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

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

As protests opposing the leadership persist in US cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, while police observe.

Combining levity and politics – an approach researchers term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of American protest in the current era, adopted by various groups.

A specific icon has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It began when video footage of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"A great deal going on with that little inflatable frog," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who studies performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's challenging to talk about protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by extremist movements throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when this image first took off online, people used it to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was utilized to show support for a candidate, including a particular image shared by the candidate personally, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Users traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a shared phrase.

Yet Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his series.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he explained the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

As he started out, the artist tried sharing his art to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into darker parts of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the notoriety of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with conservative politics. A transformation occurred recently, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

The event came just days after a decision to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, near an ICE office.

The situation was tense and an agent deployed irritant at the individual, directing it into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking he had tasted "something milder". However, the video went viral.

The costume fit right in for Portland, famous for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning demonstrators' "known tendency for using unusual attire when expressing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she wrote. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The action was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume had transformed into a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at No Kings 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 big international cities like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Visual Story

The link between both frogs together – lies in the interplay between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that calls attention to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the symbol circulated.

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

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The idea of this approach is multi-faceted, he says.

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