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The resistance won't be broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

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

While protests opposing the leadership persist in US cities, participants have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Mixing levity and politics – a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in the current era, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

A specific icon has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It originated after video footage of a clash between a man in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, went viral. And it has since spread to protests across the country.

"There is much at play with that small inflatable frog," notes an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to examine demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by far-right groups during an election cycle.

As the meme first took off online, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Subsequently, it was utilized to show support for a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by that figure personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in offensive ways, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives exchanged "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed a shared phrase.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Its creator, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he explained his drawing came from 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. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that we don't control symbols," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a confrontation between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, quipped, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". However, the video went viral.

The costume fit right in for Portland, renowned for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While the court ruled in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion the protesters' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits when expressing dissent."

"Some might view this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was stopped legally just a month later, and troops withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog was now a significant protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at No Kings 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 big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Controlling the Visual Story

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that calls attention to a cause without directly articulating them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

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

The idea of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

As activists take on the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences