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The protest movement won't be televised, but it could have amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

As rallies against the leadership persist in US cities, protesters are utilizing the spirit of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, while officers look on.

Blending humour and politics – a tactic researchers term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in the current era, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It started when video footage of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much going on with that humble blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by far-right groups during a previous presidential campaign.

When this image first took off on the internet, its purpose was to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a political figure, even a particular image retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was deployed a coded signal.

Yet the character did not originate this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his unhappiness for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his series.

Pepe debuted in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

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

Until recently, the association of Pepe meant that frogs were largely associated with the right. This shifted recently, when an incident between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The moment came just days after a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves on a single block, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent used irritant at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The protester, Seth Todd, quipped, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

The frog suit fit right in for Portland, renowned for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and Portland, which contended the deployment was illegal.

While the court ruled in October that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The action was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the city.

But by then, the frog was now a powerful protest icon for the left.

This symbol was spotted across the country at No Kings protests that fall. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to your ideas without obviously explaining them. It's the silly outfit used, 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 around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

As activists take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences