They prided themselves in the quality of the on-site stamped metal products and didn’t have the means to produce other items. At the time, they didn’t even have a product development team, according to Robert. The group had to find designers and manufacturers to create a product that could compete in an already competitive market.The first plastic Radio Flyer was too small and foundered. “Finally the fourth and fifth versions were the real winners,” Robert says.
Eventually Pasin found a job that used his woodworking skills, finishing pianos in a piano factory. By the time he had been in the United States for three years, he had saved enough to buy his own woodworking tools and to rent one room to use as a shop. In the evenings, Pasin worked alone, crafting children’s wooden wagons. During the day, he walked the streets of Chicago peddling his samples.
The radio flyer wagon was the unlikely brainchild of Antonio Pasin, the son of a cabinetmaker, who was born in Venice, Italy in 1898. In 1913, when Pasin was just 16 years old, the family sold off their cabinetmaking tools and bought passage on a ship bound for the United States. When business was slow, Pasin built pianos, dug ditches, and washed celery to earn extra money. Radio Chief – This classic red wagon had extended sides or rails of blue and white, similar to the wooden Highway Chief of the 1940s. It allowed kids to carry lots of stuff but with a fun 1950s style. They play a unique role at hospitals across country by providing patients unable to walk a way to move throughout the hospital and helping hospital staff deliver toys and other items to patient rooms.
The $1800 M880 is a mid-tail cargo bike, capable of hauling 300 pounds. It has five-level pedal assist, an LCD display with an odometer, a 500-watt rear hub motor, both a brake and an LED headlight, and a 48-volt, 720-watt-hour battery. It can reach 20 miles per hour, and cruise 30 to 50 miles on a charge .
Local communities can also play a part in the Hero Wagon story. Beginning now, anyone has the option to donate a Hero Wagon by visiting starlight.org/wagons. For more information about the Hero Wagon, please visit radioflyer.com/hero-wagon. The 45-foot tall Coaster Boy wood and plaster statue of a young boy and wagon was constructed by Radio Flyer for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, Century of Progress. This playground sculpture of an icon from the past is dedicated to the children of the future.
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.
By 1923, the wagons were metal instead of wood, and painted bright red. Radio was new, and so was flying, and because Pasin was enamored of both, the wagons became Radio Flyers. As the business expanded, he was known as a handshake guy—no contracts needed. I have an original radio flyer wagon Liberty Coaster wagon I used to play with as a child. More important than the longevity of the souvenirs themselves, though, Pasin had indeed ensured the lasting popularity of his full-size product. When the adventure is over, I can simply fold the stroller wagon compactly.