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The resistance may not be televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

Whilst protests opposing the administration continue in US cities, protesters are utilizing the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided dance instruction, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, while police look on.

Combining humour and politics – a tactic social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a hallmark of American protest in this period, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It originated when recordings of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations nationwide.

"There is much at play with that small blow-up amphibian," says a professor, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's challenging to examine protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by extremist movements during a political race.

As the character initially spread online, people used it to convey specific feelings. Afterwards, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme shared by that figure himself, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he stated his drawing was inspired by his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over imagery," states the professor. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

Previously, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to conservative politics. This shifted on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

This incident followed an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer used pepper spray at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, quipped, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that embrace the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

Although a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The order was stopped legally subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog was now a potent symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Controlling the Optics

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that highlights your ideas without obviously explaining them. This is the goofy costume used, or the meme circulated.

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

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

As protesters take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences