The phrase “Let it snow!” means something very different for one man in Germany.
Josef Kardinal has turned his home in Nuremberg into a sparkling winter fantasy, filled with an astonishing 11,000 snow globes. His passion has earned him the Guinness World Record for the largest snow globe collection.
Kardinal first secured the record in 2002, when his collection stood at 6,100 pieces. Since then, it has grown dramatically, nearly doubling in size.
Explaining what draws him to these miniature worlds, Kardinal said he is captivated by their romance and beauty. Shaking a snow globe and watching the flakes fall creates a moment of calm and wonder. To him, snow globes represent an idealized version of the world — not realistic, but comforting — which is precisely why people are so drawn to them.
In a video tour conducted with a Guinness adjudicator, Kardinal offered a glimpse inside his carefully curated collection. Shelves packed with snow globes fill multiple rooms in his basement, organized like a private museum. Each section follows a theme, ranging from unicorns to Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings.
Among his favorites are imaginative and interactive designs, including a Santa Claus helicopter complete with lights and spinning blades, and a Harley-Davidson snow globe that plays motorcycle sounds as it turns.
The collection spans an incredible range of sizes and eras. The smallest globe is about the size of a fingernail and can be worn as a pin, while the oldest dates back to 1889 and features the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The largest piece is a life-sized lamppost.
Kardinal’s snow globes also reflect pop culture and history. He owns a Titanic-themed globe that depicts the ship sinking near an iceberg, as well as a Taylor Swift–inspired piece featuring a typewriter atop two books, referencing the singer’s 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department. Other standout items include a red Coca-Cola telephone that actually rings and several globes inspired by the COVID-19 era, such as one containing a roll of toilet paper and another with a masked snowman.
His collecting journey began in 1984, when he received his first snow globe as a gift. Friends continued adding to the collection, and eventually Kardinal began seeking out new pieces himself. Over the years, he and his wife, Emma, have traveled the world in search of unique additions.
To celebrate reaching 10,000 snow globes, a German manufacturer created a custom piece featuring Kardinal’s own photograph inside. He also owns a globe depicting his house, making the collection deeply personal as well as expansive.
Despite being surrounded by artificial snow, Kardinal isn’t fond of cold weather. Emma noted the irony, explaining that his favorite weather is actually sunny. Because Nuremberg doesn’t get much snowfall, she joked that most of the snow he experiences comes from inside his globes.
Emma also acknowledged a growing challenge: space. Kardinal estimates his home can accommodate a maximum of 12,000 snow globes, meaning there’s room for only a few more before he reaches his limit — a surprising problem for someone whose passion seems to have no bounds.
