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This protest movement won't be broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and protruding eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While rallies against the administration continue in American cities, demonstrators have embraced the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Mixing comedy and politics – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of American protest in this period, used by both left and right.

A specific icon has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It began when video footage of a confrontation between a man in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to rallies across the country.

"A great deal at play with that humble frog costume," states LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities during a political race.

Initially, when the character gained popularity on the internet, people used it to express specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by that figure personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became a shared phrase.

Yet Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he said the character was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that creators cannot own symbols," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the popularity of this meme meant that frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. This shifted recently, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The event came just days after a decision to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to congregate outside a facility, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and an agent sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that delight in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog was also referenced in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment overstepped authority.

While a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The deployment was stopped legally just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a significant protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities 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 small towns and global metropolises abroad.

This item was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Optics

The link between both frogs together – lies in the interplay between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to a cause without directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

As activists confront the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences