The original Fisher Price “Little Red Riding Wagon”
Making a Fisher Price Little Red Riding Wagon Wooden Hack.
Back when my son was not yet two years old, I bought him the Fisher Price Little Red Riding Wagon. What made this toy so special was that it converted from a ride on truck to a wagon. My son liked to ride on it and also put things in the wagon and tool around. After he outgrew the toy, he would put his little sister in the wagon, attach the wagon to his tricycle, and haul her around the neighborhood with me panting behind trying to keep up. The wheels failed after my third child finished with it, and it was trashed, but I never forgot that toy.
This year, I decided to recreate the convertible truck/ wagon out of wood for my grand kids. My first step was to find the name of the toy, since I only remembered how it transformed, and who created it. With the help of some google searching, I found the little red riding wagon. To my surprise it is now considered vintage and long off the market.
Drawing it up
Making this toy became an obsession. I usually draw up my creations before I make them, but this one gave me trouble and proved to be more difficult because of it was so detailed. At a certain point I decided to “just do it”.
While Etz-Ron Mosaic Judaica items are extremely complex in their own way, this toy required a lot more of a different thought process. It is a kids’ toy, so you have to think about little fingers not getting caught anywhere. There needs to be a safety stop for the turning mechanism, so the driver will not topple over if she turns too sharply. Then, how to do the conversion from truck to wagon. Most importantly, I had to figure out how do to engineer the drive mechanism itself to steer the truck and wagon. I found myself feeling more like an engineer than an artist or woodworker.
Success at Last
After I finished the first one, I made some tweaks, figured out how to draw it up, and then made two more more! I chose to make mine from pine wood, but they can be made from any wood. I also used hard wheels, not plastic, so they will endure the generations this time. Are you interested in making a DIY Fisher Price Little Red Riding Wagon hack from wood? You can purchase the plans, 1:1 super detailed and building tips here.