Flexible Flyer Wooden Pull Sleigh

Flexible Flyer

Paricon, Inc.® owns the right to exclusive use of the Flexible Flyer® trademarks in the U.S. and Canada for winter recreational products.

Back in 1861, Henry Morton married Lucilla Forbes and the young couple started making sleds in their home. Henry constructed the sleds by hand and his wife decorated them. Their son, Will, an accomplished artist, distinguished himself as a sled painter, specializing in water scenes and scrolls. Hand-decorated sleds today are much sought after by collectors, but the originals were probably meant to ensure that each sled would be a child's prized possession.

During the early 1900s, when each sled was made by hand, the company employed close to 300 workers. It continued in operation as a family business, still employing 200 workers, until the family gave up ownership in 1970s and sold to Gladding Corporation. In 1978, Hank Morton, great-grandson of the founder, headed a group of investors that purchased the company back from Gladding.

Today, Hank and his sons, Ted and Tom, are continuing the family tradition in the sled business with Paricon. The sled line has evolved to include a wide assortment of products for winter use - sleds, including steel runner and plastic models at various price points; snowboards; foam sliders; inflatable tubes; wooden toboggans and snow toys.