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This resistance won't be broadcast, though it may feature webbed feet and protruding eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

As rallies opposing the administration carry on in American cities, participants have embraced the vibe of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered salsa lessons, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers watch.

Combining humour and political action – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, embraced by both left and right.

One particular emblem has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It began when recordings of a confrontation between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to rallies across the country.

"There is much at play with that small frog costume," says a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies political performance.

From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

When the character first took off on the internet, its purpose was to signal specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme endorsed by the candidate himself, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a shared phrase.

However its beginnings were not this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for its co-option. His creation was meant as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

The frog debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he said the character came from his experiences with companions.

Early in his career, the artist tried sharing his art to new websites, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into darker parts of the internet, the creator tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

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

Previously, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted recently, when an incident between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

This incident followed an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near a federal building.

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

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for the city, known for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that delight in the absurd – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which contended the deployment was unlawful.

Although a judge decided that month that the president had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge stated. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was stopped legally subsequently, and troops withdrew from the area.

However, by that time, the frog was now a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

This symbol appeared nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on major websites, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Optics

What connects both frogs together – is the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that draws focus to a message without directly articulating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of such tactics is three-fold, Mr Bogad explains.

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