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The resistance won't be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and large eyes.

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

Whilst demonstrations against the government persist in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while police look on.

Mixing comedy and politics – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by both left and right.

One particular emblem has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It began after a video of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There's a lot at play with that small blow-up amphibian," says an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on political performance.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by online communities during a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the meme initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

But the character did not originate this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his distaste for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe first appeared in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he stated his drawing came from his experiences with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into darker parts of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own imagery," explains the professor. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The event followed a directive to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves at a specific location, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The costume was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol even played a role in a lawsuit between the administration and the city, which contended the deployment was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was halted by courts just a month later, and troops are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had become a potent anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

This item was backordered on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Narrative

What brings the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights your ideas without needing explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

When protesters confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences