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The protest movement isn't televised, though it may feature webbed feet and large eyes.

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

While protests against the leadership carry on in American cities, demonstrators have embraced the spirit of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, as officers look on.

Combining humour and politics – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a defining feature of US demonstrations in recent years, used by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become notably significant – the frog. It started when a video of a clash between an individual in an amphibian costume and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests across the country.

"A great deal happening with that humble inflatable frog," states an expert, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It is difficult to discuss protests and frogs without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by online communities during an election cycle.

As the character initially spread on the internet, people used it to signal specific feelings. Afterwards, its use evolved to endorse a candidate, even one notable meme retweeted by the candidate himself, depicting the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in darker contexts, as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was deployed an inside joke.

Yet its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his disapproval for its appropriation. Pepe was supposed to be simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

Pepe first appeared in an online comic in 2005 – non-political and notable for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he explained his drawing 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 borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. When the meme proliferated into darker parts of online spaces, the creator sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"It proves that we don't control imagery," says the professor. "They can change and shift and be reworked."

Until recently, the association of this meme meant that amphibian imagery were largely associated with the right. But that changed 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 came just days after an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of a federal building.

The situation was tense and an agent sprayed pepper spray at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident went viral.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, renowned for its quirky culture and activist demonstrations that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. A local saying is "Embrace the Strange."

The frog even played a role in subsequent court proceedings between the federal government and the city, which argued the deployment overstepped authority.

While a ruling was issued that month that the administration had the right to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as merely absurd," she wrote. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

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

Yet already, the amphibian costume had transformed into a potent anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at No Kings protests last autumn. Amphibian costumes were present – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They were in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was backordered on online retailers, and rose in price.

Mastering the Visual Story

The link between both frogs together – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The tactic is based on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "disarming and charming" act that draws focus to a cause without obviously explaining them. This is the silly outfit used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The theory of this approach is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad says.

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