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The revolution won't be broadcast, but it could have amphibious toes and bulging eyes.

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

Whilst protests opposing the administration persist in American cities, protesters are adopting the spirit of a community costume parade. They've provided dance instruction, handed out snacks, and performed on unicycles, while police watch.

Combining levity and political action – a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. But it has become a hallmark of protests in the United States in this period, embraced by various groups.

And one symbol has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It began when video footage of a clash between an individual in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, spread online. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"A great deal happening with that small frog costume," notes a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in political performance.

From a Cartoon Frog to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to discuss demonstrations and amphibians without mentioning Pepe, a cartoon character embraced by online communities throughout an election cycle.

Initially, when this image gained popularity on the internet, people used it to express certain emotions. Afterwards, it was deployed to express backing for a candidate, even one notable meme shared by that figure himself, depicting Pepe with recognizable attire and hairstyle.

Images also circulated in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a hate group member. Online conservatives exchanged "unique frog images" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "that feels good", was used an inside joke.

However Pepe didn't start out as a political symbol.

Matt Furie, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his disapproval for how the image has been used. Pepe was supposed to be simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

This character debuted in comic strips in the mid-2000s – apolitical and notable for a quirky behavior. In 'Feels Good Man', which chronicles the creator's attempt to take back of his work, he explained the character came from his life with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist tried sharing his art to the nascent social web, where people online began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into darker parts of the internet, the creator tried to disavow the frog, including ending its life in a final panel.

Yet the frog persisted.

"This demonstrates the lack of control over symbols," explains Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

Until recently, the notoriety of this meme resulted in amphibian imagery were predominantly linked to the right. This shifted on a day in October, when an incident between a protestor dressed in an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

This incident followed a directive to send the National Guard to the city, which was described as "a warzone". Demonstrators began to congregate on a single block, just outside of a federal building.

Tensions were high and an agent deployed pepper spray at a protester, aiming directly into the air intake fan of the costume.

The individual, the man in the costume, quipped, stating it tasted like "something milder". But the incident became a sensation.

Mr Todd's attire was not too unusual for the city, renowned for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that revel in the absurd – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Keep Portland Weird."

The frog became part of in a lawsuit between the federal government and Portland, which contended the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the administration had the right to send personnel, a minority opinion disagreed, referencing in her ruling the protesters' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits when expressing their disagreement."

"Some might view this decision, which accepts the government's characterization as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she stated. "However, this ruling goes beyond absurdity."

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

But by then, the frog was now a significant symbol of resistance for the left.

The costume appeared in many cities at anti-authoritarian protests last autumn. Frogs appeared – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in San Diego and Atlanta and Boston. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises abroad.

This item was backordered on online retailers, and saw its cost increase.

Mastering the Narrative

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

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad terms the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" display that calls attention to a message without explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume you wear, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and an experienced participant. He authored a book on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to historical periods – under oppressive regimes, they use absurdity to express dissent a little bit and still have plausible deniability."

The theory of such tactics is multi-faceted, Mr Bogad says.

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