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The resistance isn't televised, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

It also might feature the horn of a unicorn or the plumage of a chicken.

As rallies against the leadership carry on in US cities, protesters have embraced the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They've offered dance instruction, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement watch.

Mixing humour and politics – a tactic social scientists refer to as "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. But it has become a hallmark of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by both left and right.

And one symbol has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It began when a video of a clash between a protester in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, spread online. And it has since spread to demonstrations nationwide.

"A great deal going on with that humble blow-up amphibian," says LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in creative activism.

From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by online communities throughout a political race.

Initially, when the meme initially spread online, it was used to express certain emotions. Later, its use evolved to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme shared by the candidate personally, showing Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users traded "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became an inside joke.

However the character did not originate this divisive.

Its creator, the illustrator, has stated about his disapproval for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

The frog debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – apolitical and famous for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows the creator's attempt to take back of his creation, he explained his drawing was inspired by his experiences with companions.

As he started out, the artist tried sharing his art to new websites, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As Pepe spread into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie tried to disavow his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"This demonstrates that we don't control imagery," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

For a long time, the association of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. But that changed recently, when a confrontation between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The event occurred shortly after a directive to deploy military personnel to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to congregate at a specific location, near an ICE office.

The situation was tense and a officer used a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking he had tasted "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, renowned for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that embrace the absurd – outdoor exercise, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in subsequent court proceedings between the administration and Portland, which claimed the deployment was illegal.

While a ruling was issued that month that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes while voicing opposition."

"Observers may be tempted the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "But today's decision is not merely absurd."

The order was halted by courts soon after, and personnel are said to have left the area.

Yet already, the amphibian costume was now a powerful protest icon for the left.

This symbol was spotted across the country at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Narrative

What connects the two amphibian symbols – is the interplay between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – usually humorous, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that calls attention to a cause without needing obviously explaining them. This is the silly outfit you wear, or the meme you share.

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

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

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

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