The iconic red Radio Flyer wagon has replaced wheelchairs as a mode of transportation in children’s hospitals for years, helping to ease anxiety and fear in young patients. Observing this unique product use, Radio Flyer recognized that hospital staff often adapted the wagons to accommodate IV poles and other equipment. This prompted a cross-functional team to develop a creative solution for hospitals that meet the needs of nurses while offering children a dose of fun.

When the PR team learned about the project, it knew the Hero Wagon was a perfect opportunity to spotlight the company’s focus on innovation and vision to build a better world, with the headline that Radio Flyer would donate 1,000 wagons annually to hospitals in need.

Children’s hospital visits induce anxiety and fear within children and parents, which is why Radio Flyer adapted their iconic red wagon to meet the needs of young patients as an alternative to anxiety-causing wheelchair rides. One cancer patient frequently shuttled to and from treatments in a wagon was 3-year-old Charlie, niece of Adam Garone, CEO of the Starlight Foundation. This experience sparked a partnership between Radio Flyer and Starlight, the organization responsible for facilitating Hero Wagon hospital donations.

Radio Flyer saw an opportunity to do more. To create the Hero Wagon, Radio Flyer researchers, engineers, and designers visited children’s hospitals and interviewed staff to understand unique patient and nurse needs. From there, the team sketched, prototyped, and tested various versions of the special wagon, spending over 1,000 hours on the project. After three years of refining, the patent-pending Hero Wagon was ready to bring a smile to anxious young patients.

Insight: Children’s hospitals were taking matters into their own hands to adapt the Radio Flyer wagon into a safe and fun means of transport for young patients.

Strategy: Develop a wagon for a hospital environment while maintaining the joy and adventure Radio Flyer is known for. Instead of selling it, commit to donating 1,000 wagons to hospitals annually, with half going to medically underserved communities.

Solution: The Hero Wagon features a one-hand folding design for easy storage, patent pending IV pole bracket, “never-fall” handle, easily cleaned medical-grade fabric, and soft, high walls to ensure comfort and safety.

Hero Wagon news reached the families of the 3 million U.S. children hospitalized annually, along with hospital staff across the country, through a launch video, local patient stories, influential endorsements through the Starlight Foundation, and earned media coverage. A call-to-action invited people to donate a wagon to a hospital of their choice.

The Hero Wagon launched January 26, 2022, with a national media announcement and customized pitching in markets where select hospitals already had access to the wagon. The PR team worked closely with the Starlight Foundation to identify patient stories in key markets, offering interviews with families and hospital staff. Interviews with the CEOs of Radio Flyer and Starlight were offered as well.

Prior to launch, the PR team facilitated a hospital video and photoshoot to capture b-roll and images of the wagon in use. This included interviews with families and nurses to fully capture the impact of the wagon. The resulting video was integral to carrying the story through to other program elements, including earned and social media.

The Hero Wagon launch received widespread attention, both nationally and regionally, with more than 350 media placements for more than 240 million impressions.

Media placements positively amplified key messages for the product and for the Radio Flyer brand, as Radio Flyer’s mission is to bring smiles to kids of all ages and create warm memories. This is especially important for families of children who are enduring illnesses or injuries, as childhood is meant to be a time of joy and playfulness.

Since the product launch, more than 800 Hero Wagons have been ordered and donated to hospitals in more than 82 cities across 33 states. Additionally, consumers have responded positively to the initiative and have donated more than $3,000 to the Starlight Children’s Foundation for additional Hero Wagons.