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This protest movement may not be broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

While rallies against the leadership carry on in American cities, participants are adopting the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as police observe.

Mixing comedy and political action – a strategy social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a signature characteristic of American protest in recent years, embraced by both left and right.

And one symbol has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It started after a video of an encounter between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that little blow-up amphibian," notes LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by extremist movements during a political race.

When the character initially spread online, people used it to express specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established digital currency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

Yet Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his comic world.

This character first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he said his drawing came from his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that creators cannot own icons," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be repurposed."

Previously, the association of Pepe meant that frogs were largely associated with conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

The moment occurred shortly after a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to gather in droves outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and an agent deployed pepper spray at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, stating it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

While a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The order was stopped legally just a month later, and troops are said to have left the city.

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

The inflatable suit was seen nationwide at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was backordered on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that draws focus to your ideas without directly articulating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

The idea of this approach is multi-faceted, he says.

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