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

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

As demonstrations opposing the leadership continue in American cities, participants have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement watch.

Mixing comedy and political action – a strategy social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a defining feature of protests in the United States in this period, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started when recordings of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to rallies nationwide.

"There is much happening with that humble inflatable frog," notes a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in political performance.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by extremist movements throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When this image initially spread online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, its use evolved to show support for a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

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

Its creator, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said his drawing was inspired by his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves that creators cannot own symbols," states Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident came just days after a directive to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an agent deployed irritant at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the inflatable suit.

The individual, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment was illegal.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view this decision, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The order was halted by courts just a month later, and troops withdrew from the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had transformed into a potent protest icon for the left.

The costume was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was backordered on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Optics

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights a cause without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

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

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