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This protest movement may not be broadcast, but it could have webbed feet and protruding eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst protests opposing the leadership persist in American cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, given away treats, and ridden unicycles, as officers look on.

Blending levity and politics – a tactic social scientists refer to as "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.

A specific icon has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It began when recordings of an encounter between a protester in an inflatable frog and immigration enforcement agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. And it has since spread to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot at play with that humble inflatable frog," says a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

When the meme initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to endorse a political figure, including a particular image endorsed by the candidate personally, portraying the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Pepe was also depicted in right-wing online communities in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was deployed a shared phrase.

However Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his distaste for its appropriation. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

The frog debuted in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and best known for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which documents the creator's attempt to reclaim ownership of his creation, he explained the character was inspired by his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, 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, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that we don't control symbols," states Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the popularity of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. This shifted on a day in October, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon spread rapidly online.

The event followed a decision to send military personnel to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Demonstrators began to gather in droves on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

Tensions were high and an agent sprayed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops was illegal.

While a judge decided that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion demonstrators' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted this decision, which accepts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she wrote. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The deployment was stopped legally soon after, and troops are said to have left the city.

However, by that time, the frog had become a potent protest icon for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted nationwide at No Kings protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was in high demand on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what the professor terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that highlights a cause without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, he explains.

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