Radio Flyer - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 41° 55.401 W 087° 47.327
16T E 434596 N 4641566
The Radio Flyer- the iconic toy red wagon manufacturer is still in business and is located at 6515 Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL.
Waymark Code: WMBRPF
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/17/2011
Views: 4
It is worth a trip to this factory just to see the giant red wagon on the factory's front lawn. In addition to the iconic red wagons, the company also makes scooters, tricycles, bicycles and other toys.
Wikipedia (
visit link) informs us:
"Antonio Pasin started building wooden toy wagons in Chicago in 1917, and by 1923 had formed the Liberty Coaster Company (named after the Statue of Liberty). In 1930, the company was renamed Radio Steel & Manufacturing; the first steel wagon produced was named Radio Flyer. Pasin coined the name Radio Flyer from his fascination with both the invention of the radio and flight.[1] In 1933, Chicago was the host of the World's Fair, Century of Progress, and Radio Steel was asked to be a part of the celebration. Antonio Pasin took on major debt to fund the construction of a 45 foot tall Coaster Boy statue, depicting a boy riding a Liberty Coaster wagon. Below the Coaster Boy exhibit Pasin sold miniatures for 25 cents. During World War II, the company produced special gas cans, known as Blitz cans, for the US Army.
Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Radio Flyer became well known for the popular red Radio Flyer wagon. Today, the company produces a wide range of children's products, including scooters, bicycles, tricycles, ride-ons, horses and wagons."
as well as this statement:
"The classic red Radio Flyer wagon is an iconic image associated with the popular summer vacation destination Fire Island, New York. With cars and most land based motorized vehicles banned from the island, travel from the ferry terminal to the accommodations was a very difficult task. Fire islanders incorporated the radio flyer as permanent solution to this travel dilemma and also made it an everyday tool for grocery shopping, yard work, and even transporting children."
See the company's website at (
visit link)