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This resistance won't be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

As rallies opposing the leadership continue in American cities, participants are utilizing the energy of a local block party. They've offered dance instruction, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, as police look on.

Mixing levity and politics – a strategy social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of American protest in recent years, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began after recordings of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much at play with that small blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in political performance.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by far-right groups during a political race.

As the meme gained popularity online, people used it to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, it was utilized to show support for a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became an inside joke.

However the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in 2005 – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he said his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

As he started out, the artist experimented with uploading his work to early internet platforms, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own icons," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

Previously, the popularity of Pepe resulted in frogs became a symbol for the right. This shifted on a day in October, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The event followed an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer sprayed irritant at a protester, directing it into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The frog suit was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the deployment was illegal.

Although a judge decided in October that the president was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge stated. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The action was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog had transformed into a potent protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at No Kings protests that fall. 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.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Narrative

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that calls attention to a message without explicitly stating them. It's the silly outfit used, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The purpose of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad explains.

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