Classic Radio Flyer wagon gets a new look

Maybe you had one when you were a kid, or you knew someone who did.

It's the iconic little red wagon with the Radio Flyer logo.

If so, you might not recognize the newest product dreamed up by the brain trust at Radio Flyer's Chicago, Illinois, headquarters.

This wagon, called the Cloud 9, is equipped with enough high-tech bells and whistles to make the family minivan jealous.

"We approached this product much like an automotive company might with a concept car," said Mark Johnson, Radio Flyer's product development manager.

Outfitted with 5-point safety harnesses, padded seats, cup holders, foot brakes and fold-out storage containers, the sleek, curved Cloud 9 has every family covered for a ride through the park. But that's just for starters.

There's a digital handle that tracks temperature, time, distance and speed -- just in case energetic parents want to track their split times around the playground. And there's a slot for an MP3 player, complete with speakers, for some cruising tunes.

That's right: The little red wagon we all remember, know and love has gone 2.0.

"Music is such an important part of kids' and families' lives, we thought it would be great to have a speaker system built in the wagon," said Tom Schlegel, vice president of product development.

The Cloud 9 is still a prototype, but it wasn't developed on a whim. The company did extensive market research beforehand, then tested it out on the real experts at home.

"We sit down [and] observe how moms and kids are using our products," said Schlegel. "That's where our new ideas come from."

Radio Flyer's blend of cutting-edge design and old-fashioned products appears to be a successful recipe. In an economy where businesses and families alike are tightening their belts, the company is still going strong.

"Radio Flyer survived the Great Depression, and this year has been a difficult year for a lot of companies," Schlegel says, "But Radio Flyer is actually growing this year. We're actually looking for engineers and designers in our product development group to keep up with the growth of the company."

That's quite a testament for a company nearly 90 years old.

Theirs is an American success story that started when Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin started building wooden toy wagons in 1917. He had limited success but was encouraged enough to start the Liberty Coaster Company in 1923.

The company changed names seven years later, becoming Radio Steel & Manufacturing. The world was introduced that same year to the first steel wagon, called the Radio Flyer. Since then, Radio Flyer has become perhaps the world's most famous maker of wagons, tricycles and other toys.

The company's best-known product even inspired a 1992 movie, "Radio Flyer," about a boy who imagines converting his red wagon into a flying machine to help his little brother flee an abusive stepdad.

Whether you grew up on Rock-'em Sock-'em Robots or Xbox, the little red wagon has remained a mainstay of child's play. It's certainly evolved over the years, though -- the rusty metal has been replaced with plastic.

But the spirit of Radio Flyer, which conjures memories of a simpler time, remains intact. "One of the most important things about Radio Flyer products is that they really help [keep kids active outdoors]," Schlegel said. "So when we're designing our products, we're really looking at how can we get kids outside and playing, away from the video games and TV screens and computer screens."

Toys, Toys, Toys!!

With the Christmas holiday sales season just around the corner (or already started for those of us who don't want to wait for the last minute)
I was thinking about all the toys growing up in the 1980's and 1990's, before Xbox, PS3 and Wii was at the top of every child's wish list....

Rubics cubes: These were everywhere, for a while even as keychains, they were so hard to solve, eventually did though, admittedly by just peeling the stickers off and putting them back in order lol

Voltron: The poor man's Transformers

Transformers: The hardest one to find, was always the Optimus Prime action figure, when you did have one, you'd brag to your friends about it and show it off, pretty much just shortly before it somehow disappeared.

Thundercats: I had the action figures, the fortress, I even had a plastic "Sword of Omen"

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: These were amazing little toys, barely did anything, but you HAD to have them!!

Monster Mash: An admittedly fun game, we all had one, and some of us probably still do somewhere right?

Happy Happy Hippo: for a game requiring very little skill, sure was a lot of fun.

Pogs: These little collectibles were expensive, the store owner would always go on about how they'd be going up in value in the years to come, you should get them, and tell your mom to put them away and give them to you on your wedding day...where are they now??

HE-MAN: These action figures were flying off the shelves at one time, and you'd have them with you as you'd watch the show (that was lame?)

Skip-It: This toy was fun, and so easy to use!

Pogo Ball: Why was this toy so hard to stay on??

Gameboy: The original one with the green screen, this was so cool when it first came out

Game Gear: Just like the Gameboy, but COLOR!!! by Sega (SEGA!!!) I was surprised this didn't catch on more then it did.

Hot Wheels: Had so many of these, but what was really hot about them?

Micro Machines: ALL over my room!! EVERYWHERE!!! I loved these little cars!!!

Atari/The original NES/Sega: Great systems, GREAT games, I'd waste away my entire weekend (literally) because of them

There were so many other toys back then that were THE toys to have, (some by boys, some by girls)
Some of the other toys I remember that all the girls would be raving about were:

Strawberry Shortcake: This doll actually smelled like strawberries!!

Cabbage Patch Kids: Every little girl you saw had one of these things, and the ones that didn't had..

Garbage Pail Kids: These weren't around as much, does anyone else remember them?

Pound Puppies: these little plush dogs were everywhere

Gumby: Woohooo GUMBY!!!!!!

Just thinking of this list really takes me back.... I really wish I had a time machine so I could go back and relive everything all over again.... What about you? What toys do you remember from your youth?

Until next time........