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This protest movement may not be broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

While rallies opposing the leadership persist in American cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Blending levity and political action – a tactic researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of American protest in the current era, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began after a video of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and federal officers in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to protests across the country.

"There is much happening with that small blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by online communities throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the character initially spread on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Afterwards, its use evolved to show support for a political figure, including one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, portrayed as a hate group member. Users traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog debuted in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that we don't control imagery," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme meant that frogs became a symbol for the right. A transformation occurred in early October, when a confrontation between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and a officer sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for the city, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The action was halted by courts just a month later, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

The costume was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was backordered on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Visual Story

What connects the two amphibian symbols – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a cause without needing directly articulating them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is multi-faceted, he says.

As protesters confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences