In January 2021, Evancho was hospitalized following a car accident that left her back broken in two places, and was soon diagnosed with osteoporosis. Built in 1990, 26 tons of steel and reinforced concrete, 12-foot-high, 27-foot-long razor ride ons. Spiering spent six to seven days a week for a year building the $36,000 sculpture, for which he received a $30,000 commission. Families fled en masse to the suburbs, where they boomed out babies who needed to be carted around their subdivisions or glide under their own power on the tricycles and scooters Radio Steel began to produce. The Tesla toys, both Flintstones-type “foot to floor” and electric powered, were introduced six years ago and have been good performers. “The CyberQuad—a version of Tesla’s Cybertruck—sold out in 24 hours,” Pasin said.
For a promotional celebration, the company produced what it billed as the ‘World’s Largest Wagon,’ a 27-foot-long, 15,000-pound behemoth that then visited cities across the United States. The company followed the Quad Shock with a Radio Flyer Sport Utility Wagon, capitalizing on the popularity of the Sport Utility Vehicle among suburban families. Radio Flyer also entered licensing agreements with other toymakers.
Whether visitors left with a tiny wagon or not, they undoubtedly saw the impressive structure, and so couldn’t have left without some knowledge of the Radio Flyer. Fast forward to the 1950s, when Sputnik and “I Love Lucy” came on the scene. It was during this time, when fear of communism loomed, that the little red wagon cemented its status as an American icon. “Sooner or later you’ll have to buy the kids a big red coaster wagon. (This probably is a factor in their growing up to be 100% pure red-blooded American),” reads a 1953 ad in the Logansport Pharos-Tribune.
Now you can get a fold-up fabric wagon with a metal frame for $70, and models that are pushed like strollers or pulled like a wagon for $200 to $250. This is a collapsible cloth-covered wagon for kids in the classic red color, capable of functioning as a bench or vehicle for tired children and a wide array of toys. It can not only be folded flat for easy storage and transport, but also includes a radio flyer wagon removable canopy to block harmful UV rays. The Radio Flyer Town & Country wagon has an extra large body crafted of natural finished hardwood. This wagon features bright red removable sides of select wood and durable steel wheels with real rubber tires for a quiet ride. The Radio Flyer Town & Country wagon also has an extra long handle for easy pulling and the handle folds under for easy storage.
Three-in-one plastic wagons quickly and easily convert from two-passenger face-to-face seating to fold-down bench seating to cargo mode. The new Hero Wagon features a medical-grade, easy-to-disinfect fabric exterior, instead of the classic, but bulky, metal frame. The design is foldable, allowing hospital staff to collapse the wagon for storage and keep more on site. The Radio Flyer team added an IV bracket and clamp on the back so that a nurse or family member can pull the wagon without also needing to hang on to equipment poles or monitors.
When the United States entered World War II, many industries converted to making wartime products. Radio Steel halted its production of wagons to manufacture so-called blitz cans. These were five-gallon containers used for either fuel or water, mounted on tanks, trucks, and jeeps.