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This protest movement won't be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

While protests against the leadership continue in US cities, participants are adopting the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, as police observe.

Blending comedy and political action – an approach social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of protests in the United States in recent years, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It started after recordings of a clash between a protester in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There is much at play with that little frog costume," notes an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's challenging to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by far-right groups during a political race.

Initially, when the character initially spread online, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a candidate, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

Yet Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist experimented with uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves the lack of control over imagery," explains Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the popularity of Pepe meant that frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. A transformation occurred recently, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate on a single block, near a federal building.

Tensions were high and an agent deployed irritant at a protester, directing it into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and Portland, which argued the deployment was illegal.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

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

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

This symbol appeared in many cities at No Kings protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

This item was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

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

This approach is based on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights a cause without needing directly articulating them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad says.

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