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This resistance won't be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

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

While demonstrations opposing the government carry on in US cities, protesters are utilizing the energy of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, as officers watch.

Blending levity and political action – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in recent years, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It began after a video of an encounter between a man in an inflatable frog and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"A great deal going on with that humble frog costume," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by extremist movements during a political race.

As this image initially spread online, it was used to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image shared by that figure himself, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a coded signal.

But its beginnings were not so controversial.

Its creator, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

Pepe first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said his drawing came from his experiences with companions.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that creators cannot own imagery," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of Pepe meant that frogs became a symbol for the right. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The event came just days after an order to send military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used a chemical agent at the individual, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "something milder". However, the video went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was stopped legally subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the frog had become a powerful protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

What connects both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to a cause without explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of such tactics is three-fold, he says.

As activists confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences