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This resistance may not be broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

While rallies against the government carry on in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a local block party. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, as officers look on.

Combining comedy and politics – a strategy researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It originated after video footage of an encounter between a protester in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. And it has since spread to demonstrations nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that humble inflatable frog," says a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the meme initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme shared by that figure personally, showing Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used a shared phrase.

However Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his unhappiness for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

The frog first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he stated his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas 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 we don't control imagery," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

Until recently, the association of this meme meant that frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The moment followed an order to send military personnel to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to gather in droves at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an agent used pepper spray at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for the city, famous for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

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

Although a judge decided in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she wrote. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The order was stopped legally soon after, and personnel are said to have left the city.

But by then, the amphibian costume was now a potent protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit appeared nationwide at No Kings protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

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

Shaping the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to your ideas without directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop used, or the meme you share.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, he explains.

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