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The protest movement may not be broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

As rallies against the administration carry on in American cities, protesters are utilizing the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending levity and politics – a tactic experts call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by various groups.

A specific icon has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between a protester in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to demonstrations nationwide.

"There's a lot happening with that small inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in political performance.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by extremist movements during a political race.

When the character gained popularity on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, even a particular image retweeted by the candidate himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used a shared phrase.

However its beginnings were not this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he stated his drawing was inspired by his life with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," states the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Previously, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. This shifted on a day in October, when a confrontation between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

This incident came just days after a decision to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate at a specific location, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer deployed a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "something milder". But the incident spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which argued the use of troops overstepped authority.

While a judge decided that month that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the city.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a significant protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was seen across the country at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

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

Shaping the Optics

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – is the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a cause without explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

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

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

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