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The revolution won't be broadcast, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

While demonstrations against the government carry on in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, as police look on.

Blending humour and political action – a tactic social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of US demonstrations in this period, embraced by both left and right.

A specific icon has proven to be notably significant – 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 throughout the United States.

"A great deal happening with that little frog costume," states an expert, who teaches at University of California, Davis and an academic who specialises in performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's challenging to examine protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character adopted by far-right groups during a political race.

Initially, when the meme first took off on the internet, its purpose was to express specific feelings. Subsequently, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, even a particular image retweeted by the candidate personally, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in digital spaces in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Participants exchanged "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

But the character did not originate so controversial.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his disapproval for its co-option. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing came from his experiences with companions.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. When the meme proliferated into fringe areas of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reworked."

Previously, the association of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a confrontation between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon captured global attention.

The event occurred shortly after an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Activists began to gather in droves outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, aiming directly into the ventilation of the costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The frog suit fit right in for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a judge decided that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The action was "permanently" blocked just a month later, and personnel have reportedly departed the city.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had become a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

This symbol appeared across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Shaping the Optics

What brings the two amphibian symbols – is the relationship between the silly, innocent image and serious intent. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

This approach rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" performance that highlights your ideas without needing explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is an analyst in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

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

As protesters take on the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences