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This revolution may not be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

As protests against the government continue in US cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and ridden unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Mixing humour and politics – a tactic social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of American protest in this period, adopted by various groups.

One particular emblem has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It began after recordings of a clash between a man in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to rallies across the country.

"There's a lot at play with that little frog costume," notes an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure co-opted by far-right groups throughout an election cycle.

When the meme initially spread on the internet, its purpose was to express certain emotions. Subsequently, its use evolved to express backing for a candidate, including one notable meme shared by that figure himself, depicting the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, portrayed as a hate group member. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to reclaim ownership of his creation, he said the character was inspired by his experiences with companions.

Early in his career, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a final panel.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves the lack of control over symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

For a long time, the popularity of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred on a day in October, when a viral moment between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event occurred shortly after a decision to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an immigration officer used a chemical agent at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

The protester, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking it tasted like "something milder". But the incident spread everywhere.

The frog suit was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit 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 was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "propensity for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see the court's opinion, which adopts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," the dissenting judge wrote. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The action was halted by courts just a month later, and troops have reportedly departed the city.

However, by that time, the amphibian costume was now a significant symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

The frog costume was sold out on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Controlling the Optics

The link between Pepe and the protest frog – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that highlights a message without needing obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and an experienced participant. He's written a book on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

As activists confront the state, a silly costume {takes control of|seizes|influences