When Perzy tried the trick with a lightbulb, he discovered the brightness wasn’t improved. But what if he added something to the water that the light could bounce off of? Perzy started with white semolina flakes, used in baby food at the time. “He poured [them] into the glass globe, and [they] got soaked by the water and floated very slowly to the base of the globe,” his grandson, Erwin Perzy III, told the BBC. “This effect reminded him of snowfall.” Inspiration struck: What if he used his technical expertise to create a tiny diorama in his snowy little world? Perzy made a miniature replica of the Basilica of the Birth of the Virgin Mary in Mariazell, Austria, placed it in his water-filled globe, sealed it, and mounted it to a gypsum base that he painted black. And voila—the first snow globe was born.
If you just can’t get enough zombie snow globes, be sure to head over to Etsy shop goodsbygoose and grab this decidedly more morbid take on the concept featuring a survivor in a life or death battle with an undead creature. Did I mention this one glows in the dark? As if you needed more of a reason to snag this great gift. This mad scientist snow globe is the perfect gift for anyone you know who spends his or her life down in the basement tinkering on something and laughing maniacally—or someone who happens to be a regular scientist with aspirations for more. Admit it, this is definitely the most “precious” snow globe you’ve seen in a while. (Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.) More information at custom snowglobes.
To become a wide spread global gift, globes needed to be manufactured more efficiently. In 1927, an American, Joseph Garaja pioneered production improvements filling snow globes underwater. They went from an expensive individually crafted object to a cheaply made mass-produced item. Mass popularity grew in the 1940’s with the increased use of plastic and the development of the tourist industry. For those who could afford to travel with their families, souvenirs were in high demand. In response to this new market, the snow globe became lighter in weight, dome-shaped on top of an opaque colorful base. By the 1950’s every city and roadside attraction had its own snowglobe souvenir.
In case you forgot, gingerbread houses are linked to the Hansel and Gretel story. The most mentioned explanation for gingerbread houses stems from the fable created by the Brothers Grimm in which two little kids encounter an evil witch whose house is made out of bread and frosting. Engelbert Humperdinck’s play version of “Hansel and Gretel” premiered in Germany on December 23, 1893, which could explain why the story — and gingerbread houses — are associated with Christmas. Source: https://www.qstomize.com/collections/custom-snow-globe.