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This protest movement won't be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While protests against the government continue in US cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a local block party. They've offered dance instruction, given away snacks, and performed on unicycles, as officers watch.

Mixing humour and politics – a strategy social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of US demonstrations in the current era, used by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It began after recordings of a confrontation between an individual in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. From there, it proliferated to rallies throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that small blow-up amphibian," states an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It's challenging to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by online communities during a political race.

When this image gained popularity online, it was used to express specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting 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 exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

But its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his unhappiness for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

This character first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he stated the character came from his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into darker parts of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves that we don't control icons," says the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe meant that frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when an incident between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event followed a directive to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to gather in droves on a single block, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, directing it into the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The order was stopped legally just a month later, and troops have reportedly departed the area.

But by then, the amphibian costume had transformed into a powerful anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit appeared in many cities at No Kings protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Narrative

What brings both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that highlights a message without needing explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

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