History Of The Radio Flyer

These in-person customer discovery sessions were crucial to the product’s eventual design, Pasin notes. The Liberty Coaster Company began producing the wooden bodied “No. 4 Liberty Coaster” in 1923. In 1927, Pasin replaced the wooden body with stamped steel, taking advantage of assembly line manufacturing techniques and earning him the nickname “Little Ford”. 1500 wagons a day rolled off assembly lines even during the Great Depression. Since 2002, the company has produced plastic as well as metal-bodied wagons. Radio Flyer, the maker of iconic children’s toys and namesake of the not-so-little red wagon dominating the southeast corner of Riverfront Park, celebrated its 100-year anniversary Thursday.

“We’ve gotten hundreds of photos and stories through the years from families telling us how the Radio Flyer wagon was a bright spot for them.” At the same time, Pasin is very cautious about not going so wide as to erode the brand equity it took a century to build. “For a lot of people who haven’t seen our product line in recent years, it may seem like a pretty big leap,” Pasin said. The link you selected is for a destination outside of the Federal Government. CPSC does not control this external site or its privacy policy and cannot attest to the accuracy of the information it contains.

When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore razor ride ons by touch or with swipe gestures. The Inchworm is a wheeled ride-on toy propelled by the bouncing motion of the rider.

radio flyer wagon

Today, they can be valuable antiques, prized by collectors and enthusiasts. You get a wagon that carries kids and cargo and an easy-to-push stroller. Stroller wagons are easily identified at a glance because of the difference in handles. Where most wagons have a single bar handle attached to the front axle, the handle on stroller wagons is a broad push bar that is attached to the rear of the frame. Stroller wagons have highly agile steering because the front wheels are mounted on casters. Radio Flyer is a four-time Inc. 5000 honoreeand pulled in $200 million in revenue last year.

Did Radio Flyer ever market a wagon (circa 1930’s) with pictures and text “The Iron Duke”? My family has had this wagon since new and when looking at antique wagons, it most resembles one that is a Radio Flyer, but I can’t tell its make. People tend to forget that both of Chicago’s World’s Fairs—the Columbian Exposition in 1893 and the Century of Progress in 1933—took place during major economic depressions. So while every participating company did its best to showcase a brave face, joining in the city’s spending splurge wasn’t always viewed as the wisest investment. By 1933, Pasin had set up his newly rechristened business, the Radio Steel & MFG Company, at a large manufacturing facility on Grand Avenue in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood.

So at the age of 16, his family sold their mule and he used the funds to travel to America. Little did he know that adults would find a use for those wagons on Fire Island as a way of transporting luggage, frozen ride on toy groceries and more in a place where there were no cars, and where you walked everywhere. Used all over Fire Island they were kept at the harbor where you could easily access them upon arrival.

It’s just as long and only a foot narrower in width, with a slide to boot. Still, it’s the Chicago wagon that holds the place of honor in the Guinness book of World Records. Pasin explained that the constellation of Radio Flyer products is meant to provide something for every family, each step of the way. Pasin’s grandfather, Antonio, first set eyes on the Statue of Liberty in April of 1914. Apparently, the statue left a deep enough impression on Antonio that, when it came time to name his first toy wagon line, he chose to call it the Liberty Coaster.

“Her favorite thing to do when she is admitted is to go on wagon rides. That’s the one thing we can do every time to pass the time and to keep her happy and to help keep her as comfortable during treatments,” Laura said. Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.