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The revolution won't be televised, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or a chicken's feathers.

As rallies against the leadership persist in American cities, participants are utilizing the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, as armed law enforcement observe.

Mixing comedy and political action – an approach experts call "tactical frivolity" – is not new. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of protests in the United States in this period, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

One particular emblem has risen to become especially powerful – the frog. It started when recordings of a confrontation between a protester in a frog suit and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot going on with that little inflatable frog," notes a professor, who teaches at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in performance art.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It's hard to talk about demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a cartoon character co-opted by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

When this image initially spread on the internet, people used it to express specific feelings. Later, its use evolved to express backing for a candidate, including a particular image shared by that figure personally, depicting the frog with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in right-wing online communities in more extreme scenarios, as a hate group member. Participants traded "unique frog images" and set up cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", became a shared phrase.

Yet its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a relaxed amphibian in this artist's universe.

Pepe debuted in an online comic in the mid-2000s – non-political and best known for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he said the character came from his life with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with sharing his art to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As its popularity grew into fringe areas of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It shows that creators cannot own icons," explains the professor. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

Previously, the popularity of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to conservative politics. This shifted in early October, when a confrontation between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event came just days after an order to deploy the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate outside a facility, near a federal building.

Tensions were high and a officer sprayed a chemical agent at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

Seth Todd, Seth Todd, reacted humorously, saying he had tasted "spicier tamales". But the incident became a sensation.

The costume was somewhat typical for Portland, renowned for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in a lawsuit between the administration and Portland, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a judge decided that month that the president was within its rights to send personnel, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire when expressing their disagreement."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," Judge Susan Graber wrote. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The deployment was halted by courts soon after, and troops withdrew from the area.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

The inflatable suit appeared across the country at No Kings protests recently. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Mastering the Optics

The link between both frogs together – is the interplay between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor calls a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "disarming and charming" performance that calls attention to a cause without directly articulating them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the meme circulated.

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

"One can look back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and still have a layer of protection."

The idea of such tactics is multi-faceted, he says.

As protesters confront a powerful opposition, humorous attire {takes control of|seizes|influences