Crowds gawk at caveman installation at Theodore Wirth Park

A cryogenically preserved caveman has captured the public’s curiosity this week at a Minneapolis park.

Sculptor Ian Molloy-Busse says he was commissioned to create "Zug Zug" — a sculpture of a Neanderthal trapped in a block of ice — for an event back in February and decided the art piece didn’t need to go extinct. So he put him on display at Theodore Wirth Park.

"There’s been quite a bit of buzz about this statue," Molloy-Busse said. "Everyone’s been coming out to see him in Theodore Wirth Park."

The sculptor said he tried to learn as much about Neanderthal society as possible while making Zug Zug.

"What kind of tools they were using, what kind of clothing they were wearing, what kind of society they built," Molloy-Busse said. "I tried to focus a lot on learning about their arts and culture, whatever we could find. It’s just fascinating stuff."

The sculpture isn’t made out of real ice, so it’s not in danger of melting. There’s no word yet on how long the installation will stay at the park.