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

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

While rallies against the administration continue in US cities, protesters are utilizing the energy of a local block party. They've provided dance instruction, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while police observe.

Mixing levity and political action – a strategy social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a hallmark of US demonstrations in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

One particular emblem has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It originated when recordings of a confrontation between an individual in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"There is much at play with that little frog costume," states a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by far-right groups during an election cycle.

As the character first took off on the internet, people used it to convey specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

Yet its beginnings were not so controversial.

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

The frog first appeared in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his work, he stated his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," explains the professor. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

Previously, the association of this meme resulted in frogs became a symbol for the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to assemble in large numbers outside a facility, just outside of an ICE office.

The situation was tense and a officer used a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying he had tasted "something milder". But the incident went viral.

The costume was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which claimed the deployment was unlawful.

While the court ruled that month that the president had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The deployment was halted by courts soon after, and personnel withdrew from the area.

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

The costume appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Frogs appeared – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

This item was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Controlling the Visual Story

What connects the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that draws focus to your ideas without needing directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

As activists confront authority, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences