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The revolution may not be televised, though it may feature webbed feet and bulging eyes.

It also might feature a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

While protests against the administration carry on in American cities, participants are adopting the energy of a community costume parade. They have taught salsa lessons, distributed snacks, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement observe.

Combining levity and political action – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of American protest in this period, used by both left and right.

One particular emblem has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It started when recordings of a confrontation between a protester in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. And it has since spread to protests nationwide.

"There's a lot at play with that small frog costume," notes an expert, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who focuses on creative activism.

The Path From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's challenging to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

When this image initially spread on the internet, it was used to convey certain emotions. Later, it was deployed to express backing for a political figure, including a particular image shared by that figure himself, portraying the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up cryptocurrency in his name. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

However its beginnings were not this divisive.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply a relaxed amphibian in his comic world.

This character first appeared in comic strips in 2005 – apolitical and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he explained the character was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from the frog, even killing him off in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves that we don't control symbols," says Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

For a long time, the association of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed in early October, when a viral moment between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

The event came just days after a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "a warzone". Activists began to gather in droves at a specific location, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent used pepper spray at the individual, directing it into the ventilation of the costume.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, quipped, stating he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The frog suit was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its eccentric vibe and left-wing protests that embrace the unusual – outdoor exercise, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which argued the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although the court ruled that month that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, noting in her opinion the protesters' "well-known penchant for donning inflatable costumes when expressing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as merely absurd," she wrote. "However, this ruling has serious implications."

The order was halted by courts soon after, and personnel have reportedly departed the area.

Yet already, the frog was now a significant symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

This symbol was seen across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities abroad.

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

Mastering the Narrative

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and a deeper political meaning. This concept is "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad calls a "disarming display" – often silly, it's a "disarming and charming" act that draws focus to a message without obviously explaining them. It's the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and a veteran practitioner. He's written a book called 'Tactical Performance', and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, absurd humor is used to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The idea of this approach is multi-faceted, he says.

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