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The resistance won't be broadcast, though it may feature amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

While protests against the government continue in American cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, while police observe.

Combining levity and political action – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of protests in the United States in the current era, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It began after recordings of a confrontation between an individual in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much at play with that humble frog costume," states LM Bogad, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to examine protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

When this image first took off online, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to express backing for a political figure, including a particular image retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

This character debuted in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he explained his drawing came from his experiences with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates the lack of control over icons," says the professor. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

This incident came just days after a directive to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to gather in droves on a single block, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent deployed irritant at the individual, aiming directly into the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The protester, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its eccentric vibe 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 "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge wrote. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The action was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and troops are said to have left the city.

But by then, the amphibian costume was now a powerful anti-administration symbol for the left.

The costume was seen across the country at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Shaping the Visual Story

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to a message without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

The theory of such tactics is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

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