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The resistance won't be broadcast, yet it might possess webbed feet and bulging eyes.

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

While protests against the administration carry on in American cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, given away treats, and performed on unicycles, while police observe.

Combining humour and political action – a tactic experts refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a signature characteristic of protests in the United States in recent years, adopted by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started when video footage of an encounter between an individual in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests throughout the United States.

"A great deal going on with that small frog costume," says a professor, a professor at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From Pepe to Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog embraced by online communities during a political race.

As the character first took off on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a candidate, even one notable meme shared by the candidate himself, portraying the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a hate group member. Participants exchanged "unique frog images" and established digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became an inside joke.

Yet the character did not originate this divisive.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has stated about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his series.

This character first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. In a documentary, which documents the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he stated the character came from his life with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into darker parts of online spaces, the creator attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a final panel.

However, its legacy continued.

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

Previously, the popularity of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a viral moment between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and a federal agent in Portland went viral.

The moment occurred shortly after a directive to deploy military personnel to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate on a single block, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

Tensions were high and an agent sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the costume.

The protester, Seth Todd, responded with a joke, saying it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that revel in the unusual – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. The city's unofficial motto is "Keep Portland Weird."

This symbol was also referenced in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which contended the deployment overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled that month that the president had the right to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, mentioning demonstrators' "well-known penchant for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which adopts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she wrote. "Yet the outcome is not merely absurd."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had become a potent protest icon for the left.

The costume was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests recently. 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 inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Mastering the Visual Story

The link between the two amphibian symbols – is the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "disarming and charming" display that draws focus to a cause without needing directly articulating them. It's the silly outfit you wear, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a text on the subject, and taught workshops internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of this approach is multi-faceted, he explains.

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