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The resistance may not be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While demonstrations opposing the government persist in US cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a local block party. They've offered salsa lessons, given away snacks, and performed on unicycles, as police observe.

Blending comedy and politics – a tactic researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by various groups.

And one symbol has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between a man in a frog suit and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to rallies nationwide.

"A great deal going on with that small blow-up amphibian," notes a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

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

Initially, when this image first took off on the internet, people used it to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a candidate, even one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed a coded signal.

However the character did not originate as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

This character first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he stated his drawing was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that we don't control icons," explains the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the popularity of Pepe resulted in frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The moment came just days after a decision to send military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and a officer sprayed pepper spray at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, stating he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

While the court ruled that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she wrote. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The order was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the frog had become a potent symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The costume was seen nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that calls attention to your ideas without needing obviously explaining them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He authored a text on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

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

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