Despite the freezing temperatures at the Lincoln Park Zoo, a Chicago man successfully melted his girlfriend's heart by presenting her with an adorable, custom-drawn "Will You Marry Me" flipbook designed with a neat cutout section containing an engagement ring.

Rodney Nelson commissioned a local artist Ben Zurawski, also known as The Flippist, to create the animated book specially for his girlfriend, Alexa Wenning.

The book features cartoon images of the couple at a park playing fetch with their dog. Alexa’s character tosses a yellow ball into the distance. The happy pup chases after the ball, but returns with a gray ring box.

The artist then zooms in on the box that is animated to look like Wenning’s hands are actually opening it. The book is cleverly designed with a special element that adds dimension and a surprise. The last pages of the flipbook are cut by hand to create a void that represents the inside of the box. The compartment contains a ring.

The frame of the illustrated ring box displays the phrase “Will You…” On the final page are the words “Marry Me?”

Wenning outlined the details of the proposal on the website HowHeAsked.com. She described how her romantic boyfriend insisted on taking her to see the holiday lights festival at the zoo despite the frigid temps, and then melted her heart with the flipbook proposal.

“It was absolutely freezing but he insisted that we bundle up and go anyways,” she wrote. “Right in front of the big light display, he turned to me and told me he needed to give me my Christmas present. I remember thinking, ‘Seriously, right now? Are you crazy?’ but he insisted and showed me a flipbook.”

After Wenning viewed the final words of the flipbook, Nelson got down on one knee and pulled the actual ring from his pocket (the one affixed to the book was just for show). Predictably, she said, “Yes.”

"It was perfect because I had to take my gloves off to flip through it and [as] I got [to] the end, he pulled out the real ring and asked for my hand," she wrote. “Of course, I started bawling. I almost got frostbite afterwards because I refused to put my gloves back on!”

The Flippist specializes in “Will You Marry Me” flipbooks, although he does create them for other occasions. His custom books are all 100% hand drawn and range in price from $595 to $895. He also offers less expensive printed versions. See his website here… and his YouTube channel here…

Check out Rodney and Alexa’s custom flipbook here…

Images: Screen captures via YouTube/TheFlippist; Facebook