Radio Flyer Internship 2027–2028: Programs, Deadlines & How to Apply

Last updated: September 2026

About 25 percent of Radio Flyer’s current full-time workforce started as interns, which means one in four employees at this 109-year-old company was once in your exact position. Radio Flyer is a private, third-generation family-owned B Corp with roughly 86 employees, a 4.8/5 Indeed rating from 114 reviews, and a Fast Company #5 Most Innovative Company (Consumer Products, 2025) designation. The company runs a structured, paid, approximately 12-week summer internship from its LEED Platinum-certified Chicago headquarters, with tracks spanning marketing, product design, eCommerce, operations, and finance. Postings for summer 2027 are expected between November 2026 and March 2027, and the small cohort fills on a rolling basis.

Quick Facts

Radio Flyer posts a small cohort of summer interns each year. The two numbers that matter: an expected November 2026 to March 2027 posting window and rolling review that fills seats fast at a company of only 86 people.

Externships are short, remote professional experience programs where you finish a real project with a real company. The TikTok Social Media Content Brand Strategy Externship and the Breaking Games E-Commerce Data Analysis Externship build exactly the social media and consumer-data skills a Radio Flyer marketing or eCommerce application needs. Explore all Externships.

What Is a Radio Flyer Internship?

A Radio Flyer internship is a paid, approximately 12-week summer placement at the 109-year-old, family-owned Chicago company behind America’s iconic red wagon and a growing portfolio of eBikes, electric go-karts, stroller wagons, and battery-powered ride-ons. The program is structured around three pillars: Work (meaningful assignments with direct business impact), Grow (the Wagon U Professional Development series with senior leadership as faculty), and Play (committee-led social events, wellness challenges, and networking). Radio Flyer is a certified B Corp, an RE100 member running on 100 percent renewable electricity, and the first toy company with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) approval. The company holds a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Indeed from 114 reviews and a 91/100 work wellbeing score, with employees praising the collaborative culture, mission-driven purpose, and direct access to CEO Robert Pasin, the founder’s grandson.

When Do Radio Flyer Internship Applications Open for 2027–2028?

Radio Flyer is a private, family-owned company with roughly 86 employees, so it publishes less recruiting-calendar detail than large public CPG brands. Based on the company’s seasonal recruiting cadence and the approximately 12-week summer program starting in late May or early June, intern postings are expected to appear between November 2026 and March 2027. The company fills a small cohort (estimated 5 to 10 interns per summer) on a rolling basis, which means applying in the first week of postings is the highest-leverage move. All internships are based at the Chicago headquarters, and relocation assistance is available for students from outside the Chicagoland area.

How to read this page: our dates come from tracking previous recruiting cycles and daily posting data. Treat them as informed estimates based on historical patterns, not confirmed dates. The company's official careers page is always the most current source. If a role is posted there, go by that, even if this page suggests the window hasn't opened yet.

Why You Must Apply the Week Applications Open

Radio Flyer has roughly 86 employees and fills an estimated 5 to 10 intern seats per summer. That math means every applicant matters and the cohort fills fast once postings go live. Rolling review rewards the first qualified applicants, and the company’s emphasis on cultural fit means they are looking for candidates who already demonstrate alignment with the Flyer Code: customer service, integrity, a “Yes I Can” attitude, excellence, and accountability. Do not wait until March 2027 to apply for something that may post as early as November 2026. By the time late applicants submit, the hiring managers have already been interviewing for weeks. Early application plus shown brand knowledge is the formula. Know the product portfolio beyond the red wagon, understand the B Corp and sustainability story, and prepare your “3 successes and 1 failure” before postings appear.

Which Radio Flyer Internship Programs Should You Target?

Radio Flyer offers summer internship tracks across its core functional areas. Which one to target depends on your academic background and whether you want a consumer marketing, design, digital, or operations experience at a small, design-driven company.

Check all openings on Radio Flyer’s careers page. The marketing and product design tracks are the most distinctive entry points given Radio Flyer’s brand identity, while eCommerce and operations roles suit candidates who want hands-on DTC and supply-chain experience at a small company.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?

