He explains that they only arrived at this, a workable, foldable wagon — now Radio Flyer’s best-selling variation of its red wagon — in 2016, after more than a decade of disasters. It’s not easy nowadays to pick a gift that kids will love as much as their parents radio flyer wagon do. Low-tech toys that spark creativity and imaginative play are the answer. And nothing fits the bill like Radio Flyer’s iconic red wagon. After the war, the factory went back to making wagons and developed several new models in tune with the times.
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.
His business grew until the Liberty Coaster Company, named in honour of the Statue of Liberty, was formed in 1923. The demands for these original wooden wagons, dubbed the “Liberty Coaster,” quickly outpaced production. Incorporating the mass manufacturing techniques of the auto industry, Pasin began making metal wagons out of stamped steel in 1927. At around that time, the red wagons sold for slightly less than $3, or about $40 in 2016 dollars. This wagon is a combination of nostalgia, function, and some good old-fashioned fun. Whether it’s pulling your little ones around the neighborhood, or needing something to hull all of their toys, this toy wagon has enough room to meet all of your needs.
BUT, Radio Flyer is going above and beyond to make sure that there are smiles for miles as we are getting nearer to summertime, by opening a one day sale on their site. Fortunately for her and her family, Advocate Children’s had a frozen ride on toy that allowed Everly to explore and wonder beyond the four walls of her hospital room. Everly spent long periods of time in the ICU at Advocate Children’s Hospital. In times like this, the Radio Flyer Wagon is a welcome sight to a patient, parent or a sibling in a hospital.
But the company did celebrate its 80th anniversary in 1997 by building another giant 40-foot Radio Flyer wagon—sans boy—which is still parked outside their corporate offices in Belmont Cragin. Anniversary no. 100 arrived in 2017, though sadly, company matriarch Anna Pasin didn’t quite live to see it. Antonio’s widow died at the ripe old age of 107 (!!!) in 2016. Antonio believed the pocket-sized novelty prize, at a price a kid could afford, could help turn Radio Flyer into a household name once the fair’s millions of visitors had come and gone. From handmade pieces to vintage treasures ready to be loved again, Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods.
Radio Flyer has more than 100 award-winning products available around the globe. Since 1917, the family-owned company has created icons of childhood, building a legacy of high quality, timeless and innovative toys that spark the imagination and inspire outdoor, active play. With over a billion wheels on the road, Radio Flyer wheels have carried, hauled and fueled more kids’ play and adventures than any other ride-on toy.
The Flightspeed™ Lithium Ion Batteries are engineered to provide the best performance available with a lower impact on the environment. It can easily switch between a top speed of 6 mph and a parent limited speed of 3 mph with the flip of a switch located in the trunk. While they are an innovative and space-saving concept, collapsible wagons have the propensity for safety issues. Wagon shoppers should consider collapsible or folding wagons which are clear of “pinch points”, or areas which can be hazardous to little ones, especially their fingers and hands.
He loved to play around with designs and ended up creating what he called the “Liberty Coaster,” named after the Statue of Liberty that greeted all new immigrants in New York City. He used it to cart around his tools, which he used to build phonograph cabinets. Pretty soon, those wagons were selling faster than the cabinets. The Radio Flyer business was born in 1917, though it would be years before he would be known by that name. And yet, the humble son of a Venetian cabinet maker persevered and found his niche in Chicago, using his carpentry skills to create a popular line of wooden coaster wagons—starting with the brand name Liberty in 1917.