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

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

Whilst rallies against the administration carry on in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided dance instruction, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, while officers watch.

Mixing levity and political action – an approach 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 both left and right.

And one symbol has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It began when a video of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

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

From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by extremist movements throughout a political race.

When the meme gained popularity online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, even a particular image endorsed by that figure himself, showing Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed a shared phrase.

However Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

The frog first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said his drawing came from his time with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"It proves that creators cannot own icons," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

For a long time, the association of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to gather in droves outside a facility, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, directing it into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying he had tasted "something milder". Yet the footage became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and the city, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The order was stopped legally soon after, and troops withdrew from the city.

But by then, the amphibian costume had become a powerful protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Controlling the Optics

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that draws focus to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

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