In a small town on the outskirts of Venice, Italy lived Antonio Pasin, a 16 year old had a vision. They sold their family mule to pay for his journey, and shortly after arriving in the U.S. Pasin made his way to Chicago. Here he searched for work as a cabinet maker. Although, like his father and grandfather, he was a skilled craftsman he had little luck in finding work, and out of desperation, eventually took a job as the water boy for a crew digging sewers.
Pasin worked hard and made his way through several jobs, by 1917 he had managed to save enough money to buy some used wood working equipment and rent a one room work-shop to house it in. Late into the night he could be found in his little workshop crafting toy wagons, the forerunners of the Radio Flyer Classic, which he was able to sell.
His business grew and by 1923 Pasin has employed several workers. His company was known as the Liberty Coaster Company which Pasin had named after the Statue of Liberty. Pasin himself sold his No.4 Liberty Coaster Wagon directly to stores.
The 1st pressed steel wagon was wheeled off the production line at the Liberty Coaster Company in the late 1920s, it was painted red and named by Pasin the ‘Radio Flyer’ and the birth of the Radio Flyer Classic was upon us. Pasin was infatuated by the invention of the radio by Marconi and was fascinated by flight, hence the name ‘Radio Flyer’. For more than 90 years, the little red wagon has been played with and loved by children and is a true American Icon. It is said that with every little red Radio Flyer Classic wagon, one little boy or girl dreams of being an astronaut, a race car driver, a fire fighter, a hero.
Like the Original Red Radio Flyer Classic Wagon that gave the company its name, Radio Flyer as a company has also become an American Classic. Spanning generations, Radio Flyer creates a legacy of toys, sparking the imaginations of each new generation of children that play with it.
Safety is all important along with comfort and convenience without compromising on the fun factor. Radio Flyer Classic carries on its tradition of building new and exciting toys as well as the old favorites that are fun, functional, meet safety standards, encourage adventure, play, discovery and exploration.
Clearly a timeless toy sparking the imaginations of millions of kids for over ninety years, the Radio Flyer Classic wagon really is an icon of American childhood.
