Man wearing panda suit challenges giant panda Tian Tian to snow battle

MILLERSVILLE, Md. -- A man in Maryland has tried one-upping one of Washington's biggest celebrities -- giant panda bear Tian Tian.

Jeffrey Perez dressed in his panda suit and challenged Tian Tian to a "snow battle" Saturday amid this weekend's blizzard. The Smithsonian National Zoo had posted video of Tian Tian playing in the snow, so the father from Millersville, Maryland, decided he could use the panda suit he has owned for about six years.

In a video declaring the challenge, Perez imitates Tian Tian rolling around in the powder, tossing it up in the air and even putting his foot in his mouth.

Perez told ABC News that when the snow clears, he hopes to wear his panda suit to Washington with his family to see Tian Tian in person, along with the zoo's newest panda addition, 5-month-old Bei Bei.