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This resistance isn't televised, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst protests against the administration carry on in American cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, while police look on.

Combining comedy and political action – a strategy researchers call "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a hallmark of American protest in the current era, used by both left and right.

A specific icon has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It started after video footage of a confrontation between a man in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to rallies throughout the United States.

"There's a lot going on with that small frog costume," states an expert, a professor at University of California, Davis and an academic who focuses on political performance.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities throughout an election cycle.

When this image first took off on the internet, it was used to express specific feelings. Afterwards, it was deployed to endorse a political figure, even one notable meme retweeted by that figure himself, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Users traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

Yet the character did not originate this divisive.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In a documentary, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he explained his drawing was inspired by his time with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of the internet, the creator attempted to distance himself from the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that creators cannot own imagery," states Prof Bogad. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme resulted in frogs became a symbol for the right. This shifted recently, when a viral moment between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The moment came just days after an order to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

Emotions ran high and an agent used irritant at the individual, targeting the opening of the puffy frog costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, responded with a joke, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," she stated. "Yet the outcome goes beyond absurdity."

The order was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the city.

But by then, the frog had transformed into a powerful symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The inflatable suit was in high demand on online retailers, and rose in price.

Mastering the Narrative

The link between both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" performance that highlights a message without obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop used, or the meme you share.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

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

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