Radio Flyer has not published a rigid eligibility list, but patterns from the internship program page and company hiring practices point to the following:

• Enrollment: currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university, pursuing a degree relevant to the target track.

• GPA: not published as a requirement. Radio Flyer does not list a GPA threshold on its careers page or internship program page. Cultural fit and alignment with the Flyer Code values carry significant weight.

• Work authorization: US work authorization required. Specific visa sponsorship policy for interns is not published. Given the company’s small size (~86 employees), H-1B sponsorship for interns is unlikely but not confirmed.

• Availability: full ~12-week summer term, full-time. Hybrid schedule: on-site Tuesday through Thursday at Chicago HQ, remote Monday and Friday.

Does Radio Flyer Have a Hard GPA Cutoff?

No published cutoff exists. Radio Flyer’s interview process emphasizes cultural fit and alignment with the company’s mission (“To bring smiles to kids of all ages and create warm memories that last a lifetime”) over hard GPA floors. The Flyer Code values (customer service, integrity, “Yes I Can” attitude, excellence, and accountability) are explicitly referenced as candidate evaluation criteria. What matters more in practice is genuine brand passion, relevant project work, and the ability to articulate your “3 successes and 1 failure” in the interview.

What Skills Does Radio Flyer Look For, and How Do You Build Them?

Radio Flyer sits at the intersection of heritage consumer branding and modern DTC eCommerce, and its intern hiring reflects that dual identity. The company’s tech stack includes Shopify, Salesforce, Google Analytics, and Adobe Creative Suite, while its culture prizes brand storytelling, sustainability fluency, and mission-driven creativity. No live intern JD was available at research time, so skills are synthesized from the company’s functional areas, tech stack (BuiltInChicago), and general CPG marketing intern requirements. What does this tell you? Radio Flyer hires people who can bridge creative brand work with data-driven digital marketing.

How Is Demand for CPG & Consumer Products Interns Moving Right Now?

Build These Skills Before You Apply

And every skill in the chart maps to a remote Externship where you finish a real company project before the window opens.

How close is the overlap? The TikTok deliverable is social media brand strategy in Radio Flyer’s own vocabulary, the Breaking Games project builds the consumer data analysis and eCommerce evidence every digital-track role asks for, and the Amazon operations project maps directly to Radio Flyer’s supply-chain coordination work.

What Is the Radio Flyer Application and Interview Process Like?

Radio Flyer’s interview process is a genuine two-way dialogue, not a one-sided evaluation. Based on Indeed reviews and the company’s careers page, the process runs approximately two months from application to offer:

1. Apply at radioflyer.com/pages/open-positions with a tailored resume. Highlight consumer marketing, brand storytelling, design, or DTC eCommerce experience. Show genuine passion for the Radio Flyer brand and its product expansion beyond the red wagon.

2. Complete the written assignment. Radio Flyer asks candidates to share “3 successes and 1 failure” with the interview panel. Prepare these in advance using STAR format with specific, measurable examples. Choose a failure that demonstrates growth, accountability, and the “Yes I Can” attitude from the Flyer Code.

3. Phone or video screen (round 1). Initial conversation with a recruiter or HR team member. Expect cultural-fit questions aligned with the Flyer Code values: customer service, integrity, excellence, and accountability.

4. In-person or video interview (round 2). Behavioral questions focused on past experiences. Radio Flyer explicitly asks candidates to draft up to 15 questions for their interviewers, emphasizing the process is a two-way evaluation. Cross-department exposure during the process.

5. Offer and onboarding. Typically communicated within two weeks of the final interview. Day 1 goal-setting with your manager; Wagon U orientation begins. Relocation assistance discussed for non-Chicagoland students.

Because Radio Flyer is a small company (~86 employees) that fills a small intern cohort, the process is more personal and dialogue-driven than at large CPG brands. The “3 successes and 1 failure” assignment and the expectation that candidates bring 15 questions are unusual and signal genuine cultural investment. Our HireVue question guide with a free AI mock tool covers the same behavioral-question pressure and format.

