Little red wagons play a huge part in Americana. They rank right up there with baseball, hot dogs and low-carb apple pie. What family photo album doesn't include at least one shot of children and/or a dog sitting in a little red wagon? And the wagons were easily transformed into planes, trains or automobiles depending upon the make-believe scenario at hand. Or how about that one time when the older neighborhood kids with the high-speed go-cart tied a rope to the handle and pulled everyone around the street until that unfortunate curb incident? (Ouch!) How about that crazy neighbor who used them for planters, so his yard looked like the land of forgotten wagons?
It all started when an Italian craftsman named Antonio Pasin migrated to the Chicago area in 1917 and started making wagons from scrap wood and parts from junkyards. He made them at night, after his day job as a laborer on construction sites. His wagons became wildly popular. In the early 1920s, Pasin teamed with Liberty Coaster Co. to create an assembly line so it could mass produce the wagons, earning Pasin the nickname "Little Ford."
Over the years the company perfected the wagon and marketed it as a must-have for every girl and boy. It also manufactured some other memorable wagons, such as the 45-foot one for the Chicago World's Fair in 1933, a light-blue Mickey Mouse Club-inspired number in the 1950s and our favorite deviation from the classic: the Fireball 2001, built during the 1970s. Features included a canary-yellow body with flames painted down the center, safety roll bars and Big Mag Slick tires with speed-ball bearings. The company touted this one as "a wagon even Evel Kneivel would love."
Earlier this year, Radio Flyer announced it is moving the Little Red Wagon factory from Illinois to China, where the rest of the company's popular products, such as the Classic Red Trike and Classic Red Scooter, are already being manufactured. Soon, they'll be as American as fried rice and chop suey.
The Plant World Nurseries exploration begins just to the right of the entrance gates, where dozens of Radio Flyer No. 18 Classic Red Wagons stand waiting for customers to take them through the outdoor showroom. Walking through stands of flowers, trees and plants dragging a wagon through this massive nursery is one of Las Vegas' best shopping experiences—even if you aren't in the market for anything that grows. Take some extra time and really stroll around to find the nursery's wildlife collection, which includes colorful exotic birds and some pretty impressive African tortoises. (They look like our desert land tortoises, except that their bodies are about 3 feet long and 2 feet tall.)
Plant World Nurseries, 5311 Charleston Blvd.; 878-9485
Even if you have never thought about carting around a red wagon, or riding in one, buy one while these American icons are still being made in the United States. You may be surprised at how useful they really are. Of course, we can't resist the tried and true Radio Flyer No. 18 Classic, which runs about $60. But the current product line also includes an SUV model of sorts, called the Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon. It's a larger model, for those who think they need the style points (though, we admit, some may actually need them to navigate that rough backyard terrain). For fun and function, the company added official Radio Flyer accessories, such as an attachable umbrella, a cooler pack that hangs from the bed and pioneer-style wagon covers for roaming the range. And if one wagon isn't enough for a long haul, there's also a mini wagon trailer that attaches to the back of the wagon.
Available at Toys R Us, 4550 W. Meadows Parkway; 877-9070. 4000 S. Meadows Parkway; 732-3733. 1425 W. Sunset Road; 454-7236.
Anne Kellogg is a local writer and native Las Vegan who has a thing for purchasing stuff.