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This resistance won't be broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst demonstrations against the administration continue in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, as officers watch.

Mixing levity and political action – an approach experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of protests in the United States in this period, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It originated when recordings of a confrontation between a protester in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that humble inflatable frog," says an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when the character first took off online, people used it to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, including a particular image shared by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not so controversial.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his disapproval for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his creation, he said his drawing came from his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows that creators cannot own imagery," states Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of Pepe resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The event came just days after a decision to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "something milder". However, the video became a sensation.

The frog suit fit right in for Portland, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The action was halted by courts soon after, and troops are said to have left the city.

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

The inflatable suit appeared nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Narrative

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

The tactic rests on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights a cause without needing explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the meme you share.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a text on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

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

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

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