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The protest movement isn't televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and protruding eyes.

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

Whilst rallies against the administration persist in US cities, participants are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They have taught dance instruction, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while officers observe.

Combining levity and political action – a strategy experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of American protest in recent years, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started after recordings of a clash between a protester in a frog suit and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"There's a lot happening with that small blow-up amphibian," notes an expert, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in creative activism.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to examine demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by far-right groups during an election cycle.

As the meme first took off online, it was used to signal certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a political figure, even a particular image shared by the candidate himself, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in darker contexts, as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", became a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in this artist's universe.

Pepe first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his life with companions.

Early in his career, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It shows that we don't control imagery," says the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. This shifted in early October, when an incident between a protestor dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

This incident followed a decision to send military personnel to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Protesters 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 opening of the costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, stating it tasted like "something milder". Yet the footage went viral.

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for Portland, known for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

While a ruling was issued that month that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning the protesters' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," she opined. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The order was stopped legally subsequently, and personnel withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog was now a powerful protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit was spotted in many cities at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was in high demand on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Narrative

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – often silly, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights a cause without obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop used, or the meme you share.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars 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 theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

As activists confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences