The Radio Flyer® Wagon was founded by Antonio Pasin, who started building wooden wagons in his basement. During WWII, the company made Blitz Cans for troops. In the 1950s, the company produced different colors and themes. Today, they continue to produce the iconic #18 Classic Red Wagon and other products.
The Radio Flyer® Wagon is the iconic vehicle of the Radio Flyer® company. There are actually many different types of Radio Flyer® Wagons in the world, although the one most people know is the #18 Classic Red Wagon.
The founder of the Radio Flyer® Wagon company, Antonio Pasin, was born in Venice. At 16 he dreamed of starting a new life in America. His family helped pay for his trip and he was soon living in Chicago. He was a carpenter by trade but had difficulty finding work in that field. Eventually, after odd jobs, he saved up enough money to buy his own equipment and started building wooden wagons in his basement.
Soon after, he formed a company to manufacture and distribute his floats, which he called the Liberty Coaster Company. In 1930 he renamed the company Radio Steel and Manufacturing. The word Radio was chosen because Pasin felt it represented the sense of wonder the future held. His first steel wagon he called Radio Flyer® Wagon to also represent the idea of flight.
During the 1940s, with America at war, the Radio Flyer® Wagon Company stopped making wagons. Instead, they focused their energies on supporting the war effort by making their iconic red Blitz Cans, which were five-gallon cans meant to carry water and fuel to troops. At war’s end, however, the Radio Flyer® Wagon scrambled back into American life, with the company ramping up advertising and production.
During the 1950s having a Radio Flyer® Wagon was almost a prerequisite for being a kid in America. The country was enjoying its newfound economic strength, and the Radio Flyer® Wagon was a symbol to children in much the same way a new Chrysler or Ford was to adults.
The Radio Flyer® Wagon also branched out in the 1950s from its traditional red steel and wood designs to different colors and themes. Perhaps two of the most popular Radio Flyer® wagons of this era were the Davy Crockett wagon, which was a light tan inspired by Disney’s Davy Crockett, and the blue Mouseketeer wagon.
Today, the Radio Flyer® Wagon Company continues to produce its iconic #18 Classic Red Wagon, which it has produced for over seventy years. The company also produces a number of other products. These include other wagon styles, such as All-Terrain Wagons, both wood and steel, wagons made entirely of plastic, wagons with built-in sun shelters, and the streamlined #93B Ranger Wagon. The company also makes children’s bicycles and tricycles, scooters, ride-on toys in the shape of planes and creatures, and small model Radio Flyer® Wagons for placing plants or just playing with on a desk.
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