US police received a surprise when they were called to check on the welfare of a cardboard cutout figure.

Officers in the snowy northern state of Minnesota were told an adult male had been seen standing "motionless outside" while "wearing no coat in the cold and hugging a pillow".

The figure turned out to be a life-size cardboard cutout of local millionaire and inventor Mike Lindell, the CEO of the popular MyPillow brand.

Jordan Police Department wrote on its Facebook page: "Those cardboard cutouts sure can look real from a distance and the caller certainly was not wanting to get too close thinking who is this deranged person standing outside in the cold hugging a pillow; always better to call the police (sic)."

Mike Lindell shared the post himself on Thursday evening, and simply posted: "Unreal!".


February 2019 was one of the snowiest on record in Minnesota, with temperatures plummeting past -20C (-4F) on some occasions.