Antonio Pasin was born in 1898 to a family of cabinetmakers that lived in a small town outside of Venice. Like many at the time, he dreamed of greater opportunities. So, at the age of 16, his family sold their mule and he used the funds to travel to America. Settling in Chicago, he worked a series of odd jobs to save enough money for woodworking equipment. By 1917 he had saved enough to rent a one-room workshop and started crafting cabinets and a variety of objects upon request, including wood wagons.
By 1923, he hired his first employees and named his small business Liberty Coaster Company, after the Statue of Liberty. He named the first steel wagon Radio Flyer in honor of Marconi’s invention of the radio and Pasin’s interest in flight. He integrated the relatively new methods of automotive assembly lines and metal stamping to keep costs low and production rolling along. This approach to manufacturing earned Antonio the nickname, “Little Ford.” Throughout the Depression, his company was one of the few that ran at full capacity and his exhibit at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair brought world fame to the red wagon.
As one of the oldest toy companies in America, it is still family owned and it’s the only company that makes steel, wood, and plastic wagons. Pasin was inducted into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame in 2003.
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