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The revolution isn't televised, but it could have amphibious toes and large eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

As protests opposing the government persist in American cities, demonstrators are utilizing the spirit of a local block party. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out snacks, and ridden unicycles, while police observe.

Mixing levity and politics – an approach social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of American protest in this period, adopted by various groups.

A specific icon has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It began when video footage of an encounter between a protester in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to rallies throughout the United States.

"There's a lot happening with that little blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by extremist movements throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When this image first took off on the internet, it was used to express specific feelings. Subsequently, it was utilized to express backing for a political figure, including one notable meme endorsed by that figure himself, portraying Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used an inside joke.

But its beginnings were not this divisive.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has been vocal about his unhappiness for its appropriation. 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 famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which follows the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he said the character came from his time with friends and roommates.

As he started out, the artist tried uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows the lack of control over icons," says the professor. "They transform and be reworked."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

This incident occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to gather in droves at a specific location, near an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and a officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, famous for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the use of troops was illegal.

While a ruling was issued in October that the president had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "known tendency for donning inflatable costumes when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge stated. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The order was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel withdrew from the area.

But by then, the frog had become a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

This symbol was spotted across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises abroad.

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

Controlling the Visual Story

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" display that draws focus to a cause without needing obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop used, or the symbol you share.

The professor is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad explains.

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