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The revolution may not be televised, yet it might possess amphibious toes and large eyes.

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

Whilst protests opposing the leadership carry on in US cities, participants have embraced the energy of a community costume parade. They've offered salsa lessons, given away snacks, and ridden unicycles, while police look on.

Mixing humour and political action – a strategy researchers term "tactical frivolity" – is not new. However, it has emerged as a hallmark of US demonstrations in this period, embraced by all sides of the political spectrum.

And one symbol has risen to become particularly salient – the frog. It started when video footage of an encounter between an individual in an inflatable frog and federal officers in the city of Portland, became an internet sensation. From there, it proliferated to protests nationwide.

"There is much at play with that humble blow-up amphibian," states LM Bogad, a professor at UC Davis and an academic who studies creative activism.

The Path From Pepe to the Streets of Portland

It is difficult to examine protests and frogs without talking about Pepe, an illustrated figure embraced by far-right groups throughout a previous presidential campaign.

Initially, when the meme initially spread online, its purpose was to convey specific feelings. Subsequently, it was deployed to show support for a political figure, even a particular image retweeted by the candidate personally, portraying Pepe with a signature suit and hair.

Pepe was also depicted in digital spaces in more extreme scenarios, portrayed as a historical dictator. Participants traded "unique frog images" and set up digital currency in his name. His catchphrase, "feels good, man", was used a coded signal.

Yet Pepe didn't start out so controversial.

Its creator, artist Matt Furie, has been vocal about his disapproval for how the image has been used. His creation was meant as simply a "chill frog-dude" in his series.

Pepe debuted in a series of comics in the mid-2000s – non-political and famous for a particular bathroom habit. A film, which chronicles Mr Furie's efforts to wrest back control of his work, he stated the character was inspired by his time with friends and roommates.

Early in his career, the artist tried uploading his work to early internet platforms, where the community began to copy, alter, and reinterpret his character. When the meme proliferated into the more extreme corners of online spaces, Mr Furie sought to reject the frog, even killing him off in a comic strip.

Yet the frog persisted.

"It proves that we don't control symbols," states Prof Bogad. "They transform and be reclaimed."

For a long time, the notoriety of this meme resulted in frogs were largely associated with the right. But that changed on a day in October, when a confrontation between an activist wearing an inflatable frog costume and an immigration officer in Portland, Oregon went viral.

The event occurred shortly after an order to deploy the National Guard to the city, which was called "a warzone". Protesters began to assemble in large numbers at a specific location, near an immigration enforcement facility.

The situation was tense and a officer deployed a chemical agent at a protester, targeting the ventilation of the inflatable suit.

The individual, Seth Todd, quipped, remarking it tasted like "spicier tamales". Yet the footage became a sensation.

The costume fit right in for the city, famous for its unconventional spirit and left-wing protests that revel in the unusual – public yoga, retro fitness classes, and unique parades. Its creed is "Embrace the Strange."

The costume became part of in the ensuing legal battle between the federal government and Portland, which claimed the use of troops was unlawful.

Although a ruling was issued in October that the president was within its rights to deploy troops, a minority opinion disagreed, noting in her opinion the protesters' "propensity for wearing chicken suits while voicing opposition."

"Some might view the court's opinion, which accepts the description of Portland as a battlefield, as simply ridiculous," she opined. "But today's decision has serious implications."

The action was halted by courts subsequently, and personnel are said to have left the area.

But by then, the frog had transformed into a powerful protest icon for the left.

This symbol was seen nationwide at anti-authoritarian protests that fall. Amphibian costumes were present – and unicorns and axolotls and dinosaurs – in major US cities. They were in small towns and big international cities like Tokyo and London.

The frog costume was sold out on major websites, and rose in price.

Shaping the Optics

What connects Pepe and the protest frog – lies in the relationship between the humorous, benign cartoon and serious intent. This is what "tactical frivolity."

The strategy rests on what Mr Bogad calls the "irresistible image" – usually humorous, it's a "disarming and charming" display that highlights a message without explicitly stating them. This is the unusual prop used, or the meme circulated.

The professor is both an expert in the subject and someone who uses these tactics. He's written a text called 'Tactical Performance', and taught workshops around the world.

"One can look back to the Middle Ages – under oppressive regimes, absurd humor is used to express dissent indirectly and still have plausible deniability."

The purpose of this approach is three-fold, he explains.

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