Radio Steel and Mfg Co. "Radio Flyer", Chicago
In 1914, sixteen year old Antonio Pasin departed Venice, Italy, bound for the freedoms found in the U.S.A. He started with odd jobs in Chicago, working for a sewer digging crew, railroad crew, and finally he pushed his way into a piano factory where he could utilize his woodworking skills learned in his fathers business in Italy. He saved enough money to leave the piano factory to start his own workshop in a garage. His first creation was a wooden wine press, which he quickly sold out of 175 units to Italian families across the city. Appealing to a wider customer base, he then built phonograph cabinets, tricycles, and furniture.
The first wagon he built, he did only for himself to carry around his tools. People started asking if he could make them one- for use and even for kids to play on! He knew he found a winning product when his hand built wooden wagons sold as fast as he made them. The "Liberty Coaster" was born, named after the excitement he felt when he first laid eyes on the Statue of Liberty. Other larger scale makers began copying this idea, so Antonio had to one-up them with something new. He decided on a durable, all metal coaster wagon with rubber wheels. He painted it his favorite color, red.
Antonio never stopped tinkering to improve his products. He believed in quality and products that would last into the future. After three years of success on the Liberty Coaster line with wagons of all sizes, tricycles, and scooters- he came out with a new model named the "Radio Flyer". He named it after the two greatest innovations of the time- the radio and airplanes.
Radio Flyer soon became the most trusted name in children's products in the nation. When other toy companies closed shop during the Great Depression of the 30's, Radio Flyer sales were soaring. He was able to buy metal for pennies on the dollar, and still make a durable product for a low cost.
Along with his innovations, he made a decision to adopt the mass-production techniques developed by Henry Ford in making the Model T. He created an assembly line for his toys. This more than doubled his output without compromising quality.
He was also an innovator in creating employee loyalty with tactics used to this day. He would offer an employee insurance plan, installed a cafeteria at the factory, offered interest free loans to those hurting in the Depression, and had his own employee bowling league.
World War II came, and most manufacturers had to convert to producing items for the war effort. Antonio Pasin took the call to action seriously. However, he did not want to make anything that would kill people, so the War Production Board agreed that he could make "blitz cans", which were gas cans and water cans we see on the old jeeps, trucks, and tanks.
The 1950's baby boom created a market that Radio Flyer quickly adapted to, in the form of wagons with television character themes (Davy Crockett, Mickey Mouse, and Zorro). The Radio Cart came out, which was similar to a wheelbarrow and used in lawns and gardens of America. The company, and Antonio continued to adapt with culture but never left the principles of creating a quality wagon at low cost.
Up until 2004, the factory was based at 6041-51 W. Grand Avenue in Chicago. The headquarters had an extensive modernization in 2017, and is used today in that location for product innovation, testing, development, and all administrative work. Production was shipped overseas. Antonio died in 1990 at age 93, and the company is run today by Antonio's grandsons, Robert and Paul Pasin.
Over the decades, many memories were created in these wagons. Today when I find them, they look like a beat up old wagon. But that wagon has stories of grandma hauling pots of flowers to the garden, dad hauling engine parts to the shed, brother pushing sister down the driveway in her wagon, and many more warm stories that makes anybody smile. I love to preserve a piece of Chicago history with these vintage wagons, as well as other manufacturer's wagons. I know of two other wagon manufacturers in Chicago, and I'm sure there are more.
I find the most successful, longest lasting companies are ones that stay true to their founding principles. Companies like Radio Flyer and John Deere still follow through on founding principles, and still create the best products they can without ever merging or being bought out from other companies.
Send me any pictures you have of your wagons!