Toy Wagon History

Toy wagons date back to antiquity.  Toy wagons were of the more domesticated toys in ancient times.  Little wooden wagons called obuli appear on Greek vases as do two-wheeled carts.  The toy carts of Ancient Greece sometimes had a single wheel and a long pole to be used as a kind of push toy, as opposed to a vehicle to pull someone along.

    A toy manufacturer's advertisement from 1856 shows wooden sleds as well as wooden toy wagons.  The models to choose from include a horse wagon with one small front wheel and two large back wheels, with a seat for children and a wooden horse head.  Also, a wheelbarrow type of wagon with two pole handles and one front wheel. There is also the carriage type of wagon with two big back wheels, one front wheel, a carriage seat and a canopy. 

    While there is very little general information about the history of toy wagons available, the history of Radio Flyer wagons is well known. 

    In 1914,  sixteen year old Antonio Pasin, an Old World Craftsman whose family had designed and built furniture for generations, stepped off the boat from Italy to a land of opportunity.

 Within a few years Antonio purchased some used woodworking equipment and began creating wooden wagons at night in a rented one room shop.  By 1923 business had swelled and he founded the Liberty Coaster Company, which he named after the Statue of Liberty.  He started mass producing wagons.

By 1930, the company operated under a new name, Radio Steel & Manufacturing, and was already the world's largest producer of coaster wagons. Even during the hard depression years, Radio Steel & Manufacturing was producing massive quantities of wagons on a daily basis.

Antonio and his unique Radio Flyer exhibit were the hit of the 1933 Chicago World's fair.

Antonio chose Radio Flyer as the name for his toy wagons because of the fascination with the newly invented radio and also the wonder of flight.

Anotonio's son was responsible for the company's most famous product line: coaster wagons, made for parents to transport their children.  The Radio Rancher was the first wagon to have "high sides" for pulling younger children.