MODERN TIMES INSPIRE NEW SPECIALTY WAGONS

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The World’s Fair exhibit had made the Radio Flyer wagon a world-famous toy, and the growing company came out with several new ideas to meet demand. As part of the fair’s emphasis on advances in transportation, the Union Pacific Railroad Company exhibited its Pioneer Zephyr train, which, on the day before the fair opened, made a record-breaking journey from Denver, Colorado, to Chicago in thirteen hours and five minutes. In honor of this accomplishment, Antonio designed Radio Flyer’s first line of specialty wagons, called the Streak-O-Lite, which sold from 1934 to 1936. The sleek new design featured streamlined train styling, an instrument panel of control dials, and working headlights. Next up, Radio Flyer came out with the American Beauty and Zep wagons, inspired by, and modeled to look like, the cool new cars of the time, such as the Chrysler Airflow.

Two of the Pasin children, twins Mario and Mary Ann, test out their father’s latest creation, the Streak-O-Lite wagon, in 1936. (Their sister, Jeanette, is not pictured.)

The Pioneer Zephyr Train.

Postcard photo of the Pioneer Zephyr/Burlington Route/via Wikipedia Commons

The Zep wagon and its design inspiration, the Chrysler Airflow.

Chrysler Airflow, 1934/PhotoQuest/Getty Images/via Getty Images