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

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

While demonstrations against the administration persist in American cities, participants have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They've offered dance instruction, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, as police observe.

Blending humour and political action – an approach researchers term "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.

One particular emblem has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It started when a video of an encounter between a man in a frog suit and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to demonstrations across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that humble frog costume," states an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on political performance.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities during a political race.

As the character initially spread online, it was used to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, its use evolved to show support for a candidate, including a particular image retweeted by that figure personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he stated his drawing was inspired by his experiences with friends and roommates.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into darker parts of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows the lack of control over symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

Until recently, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. This shifted on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

This incident followed a decision to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to gather in droves at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer used a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "something milder". But the incident spread everywhere.

The frog suit fit right in for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

While the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge wrote. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The action was stopped legally just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the city.

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

This symbol was spotted in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

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

Shaping the Optics

What connects both frogs together – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that draws focus to a message without needing obviously explaining them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and still have a layer of protection."

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

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