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This resistance isn't televised, though it may feature webbed feet and large eyes.

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

While demonstrations opposing the leadership continue in American cities, protesters are adopting the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, as police look on.

Blending humour and political action – a tactic experts term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of American protest in the current era, embraced by both left and right.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It originated after a video of an encounter between a man in an amphibian costume and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. It subsequently appeared to rallies nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that little frog costume," says a professor, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on performance art.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

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

Initially, when this image gained popularity online, people used it to convey certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, even a particular image shared by the candidate himself, showing the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "rare Pepes" and established digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not so controversial.

Its creator, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he stated his drawing came from his life with companions.

When he began, the artist tried sharing his art to early internet platforms, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator tried to disavow the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves that creators cannot own symbols," says the professor. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Previously, the popularity of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event came just days after a directive to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and a officer sprayed pepper spray at a protester, targeting the opening of the costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, quipped, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she opined. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had become a potent anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit appeared nationwide at No Kings protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – 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.

The frog costume was sold out on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Visual Story

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach relies on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to a cause without needing explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

As protesters take on the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences