Even though people have made jokes on this thread, the OP does get me wondering about the term snowglobe (my spellchecker doesn't even like the word) so I think it must be fairly new. Christmas globes were always those things people hang on their Christmas tree. But I don't know if the snowy scene miniatures ever had a specific name.

Every new message added here is reflective of being 20/20 we keep adding comments to a troll from 2 years ago! Great now I'm apart of it too
3rd generation American from a long line of Gottscheers it was Drandul, dude!

I'm not sure how old you are, but if you weren't born until after 1994 you wouldn't know that; before that time, it wasn't known, yet, that the world was, in fact, round - and therefore, the word "globe" hadn't been invented.
It wasn't until around early 1995, when a Dr. Edwin Globe coined the word.

Kerbal Space Program:
Failure is not an option. It's a requirement!

I admit I always thought the line where Scott says to Charlie about the snow globe, "We used to make things like this at work. But no one bought them." Apparently in the world of this movie, Snow globes aren't a hot selling item around Christmas. I still love the movie though.
Green Goblin is great!

I was surprised that they did not call it a snow globe.
It's that man again!!

This seems odd because it doesn't seem to be a trademarked name. I could be wrong, though, but I don't think it is.
"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on." - Rod Serling

I just watched the 1985 movie One Magic Christmas. There is a prominently featured snowglobe which is not once referred to as such. It is only called a "glass ball."

I was wondering the same thing. I've never heard a snowglobe not called a snowglobe before.

I have three theories (no research done):

1. They said "ball," "glass ball," etc.. for the children who might not understand "snow globe".
2. "Snow Globe" was trademark of some sort and the company wouldn't allow it.
3. Hmm, what was my last theory. Oh, maybe that was the actual name of the globe that Charlie had "The Ball".
   "Do you even remember what you came here to find?"

They were always called snow globes.

If only there was a thing called sarcasm wherein a person said something in an ironic manner so as to be mocking.

If only there was a type of "search engine" or something one could use to help research the answer.
He's taking the knife out of the Cheese!
Do you think he wants some cheese?