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

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

While protests opposing the government carry on in American cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers observe.

Combining comedy and politics – an approach experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of American protest in the current era, embraced by various groups.

One particular emblem has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It began after a video of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that humble inflatable frog," notes a professor, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities during an election cycle.

As the character gained popularity online, it was used to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to show support for a political figure, including a particular image retweeted by that figure personally, portraying the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and established digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a coded signal.

Yet Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in his series.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and notable for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he stated the character came from his time with companions.

As he started out, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," says the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of Pepe resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after an order to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to gather in droves at a specific location, just outside of a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used irritant at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The protester, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which contended the deployment was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

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

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent protest icon for progressive movements.

The costume was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on online retailers, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights your ideas without obviously explaining them. It's the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad says.

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