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This protest movement isn't broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

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

As demonstrations against the administration continue in US cities, protesters have embraced the vibe of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending humour and politics – an approach experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a defining feature of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It began after recordings of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that humble inflatable frog," notes a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by far-right groups during an election cycle.

When this image first took off online, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used an inside joke.

But Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his disapproval for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

This character first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which follows the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Previously, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

The event followed an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate at a specific location, just outside of a federal building.

Tensions were high and a officer deployed irritant at the individual, directing it into the opening of the inflatable suit.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for the city, known for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which contended the deployment was illegal.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and troops are said to have left the city.

But by then, the frog was now a significant symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume appeared nationwide at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

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

Mastering the Visual Story

What connects both frogs together – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" display that calls attention to your ideas without needing obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The idea of such tactics is three-fold, he explains.

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