What is now known as the Frozen Pants Challenge isn’t a new thing. Back in 2013, a man named Tom Grotting came up with the idea, but it didn’t catch on until 2019 when it blew up on the internet.

You see, Grotting is from Minneapolis, Minnesota—a place where cold winters are a thing. So, instead of being all cooped up at home, he decided to dip his pants in water and hang them outside to freeze.

Part of the inspiration here was his childhood: whenever his parents would dry their clothes outside during winter, they’d end up freezing in weird shapes, which Grotting found fascinating.

So, what the frozen pants challenge effectively is is exactly what it sounds like: people wash their pants (or, for the sake of fun and entertainment, simply soak them in water), and hang them out to dry.

If it was summer, they would actually dry, but since it’s winter, they freeze. And the colder it is, the faster they do so. Grotting did point out that ideally, it should be 0 degrees Fahrenheit (or around -17 degrees Celsius) for the pants to freeze, though it can work with anything below 32°F (0°C) with more or less mixed results.

The trend caught on and it was a hit this year too. People started freezing their pants in all sorts of ways. And I do mean all sorts of ways. While many used regular jeans, some opted for sweatpants, others went for pants plus shirt, hoodie, or jacket combo, and yet others placed multiple sets of pants.

There were some who froze dresses, others who included shoes with their attire. There were even people who placed stuffed toys for farts and giggles, including a stuffed shark and a crochet Bernie with mittens.

And then there were people who placed the pants in various positions to give them more life: some were sitting, others were building a pants pyramid, and, in one of the more popular ones, there was one on roller skates and another one on a skateboard.

Be sure to continue scrolling to see more frozen pants goodness and let us know about your frozen pants adventures, if any.

Also, Bored Panda has covered this trend and talked more about Tom Grotting, so be sure to check that article out.