Thank you Radio Flyer
for providing me with a product to review, free of charge
and for sponsoring this giveaway.
These are my own honest opinions.

When we were little, we had a classic Red Wagon from Radio Flyer. We used it to go to the park, to ‘walk’ around the neighborhood, to carry our toys and stuff to our friends’. It was literally used every day during the summer for many years. When I see one of those iconic red wagons, it brings back happy memories.

Radio Flyer has in fact been around since 1917. Over the years, they perfected not only their famous red wagon design but also developed dozens of other products. I was actually surprised by how many different products they now offer: tricycles, balance bikes, bikes, scooters, wagons, ride-ons.

Radio Flyer is the only company that allows you to create and totally customize a wagon or a tricycle. You can choose from 2 different models of wagon or the 4-in-1 tricycle in red or pink. You then choose to add storage, a canopy, a seat belt, a tray, a seat cover, and of course, you can add a plate with your child’s name or other text to make it truly unique. Here are my 2 creations!

The newest product that Radio Flyer created is the Ziggle. It’s a one-of-a-kind ride-on toy that is maneuvered by pushing  on the foot rest and the handlebar with your left foot and hand, while pulling on the handlebar with your right hand and vice-versa. Sounds complicated but basically, it’s all about twisting and wiggling! (Here’s a video if you’d like to see it in action)

The Ziggle is made of solid steel, except the footrest which is in plastic, and has 4 caster wheels that rotate easily in all directions. There is grip tape on the foot rest so little feet stay in place. The seat is adjustable which means your child will be able to use the Ziggle for many years. You do have to remove 4 screws, move the seat, and put the screws back in place securely so it is doable but not something you’d do in a minute if you wanted an older and a younger sibling to share the Ziggle. It is designed for children 3 to 8 years old. It was very easy to assemble and took only a few minutes to put together.

My daughter is still too young to reach the foot rest but she likes to sit on the seat and have us push her around. It’s not as easy or convenient as the 4-in-1 tricycle but she was really curious to try it so we gave it a go. For now, she tries to push herself forward using her feet just like she would a typical ride-on toy. Then I asked a friend of ours if his son would like to try the Ziggle. He’s 4 and with the seat in the position nearest the handlebar, he had no difficulty putting his feet in the proper position.

The Ziggle did take a little bit of time to get used to since it requires such a different set of movements compared to regular bikes or trikes. We explained to him that he needed to push with his foot and hand on one side while pulling the handlebar with the other hand and he figured it out. I’m not an expert but it really looks like the Ziggle is a great way to exercise core muscles with all the twisting and wiggling involved! He was slow at first but after a few minutes, he managed to get some speed and was comfortable steering it. Older kids can actually gain enough speed to make 360 degree spins!

The ride was generally very smooth but when he hit small rocks on the road, one of the wheels would sometimes get caught and stop moving. It was difficult for him to get unstuck by himself because when he tried to go backwards, the caster wheels turned sideways making it nearly impossible to reverse. I think the trick is actually not to try to go backwards but swing the back sideways then move forward again. Even though it does require a fair bit of coordination and energy, our friend’s son didn’t tire out before the end of our walk and still had a smile on his face when we were done. We did help him go uphill though because it was difficult to maintain speed.

Speaking of hills, there are no brakes in the Ziggle and kids can gain quite a bit of speed especially going downhill so you should either always be by their side or make sure they know how to slow down and brake using their feet. Actually, because it is so low to the ground (for stability purposes), I think a parent should always be nearby if a child is using the Ziggle down the road because cars might not see them but that would also apply to most ride-on toys and tricycles anyways.

Overall, our friend’s son seemed to really enjoy the Ziggle. It was nice to see him learn how to coordinate the movements and gain confidence and speed. I think the Ziggle is totally unique and I can’t wait for my daughter to be able to use it as well. The sturdy design and innovative way to ‘ziggle’ make it an ideal ride-on toy that I hope my daughter will enjoy and build memories around just like I did with our Red Wagon!

Buy It: Head over to Radio Flyer to see for yourself the great selection of wagons and tricycles they offer.

Connect: Don’t forget to like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and Pinterest and subscribe to their YouTube channel for all the latest news and promotions.

Win It: Radio Flyer is generously offering one of our lucky readers a Ziggle just like the one I reviewed. The giveaway is open to US only. The giveaway will end July 16th. For your chance to win, enter the Giveaway Tools below. Good luck!

Rachel