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This protest movement isn't broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and large eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

As protests against the administration continue in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as armed law enforcement observe.

Combining levity and politics – an approach researchers term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of American protest in recent years, embraced by various groups.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to rallies across the country.

"A great deal at play with that little blow-up amphibian," notes an expert, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on performance art.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities throughout a political race.

Initially, when the character initially spread online, it was used to express certain emotions. Subsequently, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image shared by that figure personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

But the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for its co-option. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

This character debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he said his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

As he started out, the artist experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into darker parts of online spaces, the creator sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

The moment came just days after a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate outside a facility, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent deployed a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which contended the use of troops overstepped authority.

While a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had become a powerful anti-administration symbol for the left.

The costume appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights a cause without needing explicitly stating them. It's the goofy costume used, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The idea of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

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