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This resistance isn't televised, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

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

While demonstrations against the leadership carry on in American cities, protesters are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Combining levity and politics – a tactic researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of American protest in recent years, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started after video footage of an encounter between a man in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"There is much at play with that little blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when the character first took off online, people used it to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

Yet its beginnings were not so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his life with companions.

As he started out, the artist tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves the lack of control over icons," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident occurred shortly after an order to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate at a specific location, near a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an agent used irritant at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, famous for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The order was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume was now a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Narrative

What brings both frogs together – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights your ideas without directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

When protesters confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences