Alex Crick Wanders the Globe for Snow Globes

spin an actual globe, and chances are you’ll land on a destination that Alex Crick has immortalized in a snow globe. His world-spanning collection of glass, water, ceramic, and sometimes plastic manifests in viking ships (Iceland), bald eagles (Alaska…and Denver), cherry blossoms (Japan), dolphins (Florida), and so many buildings.

It all got rolling in 2000. “I just started collecting them because I thought it would be fun,” Crick says. “Then it got to the point where we’re going to more places and picking up more snow globes, and friends brought me more snow globes, and it ended up, you know, I have a collection of them.”

Crick doesn’t keep track but estimates his snow globes number in the hundreds now. He’s quickly running out of shelf space. “Some of them are actually stacked on top of other ones at the moment because I’m running out of spots.” But does he think he’ll ever stop? “There’s always more places to visit.”

On his snow globe criteria

“Usually the best place to find snow globes is actually in an airport. Airport gift shops are notorious for that sort of thing.”

“I try to go for the one that I find the most interesting. Whichever one is the cheesiest is usually the one that I get because those are the more interesting and decorative ones. And sometimes, you know, you don’t have a choice…. The cheesier the better is what I always say.”

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The varied shapes and designs keep snow globe collecting interesting.

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The varied shapes and designs keep snow globe collecting interesting.

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Alex Crick says fun is the whole point of his collection.

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Alex Crick says fun is the whole point of his collection.

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Buildings, animals, and landmarks are usually the stars in snow globes.

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Buildings, animals, and landmarks are usually the stars in snow globes.

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Friends and family usually know what to get Alex Crick as a gift.

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“Mount St. Helens is about bears for some reason, dressed up. I’m not quite sure what the deal with that is.”

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Sometimes the globe part of the snow globe is the least important part.

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On recalling and making memories

“I look at them and shake them around every once in a while. A lot of them are associated with people or memories. Each place kind of tells a little story.”

“I remember going to Scotland, and I went with my nieces. I think the oldest one was 10 at that point, and the youngest one was about four or three. They want to do what the uncle was doing, and so they all got snow globes of their own. I thought that was pretty cute. Now they all have their own little Scotland snow globes.”