
manufacture steel wagons for thousands of kids across the country.
It was the early 1930’s “Model #18” that gave Pasin’s wagons the
name that would become synonymous with childhood: Radio Flyer (named
for the relatively-new phenomenon of radio). With a promotional
campaign that included a 45-foot “Coaster Boy” at the 1933 Chicago
World’s Fair, Radio Flyer was soon the world standard in wagons. The
tot-toters became icons of childhood, used to pull kid siblings, to
deliver newspapers, to race down hills with that funky reverse-handle
steering, and so on.
For the more adventurous tykes, Radio Flyer produced several fancy
variations on its classic “little red wagon” formula. In the 1930’s,
there was the aerodynamic Zep and the Streak-O-Lite, which featured
control dials and working headlights. The 1950’s brought the Radio
Rancher, the first Radio Flyer wagon with high sides to keep the wee
ones from spilling out en route. The early 1970’s introduced the
Fireball 2000, a brightly-colored dragster of a wagon that even had a
spoiler.
Customized options were bountiful—air tires or rubber ones, small
bed or large, high sides or low—and the innovations continued well into
the 1990’s. Steel and wood wagons were still available, naturally, but
Radio Flyer also introduced plastic-body wagons into its lineup with
names like “Trailblazer” and “Navigator.” Today, literally dozens of
models are available, including everything from models with shock
absorbers, “Wagon-Barrows” for garden work, and in a true sign of the
times, even a S.U.W. (yes, that stands for “Sport Utility Wagon”).
Shapes, sizes, features and even colors may vary, but there’s no
getting away from the little red wagon. It’s a classic, immortalized in
collectibles, ornaments, mini-models and even a 1992 Radio Flyer
feature film. It’s a fair bet that nearly every man, woman and child in
America has at least taken a ride in one, proof that after more than 80
years, Radio Flyer's legacy is alive and well.
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