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The protest movement won't be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

While rallies against the government continue in American cities, demonstrators are adopting the energy of a local block party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing comedy and political action – an approach social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in the current era, adopted by various groups.

And one symbol has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It began when a video of a confrontation between an individual in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations across the country.

"A great deal going on with that little inflatable frog," says a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in creative activism.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to examine protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by online communities throughout an election cycle.

As the character gained popularity online, people used it to convey specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a political figure, even one notable meme shared by the candidate himself, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Users traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

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

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which follows the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his time with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into darker parts of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that creators cannot own imagery," explains the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the popularity of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Activists began to congregate on a single block, just outside of a federal building.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, stating it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, 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 argued the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a judge decided that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The action was "permanently" blocked subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog was now a significant protest icon for progressive movements.

This symbol appeared nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was sold out on online retailers, and rose in price.

Mastering the Optics

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that draws focus to a cause without needing explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', 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 still have plausible deniability."

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

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