Frozen jeans put up for display in Northeast prove to be pretty cool

It's so cold this week that Minnesotans are freezing their pants off.

Some northeast Minneapolis residents are making light of frigid weather by posing frozen blue jeans and other apparel in their snowy yards. What began as a winter prank to cheer up a neighbor has become a northeast tradition.

Tom Grotting, 61, says he began sculpting frozen pants outside his home a few years ago during the polar vortex. He soaked the pants in water, then molded them into realistic standing positions as they froze.

After constructing this year's display on his front lawn in the 700 block of Columbia Parkway, Grotting wrote a message on the neighborhood Facebook page "I Love NE Minneapolis," challenging others to put up their own creations.

Pants popped up elsewhere, with some neighbors adding frozen bathing suits, dresses and pajamas to icy art installations. That garnered attention from "Good Morning America," the Weather Channel and Huffington Post.

"It's the only funny thing about this weather," said Grotting's neighbor, Diane Roman. "I always know the pants are going to be there."

Grotting has positioned pants near his video business, Digital Pictures, in downtown Minneapolis surrounding a parking meter to watch pedestrians' reactions.

"It's like a 'Seinfeld' episode," Grotting joked. But he'll keep the tradition alive as long as the cold continues — or until "my family gets too embarrassed."