Little Red Stories

"My first wagon ,when Santa brought it, I was so happy--we were very poor at the time. I was 7 years old. I shined that wagon, put my dolls in there. I felt as if it was my first car. Christmas would not be Christmas unless everyone had a red wagon, or even shared one. Now I am 54, looking for one for my grandkids. My oldest is eight, I waited so long, I've been very sick. I am not going to live long, I am on a fixed income and need a wagon, maybe Santa would send for a 3 year old, 5 year old and an 8 year old, but one big wagon would be fine. Without a wagon under the tree, life has no meaning for Christmas. It's a tradition, Merry Christmas , happy red wagon dreaming."

"When we were stationed at the Naval Air Station in Millington, TN, we lived in a subdivision near the base back in the late 70's. While out walking in the neighborhood one day, we noticed a discarded Radio Flyer with old and broken wooden rails ready to be picked up on garbage day lying by the side of the street. My ex-husband being the handyman that he was looked at the wagon parts and said he could easily transform the wagon to look like new again. With permission from the owners, we gathered the wagon parts and headed home. Our thought was that the wagon would be great for my parents, who always had a huge garden each summer, to use in gathering the vegetables. Little did we know at the time what an impact the "little red wagon gift" would have on my mother. The wagon was repaired, painted, polished and shined to look like new and carried to Mississippi for the presentation. When we unloaded the wagon my mother almost wept saying "I always wanted to buy one for ya'll, but we could never afford one." Needless to say,that little wagon never made it to the garden. At Christmas, she always loaded the wagon with Christmas wrapped boxes and put it on the front porch with her other decorations. After she passed away, we gave the wagon to our daughter in Pennsylvania to use through the years with her four children. To this day, she still has the wagon and to quote her, "I will never get rid of the "Little Red Wagon." "

"My story goes back many moons ago. When I was just a little girl of 6 years old. My Sister Helen, 7 years older than me. Often just pulled me around. And taught me how to steer. While pushing the wagon. Later she taught me how to push myself. One leg, on knee, in wagon. And push with the other leg/foot. Oh how fun that was. The wagon seemed so big to me. The wagon was not just for play. It doubled as a work wagon. For one every Sat. Daddy, Sis, my red flyer & me. Went to the market & loaded it with food supplies for the week. I mainly went along for the ride. I've written a poem about it, for my sister several years ago. She is gone now, as are my Daddy & Wagon. But those memories live on. It was a gift from Santa 1936, I was 5 nearing 6. Dorothy Fedorczak Adkins "

"My son was born with deformed lens in both eyes which made him blind 20/800. He had multiple surgeries to remove his lens, but was too young to have artificial lens put in. He was 2 months old and the day after Christmas. So after a major fight with the FDA, he was going to have an experimental surgery to have donor tissue put in his eyes. It was like having a human tissue as a built in contact lens put under his corneal tissue. So the fitting was another surgery and it's not easy to not feed a 7 month old after midnight. Then comes the major surgeries, putting the donor tissue in the day after his 1st birthday. It was again hard not to feed your baby, BUT he had gotten a little red Radio Flyer wagon for his birthday. We filled it with a blanket & toys and pulled him all over the hospital. We cut corners and ran having all kinds of fun while waiting on the doctor. So he was too busy laughing and having fun to think about a drink or food. The wagon also helped when one of the tissues didn't take and had to be removed. In total he had 10 surgeries by the age of 2 1/2. The surgeries after he got his wagon there were less tears,(mine and his). Thank you Radio Flyer for helping my son, (and his very upset mother) and making my baby boy have a better experience than it could have been. He is now 17 and legal to drive! I also now have a grandson, (from his older sister) and we are restoring his daddy's Radio Flyer for his 1st Christmas. And now EVERY grandchild I will ever have WILL get a Radio Flyer for their 1st Christmas!!!

"When we were little, it was for Christmas then like it is today for some: girls get dolls and doll clothes; boys get Radio Flyer wagon to ride in, battery-operated fire engine, push-pedal metal cars, etc. When my parents died, we looked in the huge closets in the garage and found the red wagon and, of course, my brother claimed it as his own, even though I got to use it when he got too big and moved on. I guess he was right: our parents bought it for him. But I was very upset when I found no toys for me or my children. I already had the only dolls my mother saved for me. There was just a huge hole in my heart. Then I had my own boys and, of course, bought them a WAGON! I was ecstatic, but with multiple moves around the state, we were forced to give up things and pack up. The WAGON had to go. The hole was back in my heart. My 80-year-old neighbors asked me to search online for the red steel wagon for their grandkids, and I found your site. Imagine my glee at reading the stories and WOW, I could win one! I know I'm 66 years old, but I work in the garden a lot and could use it to move plants, dirt, little rocks and, of course, to give me a ride down a small hill every now and then! My kids are grown and have no children, so I'm the only one left to play. Will you let me?"