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The revolution may not be televised, yet it might possess webbed feet and protruding eyes.

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

As rallies against the administration persist in American cities, demonstrators are adopting the spirit of a local block party. They have taught dance instruction, distributed treats, and ridden unicycles, while officers observe.

Mixing humour and politics – a tactic social scientists call "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a defining feature of American protest in the current era, adopted by both left and right.

A specific icon has emerged as particularly salient – the frog. It started after video footage of a clash between a protester in an inflatable frog and ICE agents in Portland, Oregon, became an internet sensation. It subsequently appeared to protests throughout the United States.

"There's a lot going on with that humble blow-up amphibian," says a professor, who teaches at UC Davis and a Guggenheim Fellow who studies creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It is difficult to examine demonstrations and amphibians without addressing Pepe, a web comic frog co-opted by online communities throughout an election cycle.

When the meme initially spread on the internet, people used it to express specific feelings. Later, it was utilized to express backing for a candidate, including a particular image retweeted by that figure personally, showing the frog with a signature suit and hair.

Images also circulated in certain internet forums in darker contexts, portrayed as a historical dictator. Users exchanged "rare Pepes" and established cryptocurrency using its likeness. Its famous line, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

But the character did not originate so controversial.

The artist behind it, artist Matt Furie, has stated about his distaste for its appropriation. The character was intended as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

The frog first appeared in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – apolitical and best known for a quirky behavior. A film, which chronicles the creator's attempt to wrest back control of his work, he explained the character came from his life with friends and roommates.

When he began, the artist tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where other users began to copy, alter, and reinterpret the frog. As Pepe spread into darker parts of online spaces, the creator tried to disavow his creation, even killing him off in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that creators cannot own imagery," states Prof Bogad. "They can change and shift and be repurposed."

Previously, the popularity of Pepe meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for conservative politics. A transformation occurred in early October, when an incident between an activist wearing a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland went viral.

This incident followed a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was called "war-ravaged". Activists began to congregate outside a facility, near an ICE office.

The situation was tense and an immigration officer deployed irritant at the individual, directing it into the air intake fan of the puffy frog costume.

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

Mr Todd's attire fit right in for the city, famous for its eccentric vibe and activist demonstrations that delight in the absurd – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the administration and Portland, which argued the deployment was illegal.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president was within its rights to send personnel, a dissenting judge wrote, mentioning demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"Some might view this decision, which accepts the description of Portland as a war zone, as simply ridiculous," the dissenting judge opined. "However, this ruling is not merely absurd."

The deployment was "permanently" blocked soon after, and personnel are said to have left the city.

Yet already, the amphibian costume had transformed into a significant anti-administration symbol for progressive movements.

The costume appeared in many cities at No Kings protests last autumn. There were frogs – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in small towns and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

The inflatable suit was backordered on online retailers, and became more expensive.

Mastering the Optics

What brings Pepe and the protest frog – is the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and underlying political significance. Experts call this "tactical frivolity."

The tactic rests on what Mr Bogad calls 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 unusual prop used, or the symbol circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He authored a text on the subject, and led seminars internationally.

"You could go back to historical periods – when people are dominated, they use absurdity to speak the truth a little bit and while maintaining a layer of protection."

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

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