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This resistance may not be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

Whilst rallies against the administration persist in US cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a local block party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, while police look on.

Combining levity and political action – an approach experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of US demonstrations in recent years, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It began after a video of a confrontation between an individual in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to rallies across the country.

"There's a lot at play with that little frog costume," states LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by extremist movements throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When the meme first took off on the internet, its purpose was to convey certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme retweeted by that figure himself, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for its co-option. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character came from his time with companions.

As he started out, the artist experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that we don't control imagery," states Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

This incident followed a directive to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". However, the video spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"Some might view this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The order was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel have reportedly departed the city.

Yet already, the amphibian costume was now a significant protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

This item was sold out on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Narrative

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

The strategy relies on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a cause without needing directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The idea of such tactics is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad explains.

As protesters confront the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences