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This resistance isn't broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

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

As rallies opposing the government carry on in American cities, participants have embraced the spirit of a local block party. They've provided dance instruction, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, as officers watch.

Blending humour and political action – a tactic experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of protests in the United States in the current era, used by various groups.

And one symbol has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It started after a video of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, went viral. It subsequently appeared to rallies across the country.

"There is much happening with that humble inflatable frog," states an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to talk about protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by online communities throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when this image gained popularity on the internet, people used it to express certain emotions. Subsequently, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, even a particular image retweeted by the candidate himself, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used a shared phrase.

But the character did not originate so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his creation, he said his drawing was inspired by his life with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that creators cannot own symbols," says Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the association of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. But that changed recently, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The moment followed a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an agent sprayed pepper spray at the individual, targeting the air intake fan of the costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, saying it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

While a judge decided that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The order was halted by courts subsequently, and troops are said to have left the city.

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

This symbol was seen nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and rose in price.

Controlling the Optics

What brings both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what the professor calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights a cause without explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

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

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

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