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

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

Whilst rallies against the administration persist in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the energy of a local block party. They've offered salsa lessons, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while police look on.

Mixing levity and politics – an approach social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in this period, adopted by various groups.

And one symbol has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It originated when a video of an encounter between a man in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations nationwide.

"There is much happening with that humble blow-up amphibian," notes an expert, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by extremist movements throughout an election cycle.

When this image first took off on the internet, people used it to signal certain emotions. Later, it was utilized to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", became an inside joke.

But Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

The frog debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

When he began, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows the lack of control over icons," explains the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the association of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed recently, when a confrontation between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event occurred shortly after an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to gather in droves outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and a officer used irritant at a protester, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"Some might view the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber stated. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume was now a powerful symbol of resistance for the left.

This symbol appeared nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

This item was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Controlling the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – 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 the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that draws focus to your ideas without needing explicitly stating them. It's the silly outfit used, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

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

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