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The resistance won't be televised, but it could have webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

As demonstrations opposing the administration carry on in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending humour and politics – a tactic social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of US demonstrations in recent years, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started when recordings of an encounter between a man in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations across the country.

"There's a lot at play with that little blow-up amphibian," notes LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by extremist movements throughout a political race.

When the character first took off on the internet, people used it to convey specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used a shared phrase.

However its beginnings were not so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his distaste for its co-option. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which documents the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he stated the character came from his time with friends and roommates.

When he began, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to new websites, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into darker parts of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that we don't control symbols," explains the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The moment occurred shortly after a directive to send military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and a officer deployed pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, stating he had tasted "something milder". But the incident went viral.

The frog suit fit right in for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

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

Although a ruling was issued in October that the administration had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire while voicing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber stated. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had become a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The costume appeared nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Optics

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

The tactic rests on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that highlights a message without explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop used, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a book on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

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