We do see boys with wagons made just fior them at the turn-of-the 20th century, but that was when amateur snapshots became popular. There may have been some in the late-19th century before family snapshots were common. We note one studio that had a nice wagon about 1905. It was identified as a Marswell wagon. The number of images changed dramaically when snapshots become available after the turn of the 20th century. Most boys growing up in America wanted their own wagons. An early example of American children with wagons is a group of unidentified children in 1907. It doesn't look red. The wagon became an entrenched boyhood item by the 1920s. But they were hand crafted wooden waggons and relatively expensive. This limited the number of boys who could have them. The classic Radio Flyer wagon was invented by Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin. He began making the standard hand-crafted wooden waggons (1917). Here we see the standard wood wagons that were still being made in the mid-1920s (figure 1). Pasin founded the Liberty Coaster Co. He created the red Radio Flyer (1927). This may have been the beginning of the little red wagon, but we are not yet sure about that. The company couldn't keep ip with the demand for wooden wafons and hand stamped metal wagons were much faster to produce. It was the first steel wagon produced by the Liberty Coaster Co. We are not sure, however, if it was the first metal wagon. Until then we mostly see wooden waggons like the one here. Pasin named the Radio Flyer in honor of the Italian inventor of the radio. The Flyer bit seems to have been the Lindburg mania at the time. All boys wanted them and many had them. We note them in Little Rascals (Our Gang) movie shorts of the 1930s. We see them in Sears catalogs during the 1940s. A reader writes, "Wagons were very popular for boys in the 1940s." I had one in the late-1940s and early-50s, Radio Flyer and recall it with considerable affection. Most boys got them. We see them changing in the 1970s when plastic trikes and waggons began to appear.
We do see boys with wagons made just fior them at the turn-of-the 20th century, but that was when amateur snapshots became popular. There may have been some in the late-19th century before family snapshots were common. We note one studio that had a nice wagon about 1905. It was identified as a Marswell wagon. The number of images changed dramaically when snapshots become available after the turn of the 20th century. Most boys growing up in America wanted their own wagons. An early example of American children with wagons is a group of unidentified children in 1907. It doesn't look red.
We continue to see American children, mostly boys playing with wagons. They were not exclusively American, but we see far more children in America playing with waggons than in any other country. We can not tell anout color, but we can usually make out the material. The waggons we see in the 1910s seem to be wood, including the wheels. We do not have a lot of dated images yet, but we have not yet found rubber wheels akthough it is not always easy to tell. This rather surprided us. The most prised toy for most boys was a bicycle, but this brought up an age factor. Most boys did not have the developmental skills necessary to ride a bike until about 6-7 years of age. Wagons were very different. Because they had four wheels and were stable even toddlers could have fun with them and we see that in the photographic record as soon. this is why in the 1910s they began to be called 'coaster wagons'. The front wheels could be steared meaning you could coast on them. As far as we know, America was he ionly country using the term coaster wagon. The term was also perhaps used in Canada. I can recall coasting. You putone leg bent down in the wagon and used the other leg outside the wagon to push forward and thenm cioasting fir a while.
The wagon became an entrenched boyhood item by the 1920s. But they were hand crafted wooden waggons and relatively expensive. This limited the number of boys who could have them. The classic Radio Flyer wagon was invented by Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin. He began making the standard hand-crafted wooden waggons (1917). Here we see the standard wood wagons that were still being made in the mid-1920s (figure 1). Pasin founded the Liberty Coaster Co. He created the red Radio Flyer (1927). This may have been the beginning of the little red wagon, but we are not yet sure about that. The company couldn't keep ip with the demand for wooden wafons and hand stamped metal wagons were much faster to produce. It was the first steel wagon produced by the Liberty Coaster Co. We are not sure, however, if it was the first metal wagon. Until then we mostly see wooden waggons like the one here. Pasin named the Radio Flyer in honor of the Italian inventor of the radio. The Flyer bit seems to have been the Lindburg mania at the time.
The wagon was a standard prop of American boyhood by the 1930s. All boys wanted them and many had them. We note them in Little Rascals (Our Gang) movie shorts in the 1930s.
We see them in Sears catalogs during the 1940s. A reader writes, "Wagons were very popular for boys in the 1940s." I had one in the late-1940s and early-50s, Radio Flyer and recall it with considerable affection. Most boys got them. br>
We see them changing in the 1970s when plastic trikes and waggons began to appear.
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Return to the Main American wagon chronology page ]
[Return to the Main American wagon page ]
[Return to the Main wagon page ]
[Introduction]
[Activities]
[Biographies]
[Chronology]
[Cloth and textiles]
[Clothing styles]
[Countries]
[Topics]
[Bibliographies]
[Contributions]
[FAQs]
[Glossaries]
[Images]
[Links]
[Registration]
[Tools]
[Boys' Clothing Home]
Navigate the Boys' Historical Clothing Web Site:
[Beanies]
[Flat caps]
[Sailor suits]
[Buster Brown suits]
[Button-on suits]
[Blouses]
[Tunics]
[Smocks]
[Knickers]
[Knee pants]
[Long stockingsd]
[Stocking supporters]
[Sandals]
[Pinafores]