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

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While demonstrations opposing the government carry on in American cities, protesters are utilizing the spirit of a local block party. They have taught salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, as officers watch.

Combining humour and politics – a tactic researchers refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in this period, used by various groups.

One particular emblem has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It began after a video of a confrontation between a protester in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to protests throughout the United States.

"There is much at play with that humble inflatable frog," says a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

When the character gained popularity online, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", became a shared phrase.

But the character did not originate this divisive.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in this artist's universe.

This character debuted in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained his drawing was inspired by his life with companions.

As he started out, the artist tried sharing his art to new websites, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that creators cannot own symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reworked."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme meant that frogs were predominantly linked to the right. But that changed recently, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event followed a directive to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, near an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

Although a judge decided that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

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

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

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a potent anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The costume appeared in many cities at No Kings protests that fall. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

This item was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Mastering the Optics

The link between both frogs together – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that highlights a message without explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

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

As protesters take on a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences