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This resistance may not be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

While protests opposing the government carry on in US cities, participants are adopting the energy of a community costume parade. They've provided dance instruction, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, as police observe.

Combining comedy and politics – an approach researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of US demonstrations in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as especially powerful – the frog. It originated when video footage of a clash between a man in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that small inflatable frog," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by online communities throughout a political race.

When this image initially spread on the internet, it was used to signal specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate himself, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in offensive ways, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he said his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that we don't control icons," states the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the association of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The event came just days after an order to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, just outside of a federal building.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer deployed pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which contended the use of troops overstepped authority.

While a judge decided in October that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

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

But by then, the frog had become a significant protest icon for the left.

This symbol was spotted in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

The inflatable suit was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that highlights a cause without obviously explaining them. It's the goofy costume used, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

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

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