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This protest movement may not be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

As rallies opposing the administration persist in American cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, as police watch.

Mixing levity and political action – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of American protest in recent years, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It originated after a video of a clash between a protester in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to rallies across the country.

"There's a lot going on with that little blow-up amphibian," states a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on political performance.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities during an election cycle.

As the meme first took off on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, including a particular image shared by the candidate himself, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has been vocal about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

This character debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist tried uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that creators cannot own icons," states the professor. "They transform and be repurposed."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a confrontation between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident followed a directive to send military personnel to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, near a federal building.

The situation was tense and a officer deployed irritant at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, known for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a judge decided that month that the president had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The order was halted by courts soon after, and personnel withdrew from the city.

Yet already, the frog was now a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

This symbol appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Visual Story

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

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