A Genuine Radio Flyer
One of the greatest toys ever made was a red wagon – a genuine Radio Flyer to be exact. Only one was needed, because they were built to last forever and for kids in the 50’s and 60’s, they were in the must-have category.
Radio Flyers were perhaps the most versatile toy of all. You could haul stuff around, naturally, but you could also sit in one, use the handle as a steering device and fly down steep hills. You could also put one knee in the wagon and push forward with the other leg and attain amazing speeds on a sidewalk or in the basement. They were also used as pretend tanks, boats, automobiles or whatever a kid could imagine.
I used mine for babysitting duties.
While Mom was making dinner, she often assigned childcare duties for my 3-year-old sister, Johanna, to yours truly. So, I plopped her in my Radio Flyer and pulled her down to the corner where the local girls were playing hopscotch. They would ooh and aah over my baby sister, so I dropped her off with the girls while Freddie Arnold and I passed footballs, When Mom called, I drug Johanna back to the house, no worse for the wear.
Radio Flyer as a rich history. A fellow named Antonio Pasin began making toy wagons in 1917. They were wooden at first and were sold under the label of Liberty Coaster Company. In 1930, the company began making steel wagons and were named Radio Flyers. During the war, production was switched to metal cans for the Army, then resumed as wagons in the years following. Today, the company produces a wide range of children’s products, including scooters, tricycles, ride-ons, horses, battery ops, and wagons.
One thing for sure, for over 100 years, Radio Flyer has made millions of kids happy.
