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The revolution won't be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and protruding eyes.

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

While protests against the administration persist in American cities, participants are utilizing the vibe of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and ridden unicycles, as police watch.

Combining humour and political action – a tactic researchers term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. But it has become a hallmark of US demonstrations in recent years, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It started when a video of a clash between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. It subsequently appeared to protests across the country.

"There is much happening with that small blow-up amphibian," notes a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From Pepe to Portland

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

When the character first took off online, it was used to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, even a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used a shared phrase.

But its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his series.

The frog first appeared in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he said the character came from his time with companions.

Early in his career, the artist tried uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into darker parts of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves that we don't control symbols," states the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Previously, the association of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred in early October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The moment followed an order to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was described as "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to gather in droves on a single block, near an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The frog suit was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the use of troops was illegal.

Although the court ruled in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which adopts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber opined. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was stopped legally just a month later, and troops withdrew from the area.

But by then, the frog was now a potent anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

This symbol was spotted across the country at No Kings protests recently. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Visual Story

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

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" display that highlights your ideas without directly articulating them. It's the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol you share.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

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

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