What the Community Says

Radio Flyer is a private, 86-person company with minimal online internship discussion. The cards below draw on Indeed employee reviews, where 114 reviews and a 4.8/5 rating paint a consistent picture.

How Do You Stand Out at a Small, Design-Driven Company With a Strong Culture?

Three moves, all executable before spring 2027. First, know the product portfolio beyond the red wagon. Radio Flyer now sells eBikes for adults, electric go-karts, stroller wagons, and battery-powered ride-ons. Research the Shopify DTC store, review newer product lines like the Flyer electric cargo bike, and reference specific products in your application to show you understand this is a modern consumer products company, not a nostalgia brand. Second, connect their sustainability credentials to marketing strategy. Radio Flyer is a B Corp, RE100 member, first toy company with SBTi approval, and plants one tree per toy sold through the Build-A-Forest partnership (500,000 or more trees planted). Articulate how sustainability is a marketing differentiator with millennial and Gen Z parents. Third, prepare the “3 successes and 1 failure” assignment proactively. Do not wait for this prompt reactively. Have polished, concise STAR narratives ready for all four stories, choosing a failure that demonstrates the “Yes I Can” attitude from the Flyer Code.

What Other Companies Should You Consider?

Radio Flyer’s peer set spans toy and consumer products companies with internship programs that recruit from a similar candidate pool.

Our marketing internships summer 2027 guide maps the full landscape of consumer products and marketing opportunities, timeline by timeline.

FAQ

Can I still apply for a summer 2026 Radio Flyer internship?

No. The summer 2026 cohort started in late May or early June 2026 and those positions closed months earlier. The next open cycle is summer 2027: based on Radio Flyer’s seasonal cadence, postings are expected between November 2026 and March 2027. Check radioflyer.com/pages/open-positions now and apply in the first week postings appear.

How much do Radio Flyer interns get paid?

Radio Flyer interns earn approximately $21 to $25 per hour based on Indeed company-specific salary data. Communications interns report $24.55 per hour and engineering interns report $25.47 per hour. Relocation assistance is available for students from outside the Chicagoland area. All internship positions are paid.

Where are Radio Flyer internships located?

All internships are based at Radio Flyer’s LEED Platinum-certified headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The company operates on a hybrid schedule with three days on-site (Tuesday through Thursday) and two days remote (Monday and Friday). Relocation assistance is provided for students who need to move to Chicago.

What departments offer Radio Flyer internships?

Radio Flyer offers internships across Marketing and Brand, Product Design and Engineering, eCommerce and Digital, Operations and Supply Chain, Finance and Accounting, and Human Resources. The actual summer 2027 cohort may include a subset of these tracks depending on business needs and headcount.

Does Radio Flyer require a minimum GPA for internships?

No published GPA requirement exists. Radio Flyer does not list a minimum GPA on its internship program page or in past job descriptions. The company prioritizes cultural alignment with its Flyer Code values and genuine passion for the brand over specific academic credentials.

What is the Radio Flyer internship interview process like?

Expect two rounds of video or in-person interviews over approximately two months. A unique element is the written assignment where candidates share three successes and one failure. Radio Flyer also asks candidates to draft up to 15 questions for their interviewers, emphasizing the process is a two-way dialogue.

Do Radio Flyer interns get return offers?

Radio Flyer states that approximately 25 percent of its full-time workforce came through the intern program, demonstrating a real pipeline from intern to employee. However, no per-cohort conversion rate is published. Conversion depends on role availability, business needs, and the small headcount of roughly 86 employees.

Is Radio Flyer a good place to intern?

Radio Flyer holds a 4.8 out of 5 Indeed rating with a 91 out of 100 work wellbeing score, has been named the number one Best Place to Work in Illinois, and earned Great Place to Work certification. The small team means interns get real responsibility, direct leadership access, and meaningful project ownership from Day 1.

Radio Flyer’s small intern cohort fills fast on rolling review once postings go live. Spend the runway building proof: a remote Externship turns “interested in consumer marketing” into a finished project a spring 2027 application can point at.