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

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

While protests against the government carry on in US cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, while officers look on.

Mixing levity and political action – an approach social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It started when recordings of a confrontation between a man in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations across the country.

"There is much going on with that little inflatable frog," states a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on performance art.

From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by online communities during an election cycle.

When the character gained popularity on the internet, it was used to express certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a political figure, even one notable meme endorsed by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

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

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and notable for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he said his drawing came from his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of online spaces, the creator sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves the lack of control over symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme meant that frogs were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred in early October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The moment came just days after a directive to deploy military personnel to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent used irritant at a protester, directing it into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". However, the video spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which contended the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a powerful symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was in high demand on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Narrative

What connects both frogs together – is the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that draws focus to your ideas without needing obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

As protesters confront authority, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences