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This resistance isn't broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

As demonstrations opposing the administration persist in American cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, as officers look on.

Combining humour and political action – a tactic experts term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of protests in the United States in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

And one symbol has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It began after video footage of a confrontation between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"A great deal going on with that little blow-up amphibian," states a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

As the meme initially spread online, its purpose was to signal certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, including one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became a shared phrase.

However the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has stated about his disapproval for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

This character first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," states Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of this meme meant that frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when an incident between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, just outside of an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent used a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

The costume was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that delight in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

While a ruling was issued that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing opposition."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the area.

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

The inflatable suit appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that draws focus to a message without explicitly stating them. It's the silly outfit 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 on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

As activists take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences