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The resistance may not be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

As protests against the government carry on in American cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They've provided dance instruction, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, as armed law enforcement observe.

Mixing levity and political action – a tactic experts term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It started after video footage of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to protests nationwide.

"There is much going on with that small inflatable frog," says an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who focuses on creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by online communities throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when the character gained popularity online, people used it to express certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, even a particular image shared by that figure himself, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, portrayed as a hate group member. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

Yet the character did not originate this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he explained his drawing came from his life with companions.

As he started out, the artist experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," states the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Previously, the association of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

This incident followed an order to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves outside a facility, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and an agent used a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, stating he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The action was halted by courts just a month later, and personnel are said to have left the area.

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

This symbol appeared in many cities at No Kings protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Shaping the Visual Story

What brings both frogs together – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without needing directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The purpose of such tactics is multi-faceted, he explains.

As activists confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences