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This resistance isn't televised, though it may feature amphibious toes and large eyes.

Furthermore, it may involve a unicorn's horn or the plumage of a chicken.

Whilst rallies opposing the administration carry on in American cities, protesters are adopting the energy of a neighborhood dress-up party. They have taught dance instruction, handed out treats, and performed on unicycles, while armed law enforcement look on.

Combining comedy and politics – a strategy researchers term "tactical frivolity" – has historical precedent. Yet it has transformed into a defining feature of US demonstrations in recent years, adopted by both left and right.

And one symbol has emerged as notably significant – the frog. It started when a video of a clash between an individual in a frog suit and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, went viral. It subsequently appeared to demonstrations nationwide.

"There's a lot going on with that humble blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies performance art.

The Path From the Pepe Meme to Portland

It's hard to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without talking about Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by online communities throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when this image first took off online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Afterwards, it was utilized to endorse a political figure, including a particular image shared by that figure himself, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in certain internet forums in offensive ways, as a historical dictator. Participants traded "rare Pepes" and set up digital currency using its likeness. His catchphrase, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

However its beginnings were not as a political symbol.

The artist behind it, the illustrator, has expressed about his disapproval for its co-option. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog debuted in comic strips in 2005 – non-political and notable for a quirky behavior. A film, which follows Mr Furie's efforts to take back of his work, he explained the character came from his experiences with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie experimented with uploading his work to the nascent social web, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie attempted to distance himself from his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

However, its legacy continued.

"It shows the lack of control over imagery," explains the professor. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

Until recently, the association of this meme meant that frogs were predominantly linked to conservative politics. But that changed recently, when an incident between a protestor wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

This incident followed a decision to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers on a single block, just outside of an ICE office.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed pepper spray at a protester, directing it into the opening of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, reacted humorously, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". But the incident spread everywhere.

Mr Todd's attire was somewhat typical for Portland, famous for its quirky culture and left-wing protests that revel in the ridiculous – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and unique parades. A local saying is "Keep Portland Weird."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and the city, which argued the use of troops was unlawful.

While the court ruled in October that the administration was within its rights to deploy troops, one judge dissented, mentioning demonstrators' "propensity for using unusual attire while voicing dissent."

"It is easy to see this decision, which adopts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber stated. "Yet the outcome has serious implications."

The deployment was halted by courts subsequently, and troops withdrew from the city.

However, by that time, the frog had become a potent anti-administration symbol for the left.

The inflatable suit was spotted across the country at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

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

Mastering the Optics

What brings the two amphibian symbols – lies in the dynamic between the silly, innocent image and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic relies on what the professor terms the "irresistible image" – often silly, it acts as a "disarming and charming" act that highlights your ideas without explicitly stating them. It's the unusual prop used, or the meme you share.

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

"You could go back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to speak the truth indirectly and while maintaining a layer of protection."

The idea of this approach is three-fold, Mr Bogad says.

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