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This revolution may not be televised, but it could have webbed feet and large eyes.

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

Whilst protests opposing the government persist in American cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Blending humour and political action – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. However, it has emerged as a signature characteristic of US demonstrations in recent years, adopted by various groups.

A specific icon has proven to be particularly salient – the frog. It began after video footage of a confrontation between a man in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to rallies nationwide.

"There is much going on with that little inflatable frog," says an expert, a professor at University of California, Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who specialises in political performance.

From Pepe to Portland

It's hard to talk about protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, an illustrated figure adopted by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the character initially spread on the internet, its purpose was to signal specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including one notable meme shared by the candidate himself, showing Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

The frog was also portrayed in certain internet forums in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was deployed an inside joke.

However the character did not originate as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his distaste for how the image has been used. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he explained his drawing was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist experimented with sharing his art to new websites, where other users began to borrow, remix and reinvent the frog. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of the internet, the creator sought to reject his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

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

For a long time, the notoriety of Pepe resulted in amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. But that changed recently, when a confrontation between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and a federal agent in Portland spread rapidly online.

The event occurred shortly after an order to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "war-ravaged". Protesters began to congregate outside a facility, just outside of an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and an agent sprayed irritant at the individual, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the inflatable suit.

Seth Todd, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking it tasted like "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for Portland, known for its unconventional spirit and activist demonstrations that embrace the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume was also referenced in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops overstepped authority.

Although a judge decided that month that the administration had the right to deploy troops, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning the protesters' "known tendency for using unusual attire when expressing dissent."

"It is easy to see the majority's ruling, which accepts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber stated. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

The action was halted by courts just a month later, and troops are said to have left the area.

But by then, the frog had transformed into a potent symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume was spotted across the country at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – along with other creatures – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

The link between the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The strategy relies on what Mr Bogad terms a "disarming display" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that calls attention to your ideas without obviously explaining them. This is the unusual prop you wear, or the symbol circulated.

Mr Bogad is both an expert on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a book on the subject, and led seminars around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is three-fold, he says.

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