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The protest movement isn't televised, but it could have webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

While rallies opposing the government carry on in American cities, participants have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, as officers look on.

Combining comedy and politics – a strategy experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of American protest in the current era, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It started after recordings of a confrontation between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations across the country.

"There is much at play with that little inflatable frog," says a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on creative activism.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to examine protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

As this image first took off on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, even a particular image shared by the candidate himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog debuted in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," explains the professor. "They can change and shift and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme meant that frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. But that changed on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event came just days after a decision to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent sprayed irritant at the individual, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog was also referenced in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which contended the use of troops was illegal.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and personnel have reportedly departed the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a significant symbol of resistance for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

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

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights a cause without obviously explaining them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

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

As protesters confront a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences