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This revolution isn't televised, but it could have amphibious toes and large eyes.

Additionally, it could include the horn of a unicorn or a chicken's feathers.

Whilst rallies opposing the government carry on in US cities, demonstrators have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They've provided salsa lessons, distributed treats, and performed on unicycles, while police look on.

Mixing levity and political action – a strategy social scientists term "tactical frivolity" – isn't novel. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of US demonstrations in this period, adopted by various groups.

And one symbol has proven to be notably significant – the frog. It began when recordings of an encounter between a protester in an amphibian costume and ICE agents in the city of Portland, spread online. And it has since spread to protests across the country.

"A great deal happening with that humble inflatable frog," says an expert, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who specialises in creative activism.

From a Cartoon Frog to Portland

It is difficult to talk about protests and frogs without mentioning Pepe, a web comic frog adopted by extremist movements during a previous presidential campaign.

When this image gained popularity online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Later, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, even a particular image endorsed 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, portrayed as a hate group member. Users exchanged "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "that feels good", became a shared phrase.

Yet its beginnings were not this divisive.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has expressed about his unhappiness for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply an apolitical figure in his comic world.

This character first appeared in a series of comics in 2005 – apolitical and famous for a particular bathroom habit. In 'Feels Good Man', which documents Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his creation, he stated his drawing came from his life with companions.

When he began, Mr Furie tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to borrow, remix and reinvent his character. As its popularity grew into the more extreme corners of the internet, Mr Furie sought to reject his creation, including ending its life in a comic strip.

But Pepe lived on.

"This demonstrates that we don't control imagery," states Prof Bogad. "They transform and be repurposed."

For a long time, the popularity of this meme meant that amphibian imagery became a symbol for the right. A transformation occurred recently, when a viral moment between an activist dressed in a blow-up amphibian suit and an immigration officer in Portland captured global attention.

This incident occurred shortly after a directive to send the National Guard to Portland, which was described as "war-ravaged". Demonstrators began to congregate at a specific location, just outside of an ICE office.

Emotions ran high and an agent used pepper spray at the individual, aiming directly into the opening of the costume.

The protester, the man in the costume, quipped, remarking he had tasted "spicier tamales". However, the video spread everywhere.

The costume was not too unusual for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that delight in the unusual – public yoga, 80s-style aerobics lessons, and nude cycling groups. The city's unofficial motto is "Embrace the Strange."

This symbol even played a role in a lawsuit between the federal government and the city, which claimed the use of troops was unlawful.

While a judge decided in October that the president had the right to send personnel, one judge dissented, referencing in her ruling demonstrators' "known tendency for wearing chicken suits while voicing dissent."

"Observers may be tempted the court's opinion, which accepts the government's characterization as a war zone, as merely absurd," Judge Susan Graber stated. "But today's decision goes beyond absurdity."

The order was stopped legally just a month later, and troops are said to have left the city.

Yet already, the frog had transformed into a powerful symbol of resistance for progressive movements.

This symbol was spotted nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They appeared in rural communities and global metropolises like Tokyo and London.

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

Mastering the Optics

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

The strategy is based on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – frequently absurd, it acts as a "appealing and non-threatening" act that draws focus to a cause without explicitly stating them. This is the goofy costume used, or the symbol you share.

Mr Bogad is an analyst on this topic and a veteran practitioner. He authored a text on the subject, and taught workshops around the world.

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

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

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