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

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

As protests opposing the government carry on in American cities, participants have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while police observe.

Mixing humour and political action – a strategy experts term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in the current era, embraced by various groups.

And one symbol has proven to be especially powerful – the frog. It originated when video footage of an encounter between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, went viral. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much happening with that small blow-up amphibian," says a professor, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It's challenging to examine demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by online communities throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When this image initially spread online, it was used to express certain emotions. Later, its use evolved to show support for a political figure, including a particular image shared by the candidate personally, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Online conservatives traded "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

Yet the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his disapproval for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he stated his drawing was inspired by his time with companions.

As he started out, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to new websites, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own symbols," explains the professor. "Their meaning can evolve and be reworked."

Previously, the association of Pepe meant that frogs were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed a chemical agent at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, stating it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, renowned for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which argued the use of troops overstepped authority.

While the court ruled in October that the president was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, mentioning demonstrators' "well-known penchant for wearing chicken suits while voicing their disagreement."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she stated. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was stopped legally subsequently, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a powerful protest icon for the left.

The inflatable suit was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was sold out on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Narrative

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

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to a cause without explicitly stating them. This is the silly outfit used, or the meme you share.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and an experienced participant. He authored a text called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is three-fold, he says.

When activists confront a powerful opposition, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences