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The resistance may not be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While demonstrations opposing the leadership continue in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as armed law enforcement observe.

Mixing levity and political action – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, embraced by both left and right.

One particular emblem has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It started after video footage of a clash between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to protests nationwide.

"A great deal happening with that humble inflatable frog," states a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to examine demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

As the meme gained popularity on the internet, it was used to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to show support for a candidate, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

Yet the character did not originate as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his disapproval for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which follows the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he stated the character came from his life with companions.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over icons," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Previously, the notoriety of Pepe meant that frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer deployed pepper spray at the individual, aiming directly into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion the protesters' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge opined. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The deployment was stopped legally soon after, and personnel are said to have left the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume had become a significant anti-administration symbol for the left.

The costume appeared in many cities at No Kings protests that fall. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that draws focus to a cause without obviously explaining them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the meme you share.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of such tactics is multi-faceted, he explains.

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