When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. The Inchworm is a wheeled ride-on toy propelled by the bouncing motion of the rider.
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 razor ride ons 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.
Today, a 15,000-pound red wagon stands guard on the front lawn of the nine-acre lot, which is hemmed in by rows of shrubs and a black steel fence. Parents Billy and Laura Reece said it brings a bit of comfort for their 2-year-old daughter, Emma, during chemotherapy treatments. Emma is a Leukemia patient at Mercy Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. It’s well constructed, super-fun, undeniably beautiful and big enough to make a splash on Christmas morning. Kids can ride inside — the steel body is still built with no seams, so it’s smooth and comfortable — or cart around dolls, trucks, empty cardboard boxes, or anything else they find intriguing.
While many of the items on Etsy are handmade, you’ll also find craft supplies, digital items, and more. Starlight Radio Flyer Hero Wagons provide a source of comfort and a sense of normalcy to sick kids frozen ride on toy during some of their most difficult times. The moment a child must be placed into a wheelchair can be scary and cause fear that something bad is going on – that is when our Hero Wagons come in.
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.
That kind of versatility has certainly given the iconic, fire hy‐ drant red Radio Flyer some serious staying power. The company has been around a full century, with roots stretch‐ ing back to the early 1900s when the future razor ride ons founder of the company, Antonio Pasin, arrived in America. Antonio was born in 1898 to a family of cabinetmakers that lived in a small town outside of Venice. Like many at the time, he dreamed of greater opportunities.
Radio Flyer’s Mini Line is the ideal companion for all indoor and outdoor imaginative play. The perfect size for dolls, plush toys, and gift baskets, the Mini Line’s sturdy steel construction and high quality components are replicated from the classic Radio Flyer line of toys. Radio Flyer Minis are small enough for a child’s little hands and big enough for any imagination. In any case, the company was performing admirably in the midst of the Great Depression, churning out 1,500 wagons per day on average through a Ford-like assembly line process. The Radio Flyers and several other brands were marketed towards both boys and girls—a rarity—and eventually adults, since the wagons could serve just as well for gardening and other yard work. I really love the design of the UV shade, and it’s one of our favorite add-ons that we included in our Radio Flyer stroller wagon.
Then, when I have my young nephews for the day, it can completely replace the stroller and they get the fun of a stroller wagon ride, while I get room for all our family’s drinks and gear. For many people, an antique Radio Flyer wagon brings back fond memories of their childhood. A true piece of classic Americana, the wagons hold a special place in the hearts of the millions of children who played with them over the years.
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.