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The protest movement won't be broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

Whilst demonstrations against the administration continue in American cities, participants are utilizing the energy of a local block party. They've provided dance instruction, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement watch.

Blending humour and politics – a tactic researchers call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a defining feature of American protest in recent years, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started after a video of an encounter between a protester in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations across the country.

"A great deal going on with that small inflatable frog," says LM Bogad, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

When the character first took off on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to endorse a candidate, including one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

Yet Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog first appeared in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his time with companions.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with uploading his work to new websites, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows that we don't control imagery," says Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of Pepe meant that frogs became a symbol for conservative politics. This shifted recently, when a confrontation between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident came just days after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, near an ICE office.

The situation was tense and an agent sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, targeting the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

The frog suit was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the deployment was illegal.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she stated. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

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

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

This symbol was spotted across the country at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Visual Story

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights a cause without needing obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad explains.

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