Snow Globes: The History Of The Magic

When I was a kid, my grandparents had a collection of snow globes. Some were musical and some were not. I loved to shake them and watch the snow slowly drift down over the miniature scene inside.

I always wondered who invented these beautiful mystical, magically-filled memories…

The most memorable ones they had were scenes of landmarked places they visited over the course of their full lives. I don’t know where that collection went, but out of nowhere, almost like magic, I recently found the one with The Empire State Building they had (which was always my favorite) with it’s dark brown resin base and a thick glass sphere. It is missing some of it’s water now. With age and many moves, I guess that’s inevitable. Maybe I will have it repaired…

It’s different than any of the other ones I remember. The pieces of snow are varied in shape and size, rather than the small billowing flurries that were in the more dainty, common ones. It’s funny how The Empire State Building is proudly standing in the center with no surrounding buildings. Ironically, that’s what NYC looked like back then! Rather than the the updated skyline it is today.

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The snow globes I see nowadays, when I pass the souvenir shops throughout the city, and in airport stores when I travel, are so different than the old school ones I remember. They are plastic semi-domes with little plugs and less intricate than the detailed ones my Grandparents had displayed on their shelves. I wish I had their collection.

Related: Disneyland Posters And Souvenirs Of Yesteryear

Now, when I walk by stores in NYC, I find these globes with little city images that have yellow taxis and the old iconic city landmarks mixed with the new. Those will probably continue to change as the city keeps changing. Maybe we will see Uber cars instead of Taxis and Citi Bikes instead of horse carriages!

My grandparents are long gone and one of the most special trinkets I have left from them is now fading too. It too will soon become just a sweet memory… but how beautiful it was when the glass was clear and the water full and the snow would hypnotically float over this city I love. A special memento of time passing by.

What do you collect? Vintage Collectible Metal Lunchboxes. Sweet, Collectible Valentines Memories, Memorabilia from Disney’s Adventureland: The Enchanted Tiki Room, Barbie & Ken Dolls. Share in the comment section below.

(Sources: BBC, YouTube & DoYouRemember.com)