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The resistance won't be broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

While demonstrations against the administration carry on in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while officers look on.

Combining comedy and political action – a strategy experts term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of protests in the United States in recent years, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much happening with that humble frog costume," notes an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who studies performance art.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the meme initially spread on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and established digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a coded signal.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for its co-option. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his series.

This character debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character came from his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows that creators cannot own symbols," states Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. But that changed on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

The event occurred shortly after a directive to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to congregate on a single block, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and a officer sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which contended the deployment was unlawful.

While a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing their disagreement."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The order was stopped legally subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog had become a potent symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit appeared across the country at No Kings protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

This item was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it's a "disarming and charming" act that highlights a message without needing directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit used, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The idea of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

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